Associate Scientist I 

How did you get your current job?
Internet posting.

What was the application process?
Emailed resume & cover letter, recieved 1st phone interview, followed up with thank you email, then got 2nd phone interview, then live interview. Got offer by phone 2 weeks later.

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes, two phone interviews & one live interview. The phone interviews were with my immediate supervisor, and involved standard interview questions for any job (past work, personality screening, etc). The live interview was with my immediate supervisor, her boss, the HR lady, and the guy who runs R&D (knowing I would work with him a lot). Also a group interview with the lab folks I’d be working with.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Generic ‘why here’, ‘why science’, personality screening questions. My boss asked me how my CD’s are organized- he wanted to work with someone more tidy than he is!

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, I had already done very similar work in school, and also there were several weeks of closely supervised peer-training, so whenever I had a question there was someone experienced & able to answer it.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Yes, lots of SOP reading and then on the job training for the specialized lab work.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, I constantly use things I learned in labs at school in my everyday work. It’s amazing how much Intro to Chemistry affects my daily routine!

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
I didn’t have an internship, but I did research in undergraduate & grad school, so I think that prepared me well.

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Network- find out who at your school has contacts in the industry, & look into those companies for which you “know a guy who knows a guy”. I am very rare in that I got my job without “knowing somebody”- about 90% of my coworkers got their interviews by referral.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Critical thinking, lots of laboratory skills obviously. People skills are very necessary to advance, as well as flexibility.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Minimally a college level science degree for any AS1 position, but for R&D at least a MS degree.

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
You are the bottom of the totem pole. It doesn’t matter who you worked for at school, how many papers you published… You have to prove yourself all over again, and if you look cocky for a second, it will take you MONTHS to make up for it.