Finding a job can be a daunting task, whether you’re looking to stay in science or use your skills elsewhere. Helen Goulding and Sarah Blackford have put together a short series on how to make a great application and excel in an interview, sharing top tips from their talk at EGU 2013. Here are Helen’s highlights…    

Imagine for a moment that you are an employer and that you need to fill a vacancy. You carefully craft an advertisement and send it out to the world. You wait impatiently for the responses to come in. The deadline arrives and you are happy to see a large folder of applications.

You open the first application and scan it for 20-30 seconds. It is densely written, in tiny font and mentions none of the key skills from the advert. Not a good start. You pick up the second application and read a vague description of the applicant’s research interests and one limply enthusiastic sentence about working with you. You sigh and add it to the “No” pile. You pick up the third application and discover that the candidate likes reading, basketball and is PADI qualified. You are unsure how this relates to your vacancy or what he has been doing since he finished his PhD. You sigh; this is going to be a long day…

As an applicant there are simple but effective things you can do to increase the chance of your application / CV going into the “Yes” pile. Here are some brief tips:

1. Make your application easy to read. Most recruiters will spend less than one minute reading it initially. So use a minimum font size of 11 and use subheadings, bullet points, white space and bold font to increase readability. Spell- and grammar check your applications carefully.
2. Make your text match the skills and experience requested in the advert and make sure you provide all the information they ask for. Yes, this does mean you should be writing a different CV / application for every single job you apply for!
3. For an academic job, highlight your research experience, projects delivered, publication record, funding gained and experience of collaboration, teaching and staff management.
4. For an industry job, unless it is a technical science job, take all the science jargon out of your CV. Include your science degree and PhD but never list modules taken or thesis titles – these are irrelevant and off-putting to the non-technical recruiter.
5. If you don’t have much relevant work experience, create a section on skills, with headings to match the skills requested in the advert. Under each heading give a couple of bullet point examples of that skill, saying what you did and the outcome.
6. Edit your draft application brutally and remove all unnecessary information. To maximise the space available for relevant information: a) Use bullet points  b) Put all your contact details on one line c) Delete information on your hobbies, it is irrelevant  d) Write “References available on request” rather than listing full contact details.

Following these steps carefully should significantly increase your chances of being called for interview. Good luck with your job search!

By Helen Goulding

Helen Goulding is Director of Quercus Training, a company that trains scientists and engineers in transferable skills.

Short Courses

Open Access (OA)

Demystifying Open Access – an open discussion for early career researchers tackling how OA can benefit young scientists without compromising their careers. From what it costs to publish an open access paper to how we can measure its impact, all interested scientists are invited to drop in and join us over drinks in a marketplace of discussion.

How to apply for a job. It’s a topic rarely addressed in postgraduate courses, but in this session, career training experts will help you make the most of your strengths and show them off to a potential employer. Pick up some tips about finding the right job for you, preparing a good CV, and writing a targeted cover letter.

The Blogs and social media in scientific research session explores the ways in which scientists can use blogs and social media to communicate their work. Why should scientists blog or use Twitter?  How do they find the time? And what are the benefits? A panel of blog and social media-savvy scientists will talk about their experience before opening the discussion to the audience.

Last year’s communicate your science workshop

If you’re a Geomorphologist, you’ll be set for the week as the Geomorphology division has loads on offer! Pickup skills on dating techniques, project supervision, open access publishing  and you can also meet the master for tips from seasoned academics.

If you’re a Hydrologist, there’s also the opportunity to meet experts in the field in a round-table discussion with established scientists. You can also pick up pointers on writing the perfect hydrology paper.

See the session programme for more short courses at EGU 2013.

Meeting other Geoscientists during the tweet up at last year’s General Assembly.

