What Does It Take To Get A Job?

[Immortal Wombat]

long narrow boat pushed around with a pole. apparently PH organised some punting while at Oxford.

[Provost Harrison]

Thanks RJ, the general concensus is that I should drop that from my CV, and I can do a better job of explaining it in person, but it was just that there would be my leaving of my PhD that would go unexplained. But yeah, I can see it would be more advantageous to leave it out.

Originally posted by Kropotkin
I know sh!t about CV:s but isn't the so call 'job' as Admissions Officer a bit too much? For my untrained eye it seems like you're desperate to get a few jobs on the paper. less can be more. Why didn't you include a paper-rout at 14 and a short career collecting balls during matches in the english conference on two occuations in october 1992?

[Blackwidow24]

put down the chips get dressed and go outside..that is the first step

[SuperSneak]

DanS--I agree in that I think Rich needs to make both his education and limited job experience blend into looking like a whole ****load of practical background.
I am aware that a Phd is an intensive program, but let me tell you, my best friend at Durham getting his Phd in Medeival Pantaloons couldn't wipe his ass without help.
You need to do some serious spin doctoring if you want a corporate job...look like the part they are auditioning for.
Granted, being in the sciences and doing mainly research is going to make your schooling more of a boon than most other jobs would.
I think you'll have much more success with some tinkering. I'd also send my CV out for the types of jobs that are in the upper reaches of those with Master's degrees, rather than shooting for PHD positions. My buddy has tons of practical experience in archaeology, but he is feeling the pressure from Master's grads, so there is definitely evidence that a certain degree will help more than the actual experience does.

[Provost Harrison]

Yeah, well most PhD positions are quite specific that you must hold a PhD (or at least have your thesis submitted), so I am aiming at positions which are graduate, but generally require someone a bit more experienced...but most of the jobs I have seen have been university or medical based, not much in the corporate world, eg, the drug companies, which is quite strange...

[SuperSneak]

Well, with dropping the part about leaving the program and blending education and job experience, I think you'll have a better success rate.
As Laz and I pointed out, that one bit was probably what was killing you...you don't have to justify your decisions to anyone, but I'd do some role playing with someone who can help you...they are definitely going to ask you about that, and you should have a plausible and rationale yet casual response well-rehearsed.
You ran out of money, had a family emergency, etc...something that doesn't lend itself to cross-examination.

[Provost Harrison]

Yes, well any interviews I've had I have been able to cover myself in that regard quite effectively, after all, most of these people who interview me will have gone through PhDs and know the problems that can occur.

[SuperSneak]

Remember that many "sympathetic" interviews don't end up with a job.
I'd rather get my ass kicked as long as the position was mine.
But you have to be tough...I interviewed with Adidas 5 times only to find they end up hiring internally...that was very demoralizing and seemed like a huge waste of time and energy. But I could have gotten the job, so it was worth the shot.
Once you get a concensus on your CV, the next step is to really work on the interview and pre-interview research...taking over the interview to some extent helps a lot I've found.

[Provost Harrison]

I have 'dominant' interviews before, although not recently. I just don't think I have had the right play of chemistry in any of them so far. I have quite a confident manner so they shouldn't be a problem, but in the past few, I haven't had that, I have been cacking it...

[MikeH]

PH:

I don't like the formatting of the stuff at the top. It's OK but doesn't stand out as really professional. I've never put my nationality on a CV, dunno if you need it.

Try centering the name with the address below or something. If you do it like that you don't need to label it address either. I dunno, play around until you think "Wow! That looks great!"

Hotmail isn't too bad, but not as good as it could be lose the Riiiiich.


I told you not to mention quitting the PhD on the CV didn't I? Definitely don't ***** about your old PhD on the CV. I'd get that far and bang, CV goes on the reject pile. I like Sneak's approach of not mentioning why you quit on the CV then coming up with a good plausible story they won't question too much.

Make the work experience and job history short and to the point. eg point two on your PhD experience:

· Using an array of techniques for studying diseases of the pulmonary vasculature and diabetic neuropathy.

That's good enough for me, I don't need an abstract. You can expand on it in the interview, talk about specific skills in skills.

With your degree. You did a biochem masters at Oxford, that rules. They don't need your course structure or when your exams were. Did you have a final project or thesis? Say you did the degree, and mention the final project thesis was in field X. Again, you don't need too much detail, that's one of your ace subjects for interview when they ask you more about it.

Note: Make sure anything on the CV you can back up if they ask you about it. Especially for a biochem job if you have mentioned projects. I got asked about my final year degree project on Quasar modeling in every interview and I knew it inside out and could explain it even to IT guys who didn't know anything about physics but wanted to know what kind of programming was involved.

Skills: Punting? Er...

I'd stick the driving licence thing in this section.

Here's where you can mention all the cool biochem techniques you've learnt in your education etc.

Other interests. A little weak here. See if you can think of anything else to dredge up. What about music?

OK it's midnight and I'm drunk but I hope that makes some sense and didn't sound too harsh.

Good luck!

[Provost Harrison]

Well I've tried to be quite technical in this CV as it has been directed at employers in the research sector but it is knowing how to organise it as my technician post (job) and PhD (academic) intermixed quite a bit. The thing is that I thought stripping a lot of this stuff would make the CV look quite sparse...although I can see the point that it may not be relevent at this point.

Well I don't actually 'do' anything to do with music except listen to it...so I don't really know how I could expand some of the stuff. I suppose my personal life looks a little narrow. And I can't really put down poly, although I may be able to bullsh*t my moderation at CGN I suppose...I dunno whether that would be a good idea though.

[SuperSneak]

Didn't you set the Guinnes record for most/fastest onanistic endeavors in a 24 hour period? That has to count for something...especially among scientists!

Try this on for size (you have nothing better to do, right?). Take your CV and just radically alter it. Distill all the bits of advice you've gotten here and remake the whole thing. Maybe it will end up closer to what you need.
I think Mike's comments about some of the pure mechanics of your format are valid...at first, I thought the nationality and license bit were typical Brit BS, but now I see they are truly odd.
Fix them.
Fix the whole damn thing and start over!!!

[Provost Harrison]

[Bereta_Eder]

a small tip about CVs.


make them compact and short. otherwise they might not even be read.



if you want to elaborate do it in a second "chapter" of the CV

[Provost Harrison]

I never said I was much good at this stuff...