When economic uncertainty hits, job layoffs usually follow. The news has been recently flooded by reports of layoffs, mostly in the technology field. According to Zippia, 15.4 million Americans were laid off from their job in 2022 and in 2023, 138,000 were laid off already.
Layoffs can sometimes appear to come out of nowhere, which can be hard emotionally and financially for employees that are affected by these decisions. Even when there are severance packages associated with terminations, it can still be very nerve-wracking for employees due to uncertainty about their future career and re-entering the job market along with thousands of others.
With all these emotions, it could be difficult for former employees to figure out where to start in a job search, especially if the professional has not looked for a new job for a couple of years.
Read more to learn how to bounce from a layoff and land a new job in no time.
Optimize Resume
The first thing professionals can do when re-entering the job market is to update and optimize their resume. When refreshing a resume, candidates should include all relevant experience and any new skills or achievements. This is essential, as it will give hiring managers a clear and updated look at experience and qualifications.
A resume should include these main parts:
Also, candidates should consider having a former peer, coworker or even a family member read over the resume to make sure that it is grammatically correct and formatted properly. Having a second set of eyes can help catch small mistakes and errors that may cost them a dream position.
For more resume advice, check out this article.
Ask For Recommendations
Being laid off does not necessarily mean that a worker was slacking or doing a poor job, it could just mean that their role was eliminated for financial or restructuring reasons. A professional that loses their job due to layoffs may be one of the hardest workers at the company, but just simply got caught in the crossfire of layoffs.
If an individual is laid off and knows that they did great work at their previous employer, they should consider reaching out to former managers or coworkers for recommendation letters to show a potential employer that they are the right fit for the job.
Also, professionals should consider asking the HR department of their former employer for a “laid-off letter” if one was not already included with the announcement of the layoff. This is an official piece of writing that explains the circumstances of why someone was let go from a company. These letters can be used to prove to future employers that someone was laid-off instead of being terminated for poor performance.
Reach Out to Networks
LinkedIn is not only a great platform to stay in touch with corporate news and keep up with a professional network, but it can also be a great asset to someone that has been recently laid off.
A recently laid-off employee should consider posting an update status on LinkedIn to announce to a network that a layoff has occurred and that they are open to new positions. By doing this, other members of a network may see this post and possibly recommend or suggest a company that is hiring or even hiring within their team.
In this post, the professional should include what type of roles or industries they are open to. Putting just a general open-to-work post may attract recruiters and messages that do not relate to the professional field that they work in and may be a waste of time in job searching.
LinkedIn also offers an “open to work” profile banner for members who are looking for new positions. New job seekers should consider adding this to their profile picture to make their job searching status even more visible to recruiters and hiring managers.
Click here to learn more about how to optimize a job search and be more visible to hiring managers on LinkedIn.
Be Open
When there is an increase in layoffs occurring in the workforce, there are thousands of employees that are looking for jobs. This could mean that there may be more competition for roles in specific industries or professions.
The best way for candidates to combat that problem is to be open to positions and titles that may be different from their previous roles.
For example, if someone is laid off from a mechanical engineering role in HVAC, they should consider looking at other engineering positions, like civil engineering or construction engineering. They could also consider looking at different fields, like an energy or manufacturing company.
By pursuing another type of role, a new passion may emerge from the new types of responsibilities from this position that may have never been discovered if they were not open to this position or industry.
Don’t Burn Out
Being laid off is a stressful time. It is easy to get consumed in job searching and feel discouraged when things aren’t working out. Spending hours and hours on job boards can be helpful in the short term, but in the long term, it can be very damaging to mental health.
According to a survey from Pew Research Center, 56% of adults who are unemployed and are actively job searching, report having feelings of emotional and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Having these thoughts and feelings can be damaging to one’s self-esteem and overall health which can cause even more problems down the road.
Here are some ways to help alleviate stress and reduce burnout:
Looking at job boards online isn’t the only way to land a job. Consider reaching out to recruiters, reaching out to your network or checking internal websites for job postings. This is a good way to stand out instead of being in a sea of candidates that are all applying on an online platform.
