Written by Xuyuan Kuang The Four-Day SciPhD Program led by Larry Petcovic and Randall Ribaudo, closed up on February 2nd where 40 PhD students and post-doctoral associates received certificates of the program completion supported by the Rutgers iJOBS program. Among 40 participants, most of them are from Rutgers University New Brunswick Campus or Newark Campus, and the rest are from Princeton University, and Rowan University. The course covered a wide range of activities including lectures, group discussion and interview practices. Lectures included the topics: communication skills, leadership, networking, negotiating, and financial literacy. Additionally, on the evening of third day, a VIP reception created networking opportunities for trainees to discuss career options with professionals. The program first helped participants to realize the requirements of business and social skills in a job advertisement. It clarified the differences between scientific methods and business process, and emphasized the most important competencies for entry-level positions in industry were strategy, communication, and excitement. Attendees participated in self-assessment to understand the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The MBTI describes people's preferences for interacting with others (extraversion or introversion), gathering information (sensing or intuition), making decisions (thinking or feeling) and organizing their lives (judging or perceiving). Knowing MBTI about oneself and others could help the basis for building up communication skills. In the communication courses, Larry and Randall introduced several techniques to develop emotional and social intelligence which are necessary for career development. The “3 m&ms” technique was a technique to use each m&m to ask questions during a conversation, which helps to understand an issue better. Larry and Randall reminded the trainees that switching from expert to learner is the most powerful technique to control and limit the cognitive bias. Briefly, learner mode means not being negative or defensive, arguing any point, pointing a finger or talking louder. Being a learner is beneficial when one needs a deeper relationship with the person or audience who one interacts with. Moving forward, the training session about leadership was titled ‘Developing your people’ . The course talked about how to establish collaborative relationships that enable others to succeed, by being sensitive to their level of competence and independence for essential tasks. Three principles of effectively managing teams were introduced including clearly defined goals, using appropriate encouragement and praising success, and providing necessary criticisms with empathy. Using the knowledge of MBTI also helps to develop a targeted approach to provide needed support to people. During the discussion of networking, a number of tips on preparing business cards and editing a LinkedIn profile were introduced by Larry and Randy. For example, one needs to pay attention to the material of a business card is made from, so a receiver can write on it with pen if necessary. Further, job seekers can use LinkedIn to get badges for skills in addition to skills certified by co-workers. When talking about the leadership, team performance tools such as brainstorming, priority matrix, SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis as well as process mapping and value added analysis, was explained and practiced in the program. Last but not least, distributive and integrative negotiation strategies were proposed in a topic covering “negotiating with the hiring manager.” Distributive negotiation involves haggling over a fixed amount of value—that is, slicing up the pie, while integrative is often referred to as “win-win” and typically entails two or more issues to be negotiated. It often involves an agreement process that better integrates the aims and goals of all the involved negotiation participants through creative and collaborative problem-solving. I learned to find salary information on websites and by job title, and to think in terms of a 3-year horizon when selecting a career.In addition, I was taught that during a negotiation it is best to try to avoid getting defensive. The training about financial literacy includes lecture and teamwork of participants. After learning the basic income statement financial terms, students were assigned to be mimic employees in different companies or organizations including bank and drug investment or development companies. The financial procedures include buying and selling a company, and merging and getting loans from a bank. Goals were set to increase revenue, net income as well as earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization (EBITA) with certain amount of cash. The financial procedures with banks, nonprofit organization and companies, motivated trainees to better understand the financial state of a business. Lastly during the VIP reception SciPhD attendees had the opportunity to talk with previous SciPhD trainees and Rutgers alumni, which include scientists in industry, medical communications and non-profit sectors.When I discussed with professionals in different fields, they shared their day-to-day routine, and mentioned the challenges they confronted within their position. Moreover, they talked about how SciPhD and other iJOBS events or trainings helped them in their career. From what they said, I realized SciPhD could be a start to change my way of thinking and communication. Apart from the 40-hour program, the software Flamingo, a new online web application was provided to certified trainees aiming to help them select a career, identify and develop relevant business and social skills, and prepare targeted resumes for free. For me, SciPhD has been the most helpful workshop I have attended to handle job interviews and understand business procedures. It has given me a new angle to think about communication. I feel confident in creating a resume for any job.I am not only aware of my personality better but also fearless to enhance my business communication. I now have a clearer sense of how to effectively explore career options. Junior Editor Samantha Avina
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