Written by: Maria Ibrahim
Are you interested in learning about a variety of possible careers after completing a Ph.D. or post-doc? Do you want an insight on how to brand yourself for a job interview? Do you want to know what leadership skills are necessary to be an effective employee? If the answer to these questions is yes, then I highly recommend the SciPhD (The Business of Science for Scientists) workshop. The four days (36 hours) workshop is a “must attend” iJOBS event! Additionally, SciPhD is an NIH endorsed career development program which focuses on helping participants become competitive and successful as professional scientists, regardless of an academic or industry setting. The SciPhD certification program provides a “hands-on” method by encouraging participants to work together on their business skills.
Over the past two weekends, at the Newark and Piscataway campuses, I joined other eager participants who wanted to gain business and social skills. The topics covered in the workshop include: the business of science, successful communications as a scientist, six leadership styles, developing your people, negotiation and finance, and building effective teams. However, the workshop is not limited to that, it also includes a comprehensive portfolio that provided a review of everything taught in the class. Also, each certificate program attendee received a free subscription on Flamingo, career couch and job analytics web tool. Flamingo provides help on tracking job listings, identifying critical skills, and developing a tailored resume targeting a specific job. Through all the interactive and team building exercises, I left SciPhD with a LinkedIn profile filled with new connections.
Day 1
Larry and Randall, the coordinators, started with a brief introduction about themselves and the goals of the workshop. They asked us to describe our expectations and what we hoped to learn in these four days. I really enjoyed learning about the many different job opportunities available to Ph.D.’s. The possibilities are truly endless, and it was such a breath of fresh air to have Larry tell us that we are not overeducated or overqualified for our dream jobs. Lastly, to learn successful communication as a scientist, we took the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality test to understand different communication styles. I’ve attached the link to the free MBTI test so everyone can find out their communication style!
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp
Day 2
Continuing from day one, the topic of the second day was emotional and social intelligence. Larry stated that during interviews most Ph.D.’s when asked a question are quick to respond with an answer. However, that probably isn’t in our best interest because it can come off as aggressive in a non-technical conversation. Larry’s resolution was simple, pretend to eat m&m’s, this allows for a clear and comprehensive answer to the question in a non-aggressive manager. Thus, helping with our soft social skills that will help land that perfect job!
Day 3
The day started with a leadership exercise that involved managing a company, co-workers, and customers. Without providing too much information, teams work together to mimic a business environment. Though it is not similar, the concept of management and social interaction is important in having a successful company. After the activity, we worked together on a research proposal to understand finance and performance. As a group, we created a process map to increase the flow of our research proposal. This budgeting exercise transitioned into the most anticipated topic of the seminar, negotiating as a scientist. The key point was that negotiating is an exercise of social intelligence and communication skills. Randal kept repeating the phrase, “Never negotiate just your salary! Always negotiate your total compensation package!” I learned how to ask for a sign-on bonus, medical benefits coverage, educational assistance programs, student debt assistance, and equity opportunities. Overall, this was the densest part of the workshop, but the most beneficial. The day ended with a VIP networking session with professionals from a variety of companies from medical communications to more traditional Pharma companies answering questions and interacting with the participants.
Day 4
The two topics remaining were financial literacy and strategic project management for scientists. It may seem daunting to end with these challenging topics, but Larry always has a plan. To tackle financial literacy, participants were divided into ten groups that included venture capital firms, pharmaceutical companies, nonprofit organizations, and banks. The goal of the exercise was simple, integrate and reinforce all the previously learned subjects from the workshop to achieve financial goals set for each group. My newly acquired scientific and business skills were used to negotiate and communicate opportunities to complete the exercise.
The last topic was project management, which scientist practice every day in their careers, yet few scientists realize this. The key concept and implementation of project management are similar in parallel to the scientific method. They further emphases the overall goal of the workshop, which is using our scientific training to target professional careers outside of academia. In the workshop we learned and experienced processes that are parallel to a business lift-cycle. The workshop ended with all participants receiving their well-earned certifications and enjoying the new friendships that they have made.
Conclusion
Throughout this workshop, I learned how to tailor a resume, understand the parallels of business management in science, and be confident in my previous experiences when applying for a job. Additionally, I can now add SciPhD to my toolbox when I’m ready to leave the lab and join the workforce. This workshop is highly recommended for a reason so definitely check it out!
Junior Editor: Janaina Cruz Pereira
Senior Editor: Monal Mehta