Networking

The opening reception on Sunday, 7 April is a great opportunity to meet people, network, get to know the Assembly venue. There is free food and drink as well as specific places for Young Scientists to meet up on the Green Level. Tall signs will tell you where to go, so stop by to meet fellow early career researchers, division presidents and the Young Scientist representatives for the EGU (Jennifer Holden and Sara Mynott).

Earlier in the day, there will also be an opportunity for women in the geosciences to attend a networking event run by the Earth Science Women’s Network, for more information and how to register, see here.

Check this post for more details on networking opportunities at the General Assembly.

Have your say!

What would you like us to do for you? Join us over lunch (food provided!) to find out what the EGU can do to for Young Scientists and let us know what you’d like more of. These will take place on Tuesday 9 April and Thursday 11 April.

Other Sessions

The Medal Lectures, which highlight the work of brilliant scientists. Head on over to the lectures on the Arne Richter Award for Outstanding Young Scientists (ML4-ML7) and be inspired!

You can also join in a conference call for Young Researchers in Earth Sciences, which aims to promote interdisciplinary research efforts among early career researchers.

The EGU is seeking to appoint a Communications Assistant to work with the EGU Media and Communications Officer in maintaining and further developing media-related and science information communications between the EGU and its membership, the working media, and the public at large. The position will be based at the EGU Executive Office in Munich, Germany.

More information about this vacancy, including main tasks, requirements, application materials, and salary and starting date, is available in PDF format or on the EGU website.

Informal enquiries about this position can be made to the Media and Communications Officer, Dr Bárbara Ferreira (media@egu.eu, +49-89-2180-6703). Applications should be submitted by e-mail in a single file to Dr Bárbara Ferreira by 15 November.

Do you know anyone who might be interested in this position? The EGU would be grateful if you shared this opportunity widely.

In response to EGU members’ requests individually and at Town Hall meetings at the General Assemblies 2010 and 2011, the European Geosciences Union is trialling a mentoring scheme for members. Initially this will be for female mentees (mentors can be of either gender).

The mentoring scheme is designed so that face-to-face contact is not vital and is meant to be an enriching experience for both the mentor and mentee. Guidelines will be issued to both parties before the start of the mentoring process. You can be both a mentor and mentee in the same cycle of partnerships. Mentees can be from undergraduate level and above, mentors can be masters students and above. We encourage applications from mentors from all sectors of the Geosciences e.g. industry, government, academia.

To ensure your inclusion in this exciting initiative, please submit your details before the 31 October. The sign up forms for Mentors and Mentees are online. Information on the scheme is online via the EGU webpage. Mentoring partnerships will be provided with guidelines and agree a partnership contract concerning types and frequency of meetings and the topics to be covered.

We will try to consider all of your requests when assigning mentoring partnerships. If you have further questions, please email Jennifer Holden.

The EGU is seeking to appoint a Science Communications Fellow to start in January 2012. The successful candidate will work on the EGU Newsletter and assist the Media and Communications Officer in developing media-related and science information communications. The post is initially for six months and can be extended for a further six months.

Informal enquiries can be made to the Media and Communications Officer, Dr Barbara T. Ferreira (via email or on +49-89-2180-6703). Further information about EGU Fellowships can be found on the EGU website .

Applications should be submitted by email in a single file to Dr Barbara T. Ferreira.

Review of applications will begin on 15 October 2011 and will continue until the position is filled.

At EGU2010 we held the first townhall meeting on this subject of women in the geosciences, and what EGU can do for women geoscientists. At EGU2011 we will hold the second townhall meeting, including short presentations and discussions of how the EGU as a professional association can continue taking a more active role in influencing and promoting equal opportunities for women in the geosciences. The discussion will be followed by a reception which is a networking opportunity for Women in Geoscience.

We will hear two case study examples of a womens’ network (Earth Science Womens’ Network) and of a mentoring scheme. We will then move into focussed discussion on the next steps that can be taken. The event will be followed by a networking lunch (12:00 to 13:15).

