It is easy to become complacent and think you are the expert in your position, especially if you have held your position for some time. It may be tempting to assume that you have all the skills and knowledge you need to continue being successful. But in every field, things are constantly changing—new technology, techniques, and ways to make your field better. If you don’t keep yourself up to date on your field’s new developments, you may find yourself left behind.
Not all companies provide comprehensive professional development to keep their employees up to date on their knowledge of the field, so it is crucial that you seek it out on your own. Here are some reasons to stay up to date on advances in your field.
To remain competitive in your position.
Even if you feel secure in your position at work, you should make sure you remain competitive with new people coming into the company and that you are as knowledgeable about the advances in your field as your coworkers. The goal of any job is to be the best at what you do, and the only way to do that is to be able to master the new skills you will need to continue to be the best. If you haven’t taken the time to learn about the newest advances in your field, you may not be as valuable in your position as you aim to be, which could eventually put your job in jeopardy.
To increase adaptability.
You never know when things at work will change with no warning. Your company may have a new CEO come in, or you may get new team members who bring more to the team. If you are up to date on the advancements in your field, you will be able to adapt to changes that happen rapidly because you will already be aware of the new way of doing things. The new computer program at work? No problem, you did a training recently on the newest technology in your field. Now you can adapt and change your position to fit the new technology you need to use.
To get a promotion.
When you start working at a company, your goal for the future, your goal is most likely to be able to move up in the chain of command and get a promotion over time. The best way to impress your superiors is to keep yourself up to date, learn to adapt to new ways of doing things and stay knowledgeable about the advances in your field. Knowing the latest information and using the newest technology will make you more relevant in your position. You will have a better chance of being noticed and promoted by your boss because you present as the best in your position.
Prepares you for a new position.
Experience is important when applying for a new position, but knowledge is as well. When you apply for a new position, you want to look your best and show how knowledgeable you are about your field. Being up to date on your career training and knowing how to use the most recent technology in your field will show how much of an asset you will be to the new company. Make yourself stand out as the best and most qualified in your field so you can get the position you are looking for.
Knowledge keeps you sharp.
Continuing to learn about the field you are in will not only help you in your position, but it will keep your mind sharp as well. Being complacent with the knowledge you have is not the way to move forward in your field. Staying a “student” and continuing to learn the most recent advances will sharpen your mind because you will be learning and challenging yourself to be better.
It is so important to continue to learn about your field of expertise. You don’t want to be left behind when there are new advances in your field that you have not learned yet. The last thing you will want at work is having a new person hired that can do a better job than you because they know about the most current information and technology in your field. It is as easy as signing up for an online course and devoting a few hours to learning something new every few months. Consider it a part of your job that you can make fun and exciting! Learning new things is often enjoyable and you will be able to put that knowledge to good use at work!
Sci.Bio is a leading recruitment and search firm based in Boston. We specialize in finding and hiring the best talent to fill temporary openings, long-term positions, and executive roles in the Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, and the Life Sciences industries.
Looking for a new job can often be tedious. Day after day, applying for the job you think could be it and then getting a rejection (or even no response at all!) can affect your motivation to keep trying. Ultimately, to find a new role, you need to move forward even if you feel like you may never get hired.
So what can you do to get out of that funk and back into your job search with positivity and new focus? Here are our top 5 tips for staying motivated on your job hunt:
1. Surround yourself with positivity
It is crucial to stay positive throughout this process, even if it seems impossible. Surround yourself with the people who believe in you. Negativity can rub off on you easily if you spend too much time around those who don’t have a positive outlook on the situation. The pandemic has affected Americans in more ways than just staying physically healthy; the social, psychological, and financial impacts can’t be ignored. However, constantly hearing “how bad the situation is” and sharing doom and gloom stories will zap your motivation. Consider seeking out friends and colleagues who tell you “to control what you can,” “keep pushing,” and “you will find the right job.”
You can also join online groups for people who are in the same situation. Knowing that there are others in the same boat can be reassuring. You can also network in these social media groups and online forums. Maybe someone knows about a position that was not right for them but maybe the perfect fit for you! Having support from those in a similar situation can be comforting because it reminds you that you are not alone in this search.
Taking a break from the job search and doing positive things for yourself is also important. Set aside some time to meditate or do yoga, go for a walk, or join an exercise class. Maybe do a virtual paint night with your friends or go out to dinner with family (safely, of course.) You have so many options, even with the social limitations we are dealing with, to do positive things for yourself and help your mind stay in a strong, positive, motivated space.
