Research Scientist
(Male, Age 33) from Middletown, NY
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Male aged 33 who works as a Research Scientist in Middletown, NY. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Research Scientist |
|---|---|
| Salary | $41,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 40 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Middletown, NY |
| Years Experience | 1 year |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
University of connecticut
about 10000 employees total. My department has about 100 full time employees
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
carry out scientific research in my laboratory. I design and conduct experiments. I also mentor graduate students and help out other in the department. I also help with the day to day running of the laboratory such as ordering supply, meeting, etc.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
HMO, prescription plan, 1 week vacation
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under compensated
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
yes. I like working with others especially if they are pleasant to work with. If my co-workers are unpleasant to work with, I simply keep everything professional and keep interactions to a minimum.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work in a laboratory inside a science building. The building is fairly new and the amenities are quite good. I like my current working environment
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 2
Hours: 3
Co-Workers: 6
Supervisors: 5
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 7
The Actual Work: 4
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | wake up, have breakfast, work out |
| 8am to 9am | commute to work |
| 9am to 10am | morning meeting with the whole group. someone within the group will be presenting research data or review of journal articles |
| 10am to 11am | plan out experimental details which include amount of material, specific conditions,etc |
| 11am to 12pm | respond to emails and catch up with paperwork |
| 12pm to 1pm | lunch hour |
| 1pm to 2pm | carry out actual experiments, actually time varies depending on the nature of experiments |
| 2pm to 3pm | continue to work on experiments. read journal articles during down time |
| 3pm to 4pm | continue on experiments and planning for the next few days’ experiments |
| 4pm to 5pm | catchup on paperwork, email and talk with collegaues about their days |
| 5pm to 6pm | commute home |
| 6pm to 7pm | have dinner at home |
| 7pm to 8pm | watch tv |
| 8pm to 9pm | use computer, listen to online radio, read magazine |
| 9pm to 10pm | relax and watch tv, read magazine |
| 10pm to 11pm | clean house, getting ready to turn in |
| 11pm to 12am | go to bed |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
I asked my current boss if he is hiring
What was the application process?
I submitted resume and reference letters
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
just phone interview with my current boss. Nothing else
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
about my skills and backgrounds and also scientific interest and future goals
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
yes, my boss and other senior members are all very willing to teach me and train me
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
yes, I’ve learned most of the techniques I’m using now during graduate school.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
yes, I was trained in the same field as my current job
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
I had no internship experience
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Do a lot of research and find a topic of genuine interest. Otherwise they won’t be able to survive the hard work with relatively little reward.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
critical thinking and willing to learn every theory behind each specific techniques. Good social skills is also required. Good understanding of how things work and be a good learner
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
yes, need a graduate degree
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
learn the techniques well and need to think independently and critically
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
It is part of the plan. We also need to go through this stage before moving on to the next level
What are your current career goals?
I want to move up to the next level and earn a much higher salary
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
none
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | scientist | 2 yrs | 36000 | research scientist in an academic laboratory |
| Prior Job 2 |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:4
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
4 | Wesleyan | Biochemistry |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
N/A | Washington university | Biophysics |
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