Alternative Science Careers

While 2010 ended quite discouraging for job seekers according to the 9.4% unemployment rate, the jobs picture is finally starting to brighten according to job boards like Simply Hired and Indeed.com. According to Rony Kahan, the co-founder and chief technology officer of Indeed.com, “there are encouraging signs that a recovery is underway. The number of job listings is on the rise, companies are making hiring announcements and more hiring managers say they plan to hire full-time workers in 2011 than in the past two years.”

According to Simply Hired’s U.S. Employment Trends Report,  job postings rose more than 50 percent in 2010 over 2009, and they increased almost 70 percent in December 2010 over December 2009.  Indeed.com has seen similar results. In their latest Industry Employment Trends Survey, all 12 of the major industries they track showed at least 38 percent more job postings and eight of those industries were 60 percent or more in 2010 over 2009. The largest growth in job postings for both sites was in the transportation industry. See the chart below for a breakdown of job openings by industry at Simply Hired.

While healthcare appears to be in the middle of the road for Simply Hired’s job postings, it is the lowest growth industry at Indeed.com with 38% increased job postings. Simply Hired broke down the job postings even further to occupation categories. The occupation categories with the largest increase in job postings in 2010 over 2009 included farmers/ fishers/forestry workers (199%), retail salespersons (172%), transportation workers (167%), and financial specialists/accountants (136%). Scientists/social scientists/lab tech job postings increased 44%, engineer postings increased 78%, and doctors/nurses/therapists/health tech postings increased 49%. While these occupation categories did see increased job postings, they are on the lower side of all category increases. This suggests that there are jobs out there for scientists to stay in the science field, but it may be the time to look for alternative careers utilizing your science degree. A great area according to these findings may be in the financial specialist area.

Technorati Tags: Business, Career, employment, Indeed.com, job, job search, Simply Hired

The best jobs for 2011 were determined based on an evaluation by the career guidance website, CareerCast.com, which evaluated 200 professions across a wide variety of industries, skill levels and salary ranges. In order to evaluate each job, CareerCast used five core criteria: pay, outlook, work environment, stress and physical demands. It gathered data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, trade association studies, and other sources. The best jobs chosen are professions that provide the best overall experience for employees. A majority of the jobs that rank in the top 10 require proficiency in math, science, or technology, suggesting that the overall outlook for scientists is bright for hot jobs of the future.

To see the scores of each specific core criteria for the above mentioned professions, visit the article “The 10 Best Jobs of 2011” on CareerCast.com.  The article also lists professions/careers that job seekers should avoid by ranking the 10 Worst Jobs of 2011.

Source of picture:www.mycollegesandcareers.com

Technorati Tags: best jobs, Career, Computer systems analyst, employment, engineering, science jobs

Image via Wikipedia

Good job prospects and high salaries are an attractive attribute to becoming a pharmacist. Employment of pharmacists is expected to grow faster than other occupations through the year 2014, mostly due to the increasing demand for pharmaceuticals, particularly from the growing elderly population. Based on data from 2009, the median expected salary of a pharmacist in the U.S. is $108,000. Now that this has your attention, how do you become a pharmacist?

In order to become a pharmacist, you need to graduate with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an accredited college of pharmacy, which usually takes 6 years of post-secondary education. Most of the time, you must also complete an internship by working with a licensed pharmacist during or right after your schooling. You must also pass a state exam called the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX), which allows you to obtain a pharmacist license.

Along with education, you also need to have a ‘compelling’ resume that will bring out your strong points and how they can help the company. The strength of a good resume should never be underestimated. As Mike Johnston, CPhT, chairman and founder of the National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA) says, “Many people understand the basic components of a resume. But items that are specific to pharmacy technician should also be included.” Johnston is also the author of Rx for Success: A Career Enhancement Guide for Pharmacy Technicians.

To further enhance your pharmacy job opportunities, you would be wise to network, network, network. Knowing the right people, both within and outside pharmacies (especially experts, authors, and industry leaders) can do wonders for finding a career. If you don’t have a mentor, consider having one. The right mentor can make a significant difference in your career. Finally, become a better leader. The corporate world values leadership skills like no other and leadership skills are always desirable. Be proactive and develop your leadership skills.

Technorati Tags: employment, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, salary

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Most people have at least taken a stab at writing a regular resume, but writing a government resume is somewhat different. You can’t just follow the rules of writing a standard resume and assume that it will land you that government job. These days, writing the resume on the Federal resume form is the recognized protocol; it is also called the OF-612 form. Here are some dos and don’ts when it comes to writing a federal resume

Include personal information as requested: Be certain to include your complete contact information, such as your name, address and email, reinstatement eligibility if applicable and job series and dates of previous positions as applicable.

Write school history in chronological order: Unlike standard resumes, you are going to provide your background info and skills in chronological rather than reverse chronological order. So, for education, you’ll want to start with your high school education, and move on up from there.

List any major studied, and include the total credits earned: It might be appealing to use bullet points for these paragraphs, but be careful; while bullet points are great for civilian resumes, they’re less applicable in government job applications.

Be as detailed as possible: Again, while civilian resumes focus on being brief and to the point, federal employers are going to want to know precisely what you’ve done, specifically as it relates to education and experience.

List equivalent experience: There may be times when your education doesn’t exactly fit the qualifications needed for the position, but if you’ve had experience that will qualify you nonetheless, make sure you list it.

There are a few don’ts when it comes to writing your government resume, as well.

Don’t fail to include precise information as it pertains to the job you’re applying to: you can fill in the gaps if you don’t have the necessary education for a specific job by detailing experience, but if specific information is asked for, be sure to include it.

Don’t skimp: write everything to the fullest detail possible.

Don’t make the KSA’s a copy of the resume: Write the KSA as precisely and succinctly as possible.

Federal-Resume.org provides free information about Federal government jobs.

Technorati Tags: Business, Career, careers, education, employment, federal, federal resume, Government, government resume, job, Job Openings, resume, resume writing

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The Naturejobs Career Expo (formerly The Source Event), now in its 4th year, is a dedicated science career fair that combines a dynamic exhibition with conference and workshop sessions. This year, it will be held on September 23, 2010 at The Business Design Centre in London, UK.

The event promotes the UK and Europe as great places to pursue a career in science, be it in industrial research, research organizations, or academia. Jobseekers will have the opportunity to meet with potential employers offering hundreds of genuine job openings. The employers are from public, private, national, and international companies. Jobseekers/attendees also are able to attend the conference plenary and workshop sessions, which provide a unique opportunity to meet high profile scientists and gain careers information and advice.

The Naturejobs Career Conference allows attendees to learn about their career development from speakers active in a range of disciplines, organizations, and countries. The program includes tracks for graduates and postdocs, skills workshops, and talks on careers in a range of industries.

To register:
For further details and to register, please visit: http://www.nature.com/natureconferences/careerexpo/index.html Registration was to open in April, but it seems that you have to email them to find out more information.

Technorati Tags: Career development, careers, employment, job fair