The Department of Chemistry held 2013 Board of Visitors Career Workshop Unveiling the Mystique of Industry and Government Jobs, co-sponsored by Association of Chemistry Graduate Students, on Thursday, January 10 from 1pm to 5pm in Buehler Hall 511.
Six speakers, all on Chemistry Board of Visitors, are from industry, ORAU and ORNL. They were invited to give talks on different aspects of job hunting including interviewing and hiring process, resume building, dos and don’ts during on-site interviews, identifying jobs, government jobs and specifics about being a chemist at ORNL. Each speaker gave a presentation and took questions both during and after their presentations.
32 graduate students attended the workshop. A survey conducted afterwards shows that all students found it useful. “I thorougly enjoyed the workshop.” Morgan McConico, a graduate student from Vogt’s group said, “Before the workshop I had several open ended questions, and after the workshop I feel that all of my questions have been answered. I now feel better equipped for the entire process of applying and interviewing for jobs.” McConico is expected to graduate in May and is actively looking for jobs in industry.
Not only students, but also BOV members enjoyed the workshop. “One of the greatest personal rewards I enjoy is meeting students.” Warren Schmidt, Chemistry BOV member said, “I look forward to my visits to UT as an opportunity to meet some more of our future leaders and scientists. In this workshop, I was pleased with the pre-work completed by many of the students, their attention to the presentations, and especially the quality of the questions.”
Naixiong (David) Jin, a graduate student from Zhao’s Group was especially thankful for the variety of speakers this workshop has brought together. “The speakers had extended experience in the hiring process either for industrial jobs or positions in national laboratories. They shared many details and useful tips all the way from resume preparation to on-site interviews.” Jin will also graduate in May and is open to all opportunities in industry, national laboratories and universities.
Positive feedbacks and constructive suggestions have strengthened the belief that this is a constant need of the students. “If possible, we plan to host this workshop every year.” Rachel Rui, Development Coordinator of the Department said. “We may also bring some students who recently graduated and found jobs to share their succesful stories. So the students are able to get information from two different perspectives.”