Do you want to know how networking and informational interviews can enhance your scientific career? Are you unsure of whether to stay in academia or not? Find out how to use your contacts and professional networking sites to find and obtain the right job for you.

1. Use your personal contacts

Use existing contacts to get first hand, tailored information from people who’ve made the transition into different types of careers. You might also be a member of different networks such as an alumni association or a scientific society where you can find people to talk to about their careers, or perhaps you are attending a conference where you can speak to people directly about their experiences.

2. Don’t be afraid of professional networking sites

Make the most of what’s on offer, be it LinkedIn, ResearchGate, Xing or other local sites. Search for people who have similar skills or backgrounds as you, contact them and ask if they’d be willing to talk to you about their career. Join groups on these sites to talk to people in similar fields as you are in or want to get into.

3. Set up some “informational interviews”

An informational interview is an informal discussion about careers where you can get advice and information – it is not something that will lead to a job but should rather be a source of inspiration and advice. Get in touch with the people who might be able to offer you some sound advice, and ask if they can spare 20 minutes for you to pick their brains.

4. Prepare for your informal interview

One way to structure these informational interviews is to use REVEAL*:

• Recap – Who are you and why would you like to talk to this person
• Explore – Prepare questions to help you explore the career area, role and sector
• Vision – Follow up with more detailed questions about the trends for the field, and where your career could head in the longer term
• Entry Routes – How did the person you’re talking to get into the role? Are there different routes to getting in?
• Action Points – What do you need to do to get these kinds of roles? Can also ask for feedback on your CV
• Links – Can the person recommend any other resources to you?

5. Realistically assess your skills, values and interests

Scientists often struggle with working out what kinds of jobs they are best suited to. Look in depth at your skills, values and interests. Use this information to filter your career research. You can, for example, look for people with a similar skill set on LinkedIn and see what kinds of roles they have and gain some inspiration for what you might be interested in.

6. Research the available career possibilities

There are a large variety of options out there for scientists who don’t want to stay on the academic career path. In addition to research in pharma, biotechs and startups there are also a variety of roles where you can use your scientific knowledge, understanding of the research process or data analysis skills. These roles often support scientific research, communicate research findings more broadly, or help translate research into real life applications.

Resources

• A nice list of possible jobs can be found under https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/science-and-pharmaceuticals/graduate-jobs-in-science-and-pharmaceuticals
• Follow the EMBL Careers Blog under https://blogs.embl.org/careers/category/career-profiles/
• *REVEAL mnemonic comes from the career advisor John Lees

Original video with Rachel Graf, EIPOD Career Advisor, EMBL Heidelberg