2. Plan your goals and only focus on things you can control
Take the time to set goals for yourself and write them down so you can look at them anytime you feel you need to refocus. Getting stuck on the fact that you did great on an interview and still didn’t get hired or knowing your resume represents you perfectly, but you still haven’t gotten the call back for the job you wanted, will not help you get a job. All it will do is further frustrate you in an already difficult situation.
Decide on the things you can do to help yourself get a job, such as:
-How much time you will spend on each job site.
-How many sites you will apply on each day.
-How you will network to help get yourself out there to hiring companies.
-When you will take mental health breaks.
-What are your target companies, or what is your target industry?
Making a list like this will not only keep you organized, but it will help you stay motivated to keep going as well. It is best to focus on what you can do to move forward if you want to motivate yourself to keep going in this difficult situation.
3. Set up a schedule for yourself
The best way to transition from working full-time to job searching full-time is to set up a schedule for yourself. You want to stay productive, but you don’t want to overwork or underwork yourself and waste the day away now that you are scheduling your own day. Set a time to wake up every day and map out when you will be following your list of goals so you can focus on what is important and stay positive about your search.
4. Search smart, not hard, and focus on your career goals
Many people who are searching for a job apply aimlessly online, hoping they will get a call and get hired. The best way to approach your job search is to focus on the companies you want in the industry you want to work in. You can apply online within your schedule, but you should focus your time and energy networking and reaching out to hiring managers who work at the companies you are interested in. Finding the right job may be as “simple” as connecting to a hiring manager that has an unlisted or hidden job opening that you would never have known about if you hadn’t gone the extra mile.
5. Learn to accept rejection and grow from it
When you are searching for a job, it is hard not to take it personally when you are rejected for a position you feel is right for you. Unfortunately, it is impossible to control when and where you will get hired, and there are many other factors at play besides how well you interviewed or how perfect you think you are for the role. The best way to deal with this difficult situation is to learn from any feedback offered, hold your head high, and keep moving forward. If you let the rejection get to you, it will affect your motivation and only make it harder to get the job you are looking for.
Keep in mind, it is ok to stumble sometimes. This is not an easy process, but you can find that perfect job if you keep yourself in a positive frame of mind and keep pushing forward. It may not happen right away, but if you let yourself get into a negative mindset it will only take longer! So take a deep breath, dig in and find the job you have been searching for.
Sci.Bio is a leading recruitment and search firm based in Boston. We specialize in finding and hiring the best talent to fill temporary openings, long-term positions, and executive roles in the Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, and the Life Sciences industries.
What you do is a lot more important than what’s on your resume. Problem-solving is an analytical skill that many hiring managers look for when reviewing candidates, so questions about how you solve problems should be anticipated in technical interviews. Demonstrating analytical thinking or the ability to break down large, complex problems, and then effectively communicating the solutions is often just as valuable, if not more so, than the baseline technical skills required for a job. In this blog post, I’ll explore methods for how to improve your problem-solving skills.
Follow the IDEAL Problem-Solving Method – Tips and Techniques
If you have a problem in which there isn’t a single best answer, you may use heuristic methods to arrive at a solution. A popular and quick to remember heuristic problem-solving method is IDEAL:
Identify the problem and gather information.
Define the context of the problem.
Explore possible solutions.
Act on the best solution.
Look back and reflect
Identify the problem and gather information
The first step in the creative problem solving process is to gather information about the problem. In order to effectively solve the problem, you need to know as much about the problem as possible. Be curious, ask questions, gather as many facts as possible, and begin to make logical deductions rather than assumptions. Ask questions about the problem. What do you know about the problem and what are your known unknowns? Can you diagram the process into separate steps or break it down into smaller chunks?
Define the context of the problem
There are multiple strategies that may be used to identify the root cause of a problem. A root cause analysis (RCA) is a problem-solving method that assists us with answering the question of why a problem occurred. The RCA uses a specific set of steps, with associated tools like the “5 Why Analysis” or the “Cause and Effect Diagram”, in order to determine your problem and its origin, why it occurred in the first place, and then you may resolve the problem so it won’t happen again. However, it’s important to note that RCA assumes a singular root cause of problems, which might not be the best way to think about problem solving because problems tend to be multicausal.
Explore possible solutions
Once the underlying cause is identified and the scope of the issue is defined, the next step is to explore possible solutions to resolve our problem. It’s important to generate as many solutions as possible before we analyze the solutions or try to implement them.
There are many different methods for generating solutions, and when we have many different solutions in hand, we need to analyze these solutions to determine the effectiveness of each. One thing I like to consider when weighing multiple possible solutions is a cost/benefit analysis for solving the problem at hand, but also solving other problems that might not even be directly related to the main problem you’re solving. If it takes 20% more effort but solves a bunch of other issues that happen, it’s worth doing but that isn’t always considered if your sole focus is on the original problem.
