Skill Building

Maida
Taylor

Just what do you do: medical affairs job description

One of my last postings was called “keeping Ken and Barbie out of jail,” an attempt to define some of the tasks involved working in medical affairs at a pharmaceutical company.  One reader pointed out that I really did not define the job very well, and I promised to describe just what the job e...


Peggy
McKee

Steve Jobs’ Lesson for Your Job Search: No Fear

If you’re in the job search, fear very likely looms large in your consciousness.  And I don’t mean the obvious financial fears of losing your house or your retirement.  I mean the smaller, quieter fears that fewer people talk about, but that can affect you just as much:  the fear ...


Stephanie
Yeung

Can You Hear Me Now? Part 2

In a previous post, I mentioned a book, Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office, that helped me get my voice heard and my actions respected. A reader asked me what I did exactly to “stand out and not be ignored anymore?” Since it has been eight years since I read the book, I could not remember ...


Stephanie
Yeung

Conquering Fears of Public Speaking

In my “How to Present Stylishly” post, I mentioned presentation tips and lessons I learned when I transitioned into a business career. A reader asked if I had any tips for dealing with the fear of public speaking. I shared with her tips I learned from Steven C. Toy (a great speaker himself) when...


Kate
Sleeth

Breaking Through the Spiral Ceiling

Recently, I was fortunate enough to attend a talk given by Dr. Laura Hoopes.  She has recently published a book called “Breaking through the spiral ceiling” and gave both readings from it and a brief history of just how far female scientists have come in the last 50 years.  It was inte...


Stephanie
Yeung

Can You Hear Me Now?

The Jerk GapRecently, I heard on KQED’s Forum about the finding that aggressive men (and women) earn almost $10,000 more a year than nice guys (listen to the story). It brought back so many memories that I have to share my journey from being a nice-yet-often-ignored girl in my first-year graduate ...


Mandy
Kendrick

Resume or CV?

Postdoc positions within the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, like many other jobs, have taken a hit with the latest budget news.  The option to extend USDA postdocs past their two-year appointments is no longer available—at least for now.  So, as I draw near the end of my second year, I have ...


Ray
Wang

Be a proud Ph.D selling your knowledge

From the first day I took this half research-half business job, I thought of my role as a pair of jobs in two parts. Not too much relevance. However, after I took my first international business trip to China, I knew I was totally wrong. 


Jason
Sherwin

The promise of the latter stage career

The topic of this posting is ‘the promise of the latter stage career.’ It is inspired by my recent trip on holiday to Spain, in particular Barcelona. In Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia church is an emblem of the city and it is a hot tourist destination. But it’s history and continuing developme...


Clement
Weinberger

You’re in (a) good company

So how do you know that? You don't have to be a rocket scientist to answer that question. I mean – if you just think about the people you are talking or sitting with at the moment, or those you are working with right now, it's not so hard to decide if you are in “good company.” After all, you ...