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Layoffs can be stressful, but taking these actions may help you land a job faster and re-enter the workforce in no time.
Recently laid off and looking for a new job? Check out STEMHUNTER, a job board designed specifically for STEM professionals.
The warmer months are approaching, and spring cleaning will be a top priority for most. Spring cleaning does not have to only affect a home and physical space, but a fresh overhaul can also be done to a resume!
It is recommended by CNBC, that professionals update their resume every six months to a year in case of new opportunities that may arise. Updating a resume regularly helps make sure that the resume is accurate and showcases all recent achievements that may be desirable for a potential future employer. Refreshing a resume can also make it easier on a candidate, who can avoid having to do a massive overhaul for their resume when entering the job searching market.
However, some professionals may be at a point in their career where they are not interested in changing jobs. In any case, it is a good idea to consider keeping it updated in case anything changes. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an employee changes their job every 4.2 years on average.
Read below to learn more about how you can tidy up your resume for future job searching success.
Add Relevant Information
The main goal of a resume is to show an accurate and quick snapshot of an applicant’s professional experience and achievements. CareerBuilder found that 24% of recruiters spend 30 seconds or less looking at a resume. This means a resume needs to be thorough, but get directly to the point.
A resume should be clear and concise, so job seekers should try to highlight the most relevant information in a resume. For example, accurately detailing job responsibilities is a must, but including extra-curricular activities from over ten years ago may not be the best idea to include.
Here are some more examples of relevant information to include in a resume:
It is also important that candidates make sure to take out any information that may not be relevant anymore. For example, a resume may not have been touched since applying for jobs in early college which may include jobs that were had during high school. Once college has been completed, or it has been many years since high school, having those experiences are not necessary to include on a resume. Employers will want to see relevant information and will likely not place as much importance on work that was done many years ago.
Update Contact Info
One of the most important factors of an effective resume is that the contact information is directly next to, or under, the candidate’s name and title. Contact information will likely include the candidate’s valid phone number, email address and location. It is important for recruiters/hiring managers to know where a candidate is located, even when dealing with remote roles, as time zones may be a factor of employment.
In case there has been a recent move, make sure that the location is correct on the resume. Having a full address is not necessary to have a standout resume. All that is needed to be listed is city and state.
Also, candidates should consider having a professional email listed on their resume. A professional email should include some iteration of a name and maybe some numbers. Some examples of emails to avoid using include, “[email protected]” and “[email protected].” Unprofessional emails such as these may convey to the hiring manger that the applicant is not serious or professional when it comes to job searching.
Additionally, it is best to avoid using emails that are associated with colleges/universities as this can convey that you are enrolled and be potentially unavailable for full-time work. Candidate’s will also want to refrain from using a work or company-sponsored email address on their resume when job searching. The best practice is to have a professional, personal email for job searching purposes.
Check All Grammar
Utilizing proper grammar is a necessity when crafting a resume that could result in landing a dream job. According to Zippia, 59% of recruiters will automatically reject a resume if it contains improper grammar and spelling. Candidates should consider following grammar best-practices and asking a trusted colleague to review their resume for spelling and grammar errors.
If there is a job listed on your resume that is being done presently, it is best that the descriptions are written in current tense. For example, it would not make sense if a candidate were currently at an engineering job and described it on their resume as, “helped and recorded measurements.” It should instead read, “helps and records measurements” since it is being done in the present. If the work was being done in the past, the first description would be accurate.
Here is a grammar checklist to review a resume with:
Going over a grammar checklist such as this when reviewing a resume can be the reason that sets an individual apart from other candidates in the screening process.
Keep It Simple
Sometimes it seems that bigger is better, but that is not always the case for resumes.
The best way to format a resume is to make sure it is detailed, but also very simple for the recruiter or hiring manager that will be reading it.
Since a lot of recruiters spend such little time screening resumes, they most likely will want to get right to the skills and experience of a candidate as it relates to an open position. Having a resume that includes a headshot, flashy borders and hard to read fonts may immediately turn a recruiter away.