One tool that can be useful for generating possible solutions is brainstorming. The ultimate goal is to generate as many ideas and questions as you can, in a fixed amount of time. Although brainstorming is best done with a group, this can be practiced individually. Employers will often assess a candidate’s potential fit on a team through collaborative problem-solving challenges, as this is an important component of culture fit.
Act on the best solution.
In the previous step, you should have eliminated many of the possible solutions. With a short list of possible solutions you can do a final analysis to come up with the most optimal solution(s) to your problem, and then you can move forward with ideas for implementing your solution.
Look back and reflect
In problem solving it is always beneficial to look back and double check and interpret your solution. Basically, check to see if you used all your available information at hand and that your solution is optimal. Doing this will provide a learning opportunity and will assist you with predicting what strategies to use to solve future problems.
We went through IDEAL- now what?
The best way to become a stronger problem-solver is to challenge your thinking. Use a checklist initially, but then try to step away and see if you can organically make inquisitive thinking a habit of mind. When you run into a colleague and she has a problem and you have five minutes, try delving in and just start by asking questions. Use your intuition to figure out how she is talking about this problem, and perhaps there is a question or two you can ask her about the problem that can help her with rethinking her problem. Taking that approach to problems can often help you move forward in a more creative way than just immediately serving up sub-optimal solutions.
Conversely, if you are not sure how to solve a problem, it is okay to ask for input, especially if you’re in an interview. Problem solving is a process and a learned skill and it’s important to remember that everyone makes mistakes. No one knows everything so it’s okay and encouraged to ask for help when you don’t have an immediate answer.
Your LinkedIn profile is often the first thing recruiters will look at to learn more about you and your experience. So polishing up your profile can make all the difference when trying to establish lasting impressions.
Much like resume preparation, you want your profile to pop! Recruiters and hiring managers go through droves of applicants each day. You need to ensure you do not get passed over because of a sloppy LinkedIn profile.
Here are some key aspects for enhancing your LinkedIn profile:
1. Quality Headshots
Your profile picture should be indicative of how you present yourself in the workplace. This doesn’t mean you have to run out and get professional headshots taken. Instead, you want to make sure you are using a photo with a purposeful setting. Position yourself in such a way that you have complementary lighting as well as a simple backdrop. Try to avoid grainy group pictures that need to be awkwardly cropped to include only you.
“Statistics show that LinkedIn members with a photo receive far more engagement: 21 times more profile views and 9 times more connection requests.” – LinkedIn.com
2. Brief yet Informative
Again, recruiters go through tons of profiles. Make sure to include key points at each position and leave it at that. You want to present the cliff notes of your background and not an autobiography. If your highlighted skills are of interest, they will reach out and ask for more in-depth information on your background.
3. Creative Summary
Your summary statement is at the very top of your profile and you can use this to quickly grab people’s attention. Do not only say things like “Research Scientist – Cell Biology.” This is uninformative, broad, and lacks personality. Viewers want to not only see your professional experience, but they are also looking to get to know you as a person.
“You get 2,000 characters total for your summary, but only the first three lines display by default. That means you either need to pack the most essential information in up front, or you need to create suspense This encourages profile viewers to click the Show more link… Customizing your headline also gets you to All-Star status (assuming you’ve completed all of the steps listed in the last section), which, according to LinkedIn, makes your profile 27 times more likely to appear in recruiter searches.” – Zapier.com
4. Banner Image
Most people do not change the banner portion of their profile. While the default LinkedIn banner image is appropriate, spicing it up is a great way to stand out from other profiles. You could include cover art from a paper you were on or your favorite fluorescent image of cells you work with. The key is to keep it professional.
5. Joining Societies and Groups
There are thousands of society and group pages on LinkedIn. Join pages that are applicable to your work, such as the American Chemical Society or local groups for networking. You’ll be surprised at how many connections you can make online through common groups.
“There are around 2 million groups on LinkedIn and nearly 90% of users are a member of at least one group. It’s like a field ready to harvest when you join groups where your perfect market is and with a small amount of engagement and adding value you can start generating clicks through to your profile. Don’t make groups all about you and what you’re currently doing but add value to its members and they will want to check you out!” – Linkedin.com
6. Link to Other Digital Work
You worked hard for your publications! They should be showcased. You can include publications and patents on your LinkedIn profile. You can also add in a link to your Google Scholar profile or e-portfolio. Make sure to cross-pollinate as much as possible so that it is very easy for viewers to find your publications.
7. Keep your Information Up to Date
This point cannot be stressed enough! If you have a new position, location, certification, etc., you need to update your profile with this information. Including all your updated information makes it much easier for recruiters to identify jobs that fit you best. It also makes it easy for them to contact you. Make sure things such as your email and phone number are updated so that you aren’t getting job listings sent to an email you never open anymore.
