Grader/Lab Tech
(Male, Age 38) from orange park, FL
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Male aged 38 who works as a Grader/Lab Tech in orange park, FL. 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 | Grader/Lab Tech |
|---|---|
| Salary | $28,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 30 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | orange park, FL |
| Years Experience | 2 years |
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.
UNF is a liberal arts university in Northeast Florida. I work in the physics department with about 15 instructors and two lab techs. The University serves a student body of about 20,000 students.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I grade student exams, labs and prepare labs for weekly sessions. I do this within a strict time frame as deadlines are concrete.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
401k
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
well
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I spend about 1/5 of my time working with others, the remaining time is spent working alone. I get my job duties from my supervisor, and then perform them on my own.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work in an office and a lab. I like the combination of being on my feet and time spent at a desk. This add a nice variety to my work day preventing me from getting bored with too much time spent in one repetitive task.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 3
Benefits: 6
Hours: 2
Co-Workers: 4
Supervisors: 5
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 7
The Actual Work: 1
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 | |
| 8am to 9am | |
| 9am to 10am | Got to work, checked in with my supervisor and spoke with her about what needed to be done today. |
| 10am to 11am | Disassembled last weeks lab equipment, put gear in proper storage places and cleaned up lab. |
| 11am to 12pm | Read through lab manual and collected lab equipment from around facility. I put gear in lab and sorted out what I needed for each lab station. |
| 12pm to 1pm | lunch |
| 1pm to 2pm | I set up each lab station making sure equipment was functional. I replaced or repaired broken gear. |
| 2pm to 3pm | I ran through experiment to ensure process was good. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Got last weeks lab reports and graded them. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Continued grading lab reports. |
| 5pm to 6pm | Sorted labs and returned them to instructor. |
| 6pm to 7pm | |
| 7pm to 8pm | |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Walking into department and asking about available positions.
What was the application process?
Paper application in HR office
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Individual interview with direct supervisor. I had this single interview, and on her recommendation was hired.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Why did I want to do this job? What skill did I feel I possessed that made me qualified? What were my long term goals? What were my short term goals?
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
My employer did not provide any specific training for this position.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
I had no specific job training beside a background in lab work from my time in college.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
My educational background did prepare me as I have a B.S. in physics. The extensive number of labs I took and contact with similar material provided me with all the training I needed.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
I did not have internship experience for this job.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Seek employment by directly speaking to department heads at University in question. This position was not advertised.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
B.S in the sciences and an enjoyment of working both on your feet and at a desk. Critical eye for detail and patience for repetitive tasks.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Go slow, take time, and ask questions of supervisors to ensure you are aware, in detail, of what is expected of you.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
My current employment keeps me engaged in my field of interest while I look for other opportunities.
What are your current career goals?
I would like to work in a lab at a major university doing scientific research.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
This is a great stepping stone for a career as a lab technician.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | lab technician | 2 years | 26000 | I worked maintaining a laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometer. |
| Prior Job 2 | Borders Books | 3 years | 12000 | I maintained store displays. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.2 | Univeristy of Florida | Physics, B.S. |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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