Advice for Scientists

Kate
Sleeth

Changing your Name

Today, I want to discuss something that I think half the population (at least) will never have considered.  The other half will probably think about it at some point in their lives.  For some, it is an easy decision, while for others (and that includes myself), it is problematic.  I a...


Nathan
Vanderford

Ignore Fear: A Key Step to Being Happier and More Successful

Fear is defined by many as being afraid or apprehensive. We all have thousands of fears, many of which are very rational. These rational fears ultimately prevent us from being hurt in some way. We also all have hundreds or thousands of irrational fears. These irrational fears canprevent us from doin...


Nathan
Vanderford

On the Failure Myth

There is a heart-wrenching myth among us PhDs, which is that PhDs are failures if they do not obtain a tenure track faculty position. The “failure myth” has been perpetuated for decades and has thus been heard by most all graduate students and postdoctoral fellows (and many others…). This ...


Nathan
Vanderford

Visiting goals at year-end and planning for the new year

I’m not a New Year’s resolution practitioner, but what I do like to do at the end of the year/beginning of a new year is to think about my goals. Goal setting is a best practice for all professionals and especially those who are looking to make personal and professional advances. What you have t...


Kate
Sleeth

Taking Things Personally

Today I am going to broach a subject which is really quite tricky, and as scientists I am not sure that we are really trained or prepared to do it.  My subject today is that we should not take things personally.  I know that we have all defended hypotheses in either public or private setti...


Scott
Jeffers

Lessons from my father: Entrepreneurship

This is my first blog post for Bio Careers, so I’m going to tell you about myself, my influences, and where I want to go with this blog. However, I’m not going to give you my CV (I’m on LinkedIn, and you can see all the gory details there).


Christine
Zafra

The Art of Picking a Lab: The Pre-Application Stage

Over the past 10 years, I have talked with numerous graduate students that are in the process of selecting a laboratory to conduct their research. One thing that has stood out during those conversations is the lack of homework that students do when selecting a laboratory. With the average time to a ...


Nathan
Vanderford

New Study Highlights the Utility of Being a Multi-skilled Employee

Data from a study released recently by Northeastern University aligns with common trends emerging about the perception of the role and responsibility of higher education and its primary clients i.e., students, in regard to preparing future employees. Among other important conclusions, the results hi...


Kate
Sleeth

Fake it Until You Make It!

I would like to share with you some key advice which really helped me before.  The first time I heard this phrase, or at least actually took note of it, was a few hours before I gave a presentation.  I was (as those of you who follow my blog will be familiar with) a little nervous, to say ...


Thomas Patrick
Chuna

Why overly specific CVs are also bad

My regular readers know how much I preach against generic CV’s,the kind with a vague, cliché ridden objective statement, followed by the laundry list of STUFF designed to appeal to as many hiring authorities as possible. Today, I want to discuss the generic CV’s evil twin, the “Dense, ov...