In this episode, Jim and Lauren discuss universal pieces of advice, including these below, that apply to everyone,regardless of career focus, functional department, or industry sector. We hope you find this helpful as you navigate your career and search and we hope you enjoy listening!
You should keep an updated resume even if you are not looking for a role since you might need it for other types ofopportunities - such as volunteer opportunities or board opportunities.
People cannot read your minds - be careful with jargon and being so specific with details that people cannotunderstand what you do / what your impact was
Your resume is built for someone else to read – remember this
Tailor your resume for each role that you apply to
Don’t just cultivate your network when you need a role - you should be cultivating it all the time.
Find ways to reachout to and follow up with people in your network
Keep your LinkedIn profile updated to enable others to know what you might be up to
Share updates on LinkedIn to let your network know what you are up to and amplify others
Have your elevator pitch ready in case you need to use it - at the baseball game, conference, networking event, etc
Self-reflect - understand/remind yourself that you have blindspots, biases, strengths, value, and areas to improve
Periodically check in with yourself to see where you are in your career
Show gratitude, say thank you, show appreciation
Realize that others face similar challenges and may be struggling as well - it’s not always about you
Give yourself grace
Be organized
Be intentional
Be realistic
Lauren Celano, CEO of Propel Careers and Jim Gould, the Director for Postdoctoral Affairs at Harvard Medical School,launched this podcast as a way for us to share our advice, insights, and reflections to help others navigate their careers.
As we develop new episodes, this podcast will provide insights regarding career advice to help listeners navigate career choices and become more confident in their decisions. We look forward to busting myths and providing real life, timely, and accurate advice. Jim and Lauren work heavily with Ph.D. trained scientists, but the advice weprovide can be applicable to other audiences. We hope you enjoy listening!