State of Scientific Hiring, 2014

The question I've been asked the most lately isn't "How's your family?" or "Did you have a nice Christmas?" Nor was it " How was your weekend?" or even the mundane "How's things?"

Nope. "How's the job search going?"

Well, truth be told, it's been a very busy few months. I've logged 1100 round-trip miles (1770 km) by car and train from Dec-Jan. I've spent a mint out-of-pocket (vide infra) and been privy to more "follow-up calls" than I can count.

Here are a few truths I've uncovered about the science job hunt along the way:

1. It's Going to Take Awhile: If you're a grad student thinking about looking for jobs in June, start now. I've noticed a significant lengthening between application submission and invitation to an on-site interview: in many cases, it's two or three months before they decide to stage your visit. If money's tight, you might have to line up a temporary gig (postdoc, consulting, Kelly Services) to fill in the gap time.

On a more sobering note: I began my job search on 11/10/2012, and accepted an offer on 1/24/2014. Those aren't typos. #chemjobs
— See Arr Oh (@SeeArrOh) January 25, 2014

Update: Chemjobber recommends this NYT Economix blog entry, showing the ever-increasing interview cycle.

2. Jumping Through Hoops: Know the hiring stages? Application, phone interview, on-site, decision, right? Wrong. For this cycle, my interview process has gone through more hands than ever before. Take this example from one recent campaign:

• Application [start clock]
• Initial email survey to gauge interest [+two weeks]
• Follow-up screening email, set phone interview [+one week]
• Phone interview #1 (HR) [+one week]
• Phone interview #2 (hiring manager) [+one week]
• Emails to arrange on-site [+one week]
• Full Day On-Site [+three weeks]
• Telephone debrief #1 [+one week]
• Followup emails [+two weeks]
• Telephone debrief #2 [+one week]
• Decision [+two weeks]

(If you're keeping score, that's 15 weeks from start to finish - nearly 4 months!)

3. Tweak that CV: With so many applicants for so few chemistry positions, companies screen your CV even more intensively. They're not just looking for keywords now; some recruiters have told me that certain phrases could hurt your chances. For instance, if your current job title (Senior? Lead? Fellow? Head?) doesn't translate over to the next organization, it may be best to transmute it to "Researcher" or "Chemist." This time around, I've found myself making almost as many curricula as cover letters - different professional "versions" of the same candidate!

4. Bankrolling: Have some cash squirreled away to meet expenses. Depending on the company's policy, you may receive a check up front, or it may take 4-6 weeks to return your investment. My average expenses in 2013 (mileage, meals, parking, flights, taxi, hotel, etc.) ran $168 per interview. Importantly, confirm with the recruiter that they will cover you; some companies (shockingly) do not cover interview expenses. 

5. Adventures in Dialogue: Nothing's sacred anymore, folks. Here's some bon mots I've been asked and told during this interview cycle:

• "You aren't going to tell me your current salary?"
• "How do you account for having so many jobs in such a short time?" (grad school, pdoc, job 1, job 2)
• "We were waiting to hear from the other candidate before we told you no."
• "We're worried that, if we offer you this position, you might leave for something better."

Best of Luck for Job-Searching in 2014,

See Arr Oh