by Dave Jensen » Thu Dec 02, 2004 12:32 pm
Hi Eric,
I think you've had some excellent advice and commentary by all the other posters. Kim's comments about the importance of networking, which it appears you haven't done, and Andy's comments about headhunters were both right on the money.
I say that you have not been networking because it is clear that you are calling people and asking for a job. That is the worst kind of contact there is. Those are simply good contact names that have been squandered and that are now useless. The "kiss of death" in making an introductory networking call is to ask "are there any openings?" or state "I'm looking for a job." That's because you will get immediately turned over to the HR department.
Eric, please don't take this personally. I believe you are conducting what I would call a "lazy" job search. This is a very common problem for PhD job seekers, and I know it doesn't feel lazy when you are stressed out and feel like you are working hard. But seriously, names are difficult to find, but they are NOT impossible to find. Large company or small, you can find the names of people who work there. You've learned to do this via the literature, and that is one way. Often, however, that ends up turning up names of people who are a bit too senior to be of much help. You'll want to turn up names of people who are just a year or two, or a few, years ahead of you. They'll still have some empathy for your situation. And don't take the lazy way out with them! Ask them questions about how THEY made the transition to the company, how THEIR acquaintances found a job in industry, etc. Make it like a research project. As a chemist, you are probably totally persistent. I'll bet you will go to the ends of the earth to solve some complex problem dealing with physical chemistry. Why not put that same curiousity into finding names at companies and then doing this "research" to find out how people DO make their first job search work. Stick to it -- ask these folks for the names of some rather new hires, so that you can talk to them as well. If you are local, offer to take them out to lunch. Its worth the price of admission!
Also, the word "lazy" comes up when talk comes of headhunters. I know this, because I am one! Headhunters are lazy people, working in a tough commissioned business. When you approach them, you are wasting your time if you have no industry experience. Headhunters move people from company A to company B -- NOT from the university to a company, that would be rare. It is a bit lazy to think that headhunters are a solution for anyone in your situation, so just don't even waste your time. Just get on the phone, talking to as many people as you can, in companies about how they got their job and about the process that they went through. Soon, you will find that certain of these contacts are receptive to an occasional followup call, and in those calls, it's OK to say "Are there any openings?".
I believe you are wrong about "by law companies must advertise their jobs." There is no law stating that companies need to advertise jobs, and only about half of them are advertised! The rest are totally filled via "reverse networking". In other words, company A has a hiring manager with an open position, and they start calling their old adviser, their buddies over at Company B and Company C, etc. They ask around until they get a few good CV's. These are what Val referred to in his post -- friends of friends. (The talk of "laws" concerning advertised jobs comes because in some cases companies have too few minorities, and they need to fill some jobs only with women, or only with African American or Hispanic scientists, which provides them the necessary and important diversity they need. In those cases, the advertised job is critical to prove that they've been attempting to reach this diversity).
What does it take to be a "friend of a friend"? Just getting your CV into that person's hand. Not by jamming it in unannounced, or via a 2-minute "I'm looking" call . . . But, by developing that person as a networking acquaintance. Once you've had a few of these "champions" fall into your camp, you'll start getting more referrals from out of the blue. You'll hear about open jobs. Amazing what a change it will make in your search. I am ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that there is nothing wrong with you, and that you are just approaching the whole thing as if you are owed a job from all the years of hard work, when in reality, that PhD is really just like a fishing license. You got the paper, but now you have to learn to fish. Having the license only gives you the shot at going out to look. Doesn't mean you'll be eating trout tonight for supper.
Dave Jensen, Moderator
"Failure is a bruise -- not a tattoo." -- Jon Sinclair