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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
12
DECEMBER
2014
Careers
Preparing for Promotions
CPOW, the Committee for Professional Opportu-
nities for Women, hosted a panel discussion at the
58
th
Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California,
focusing on how to prepare for promotions. The
panel consisted of
Steve A. N. Goldstein
, Brandeis
University,
Hector Rodriguez
, MyoKardia, Inc.,
Jil
Tardiff
, University of Arizona, and
Pamela Tranter
,
Novartis. Below are some of the highlights from
the session.
Do I need a mentor?
Mentors can help you become a better scientist.
Do not be afraid to ask someone to serve as your
mentor – it is quite a compliment. Getting advice
from someone you admire is always a good idea,
but especially at the beginning of your career. Peer
mentoring is also a good option.
Many people start networking with their
mentors. If you do not have a mentor who
is good at networking, how do you get
started networking?
Be brave and take the plunge. It won’t come
to you without effort. Ease into the process by
starting with people you know a bit. Go to group
meetings and networking events in order to
practice your networking skills. Sit in on talks at
conferences and introduce yourself to people you
are interested in meeting or working with. Do not
forget that even networking with your peers will
help build your network.
What should I look for in a postdoc? How
can I advance in my postdoc and beyond?
The fun of a postdoc is determining what you
want. Be willing to work hard. Look at the track
record of your potential PI and find out if there
will be room to grow with him/her. Find out
if he/she is intellectually generous. Consider
whether you want to work with someone more
junior, with whom you would be more of a
partner, or choose someone who launches careers,
but may be harder to work with. Either can be
a good option – it just depends on what you are
looking for in a lab.
I am preparing to transition from a postdoc
to a faculty position. It is tempting to give
up some research and go to a teaching-in-
tensive university. Is it possible to start in a
teaching-intensive university and later tran-
sition to a research-intensive institution?
This happens infrequently. Most research-inten-
sive universities hire young people or laterally pull
people from other research-intensive universities
in order to fill a specific niche.
What can I do when I first get a job in indus-
try to lay the groundwork for future promo-
tions?
Settle in first and learn what the expectations are
for your position. Do your job well rather than
spending too much time looking ahead at what
you will need to do in a future position. Network
with your colleagues, especially those in differ-
ent departments. Be willing to collaborate. If you
are a collegial team player, your colleagues will
be more likely to think of you when promotions
become available.
How do I go about getting a promotion in
industry?
Companies have public job descriptions and a
formal ladder structure for advancement. Show
that you can do the work of the position in which
you are looking to progress. If you think you are
fulfilling the requirements to advance but are
not being promoted, ask your superiors what
more you can do. Often, you will need letters of
recommendation to give to your boss, who will
use them as part of a promotion package that will
be reviewed by the company’s Human Resources
department.
Can you return to academia after working
in industry? Is this difficult without a good
publication history?