The Reward of Enhancing Your LinkedIn Profile:
Your online presence is a critical component to initial sourcing for positions. Setting up a professional LinkedIn profile with key information and easy-to-access links to your portfolio is imperative. Having a sloppy profile can give recruiters and employers the wrong first impression. Shoot for a blend of essential information and personality. This way viewers see you and your experience. Try and customize your profile as much as possible! Your goal is to entice viewers with your skills and expertise in such a way that you are memorable.
You aced the interview and landed the job of your dreams! Now comes the part you’ve been dreading: resigning from your current company. You imagined the conversation with your boss a million times and feel confident as you walk into his office.
As you expected, your boss is upset. But then he catches you off guard by presenting a counteroffer: an attempt by your current employer to encourage you to stay.
Career changes are often scary and leave you wrought with anxiety about leaving the familiar comfort of your current position. You may also be nervous about starting over and proving yourself in your new position.
Don’t let familiarity cloud your judgment.
Just because the move is scary, doesn’t mean you should accept that counteroffer, which could leave you confused and create buyer’s remorse down the road.
Is the new position a positive step toward advancing your career?
Will it be better for you than your current position?
If you answered yes, then pursue the new position.
Why Companies Make Counteroffers
Some companies never make counteroffers, while others do it often. Consider what happens when an employee resigns:
1. Morale will most likely to suffer. Your resignation will probably be viewed as an unfavorable reflection on the company and/or your supervisor and could stall progress on a project, increasing the workloads for your colleagues.
2. It costs the company money. It’s expensive, in terms of time, energy, and money, to replace an employee. Therefore, it may be a cheaper solution to entice you to stay. The counteroffer may include a raise, promotion, change in job title or description, and future promises.
Beware: This “solution” may be a stalling technique that could hurt you in the long run. By convincing you to stay, the company buys itself time to finish a big project, restructure employees or find your replacement.
Companies who have it in their policy to make counteroffers may not be the type you want to work for anyway. They usually have high employee turnover costs and morale problems, so they make counteroffers because they weren’t taking care of their employees like they should have in the first place. Counteroffers cost companies a whole lot less than offering a higher salary, better benefits or more incentives from the beginning.
What Does a Counteroffer Sound Like?
The goal of a counteroffer is to get you to stay, so they are usually filled with praise and adulation, and may sound something like this:
“But you’re in the middle of a big project! You’re much too valuable to the team to desert us now! We were going to wait until next month, but we were just about to give you a raise/promotion to show you how much we appreciate your work. Why don’t we make it effective immediately instead?”
or
“That’s so surprising! We had no idea you were unhappy here. Let’s discuss this further before you make a final decision. We’ll make it worth your while to stay.”
or
“We have great plans for you here! Why would you want to throw away all that you’ve accomplished here just to start over at the other company?”
Why Counteroffers Don’t Work
Counteroffers are often very tempting and flattering. Sometimes, you may even detect a threatening undertone—implying that if you turn down the counteroffer, you’re ruining your entire career.
Here are a couple reasons why counteroffers very rarely work:
1. No matter what anyone says, you will always be the person who tried to quit. Trust and acceptance between you and your boss, and among your immediate colleagues will most likely be lost.
2. The reasons you thought about leaving in the first place will still be there. The counteroffer is a band aid that may temporarily cover up the problems that led you to seek out a new job, but those problems will resurface.
Research shows that 80 percent of employees who accept a counteroffer end up leaving within six months and 90 percent leave within 12 months.
Consider the flattery that makes up a counteroffer: is it really about you?
Remember that every company has a budget. If your counteroffer involves an increase in salary, is it just the raise you would’ve received in a couple months?
Something to Consider When Presented with a Counteroffer
Before you make a decision, consider your current position and the new position as if you were unemployed. Which position holds the most real potential? The answer is most likely the new one, or you probably wouldn’t have accepted it to begin with.
What should you do with a Counter Offer?
Every recruiter out there has dozens of sob stories involving counteroffers. If you’re ready to leave a job, leave. The attractiveness of the counteroffer will not change your feelings about your current position in the long run.
When You Resign
Avoid any misunderstanding by submitting your resignation in writing. Email is usually the preferred method because it serves as a record of what was said.
In your letter of resignation, focus on the positive opportunity you’ve been offered with your new company and do not feel pressured to explain your reasons for resigning if you do not want to discuss them.
Handling your resignation right the first time is imperative for a clean and positive exit. Strive to be professional and courteous at all times during the process and offer to help during the transition time.