The Job and Education Market is Hall X [map (pdf)]. As part of the Job and Education Market there are presentations. The upcoming presentations are below:

Wed, 06 Apr, 13:30–14:00 JEM3: Borderless careers with Schlumberger

Wed, 06 Apr, 14:15–14:45 JEM6: Opportunity of a Lifetime with Saudi Aramco

Wed, 06 Apr, 15:00–15:30 GIS and the future job market

Please remember that the Job and Education Market is not just for young scientists, but for experienced professionals too. Some companies exhibiting are actively looking for mid-career scientists.

We hope you had a good first day at the European Geoscience Union General Assembly 2011, whether you’re here in person or following online via the webstream.

Some union wide events happening at the EGU GA 2011 on Tuesday 5 April.

13:30–15:10 Union Symposium. The Future of Water Cycle Earth Observing Systems, Room D [Webstream]
This Union Session will explore visions on new water cycle observing systems. Major space agencies are planning new satellites that will provide new and additional space-based observations of the water and energy cycles components. It is expected that these observations will lead to improved applications (e.g. in agriculture, water and energy management) and scientific understanding the Earth’s climate. Overall the level of innovation presented in the future missions is limited, whether in sensor design, the synergistic use of the data with other data or the delivery of the information to users. For more information see the Session Details

15:30–17:00 Great Debate. How will Europe face the raw materials crisis? Room D [Webstream]
Recent publicity of China’s control of the rare earth element market and the growing crisis of supply of metals essential for new technologies is a reminder of Europe’s near-total dependence on imported metals. The European Union spends 55 billion Euros per year, half of its total budget, to assure a supply of agricultural products but seems satisfied that >97% of all metals are imported. In this debate, experts from academia and industry will discuss the current state of the minerals industry, in Europe and on a global sale; they will explore which metals may be in short supply and what can done in universities, government agencies and industry to mitigate the problem. For more information see the Session Details

Townhall Meetings
10:30–12:00 A roadmap for European Geoscience Infrastructure (sponsored by EU RD infrastructures) and ESFRI, Room 1.

19:00–20:00 Joint IODP ICDP Townhall Meeting. (Room 4)

19:00–20:00 Career Development: how can we integrate graduate and employer needs, Room 5. More details about the speakers can be found on the YES Network site. This is being webstreamed independently see their webstream page for details.

This post is the partner of Union Wide Events at the EGU General Assembly 2011 (Part I).

Townhall Meetings (TM)
Townhall meetings are on a variety of topics this year including careers, research and women in Geosciences (TM9). They’re an opportunity to discuss topics in a bit more depth than the oral session question times allow. TM10 is associated with the late breaking session on the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (US05).

Splinter Meetings (SPM)
There are two sorts of Splinter meetings at EGU General Assemblies:public and private. SPM1.X are the public splinter meetings that anyone can attend. This year they include presentations on research projects, networking events for young researchers and the Earth Science Women’s Network, sub-division meetings, an outreach panel and more. Some splinter meetings complement specific sessions, these are listed

Europe in Geosciences (EG)
Are a variety of sessions that have a pan-Europe outlook.

Educational and Outreach Symposia (EOS)
These are sessions focussed on Education and Outreach, some related specifically to programme groups (e.g. NH, OS etc.) and includes EOS01 “Geosciences Information for Teachers (GIFT) workshop” which is a long-running event for high-school teachers and has an exciting oral programme, open to anyone who would like to attend the oral talks Monday to Wednesday in Room 29. There are also poster sessions for theses EOS sessions.

GeoCinema
Now in it’s second year the GeoCinema (in the GeoCinema room on the Ground Floor) runs Monday to Friday 10:30 to 19:00. There are over 30 films in this year’s programme, ranging from less than five minutes to 90 minutes long. The schedule is online here. This includes Home, A Film by Yann Athus-Bertrand, which is showing twice, including on Friday afternoon from 17:30 to 19:00. A pdf with details of the films, including links to view them online (where possible) is available.