Additionally, simplicity can help your resume work well with recruiting software. According to Forbes, up to 75% of resume can get rejected from an applicant tracking system (ATS) due to the software not being able to read or parse the resume. This can be due to complex fonts and pictures. If a resume gets rejected from an ATS system, there is a chance that it will not be reviewed by a recruiter, which means the applicant will not get screened for the job at all.
Here are some quick ways to keep a simple resume:
Making these small adjustments can help a hiring manager be able to understand a resume easier and speed up the hiring process overall.
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Cleaning up and simplifying a resume periodically can be the key step in your next job search without the headache of having to completely overhaul a resume in a short amount of time.
Looking for your dream STEM job? Check out STEMHUNTER, a job board specifically designed for STEM professionals.
February is Black History Month, and we are providing tips and advice for employers wanting to support black employees, not only during the month of February, but all year long.
A survey from Gallup found that one in four black workers report feeling discriminated at work. In the same report, Gallup also discovered that black workers on average make 24% less annually compared to their white peers. This not only emotionally impacts black workers, but also can physically affect them and their families when their needs are not being properly met.
Read below to learn more about what workplace leaders can do to end discrimination and uplift black voices.
Implement Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practices
According to Glassdoor, 69% of executives cite diversity and inclusion as an important issue to tackle in the workplace. But how does one go about fixing that issue? By implementing diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) practices and strategies.
According to McKinsey, DE&I is defined as, “closely linked values held by many organizations that are working to be supportive of different groups of individuals, including people of different races, ethnicities, religions, abilities, genders, and sexual orientations.”
The first thing employers can do to start these practices, if they are not already present, is to initiate a demographic survey of the organization. This is a way to highlight any discrepancies in mindful hiring and employee retainment. Here are some of the demographics to survey for:
After compiling this data, take a broad look at it and ask questions about the hiring and promotion process at the organization. Some of the questions to ask include:
Asking these types of questions may uncover white bias in an organization and show that hiring strategies may need to be reassessed and changed with DE&I practices in mind. Keeping this information in mind when conducting screening and hiring of new candidates, can create a more diverse and inclusive workplace and foster a more welcoming space for all employees.
For more information on creating a DE&I centered workplace, check out this article from the Time’s Up Foundation on building an anti-racist workplace.
Create Employee Resource Groups
A great way to help black employees feel more welcomed and appreciated in the organization is to offer employee resource groups (ERG) to the organization. ERGs have become increasingly popular at organizations, especially with world events shaping the way that many people think. SHRM found that about 90% of Fortune 500 companies are supporting and investing in ERGs in the workplace.
An ERG is a voluntary internal employee group that members all share the same characteristics or goals, building inclusivity and community. These groups allow the employees to speak to, and spend time with, other peers that are like them.
For example, if there is only one black worker on a team of all white people, there is a high chance that they may feel isolated due to their different experiences and hardships. Having an ERG with other people of color gives the opportunity to talk about this type of isolation and find community at their organization.
Some of the activities that an ERG member can participate in include:
ERGs can create a great sense of community for workers that may feel marginalized due to their skin color, interests or background.
Educate All Employees
Every worker has different backgrounds and experiences which can cause workplace discrimination both directly and indirectly. Direct discrimination is when a group of people are treated differently due to their skin color and/or background directly while indirect discrimination, which is the act of discriminating against a group of people without even knowing, can be common in organizations that are led and mostly staffed by white people.
A way to combat this problem is to provide direct education to employees. This can help them understand the problems others face due to their skin color, what they can do to minimize bias, how they can support colleagues and much more.
Organizations can provide specific training on the inequalities of people of color not only within the workplace, but in all of society. Here are some examples of training and programming that organizations can provide to employees:
Offering these types of trainings can help change the workplace for the better in regard to creating a supportive and understanding culture for black employees.
Avoid Performative Behavior
It is easy to look at hiring practices, see that there is a diversity problem and “promise” to make changes. However, it is the actual act of making the change that makes a difference in an organization.
The act of saying that changes will be made but are never executed is also known as performative activism. Performative activism is defined as, “activism done to increase one’s social capitol rather than because of one’s devotion to a cause” according to Boston Medical Center.
Conducting an internal audit of demographics and diversity should not be done just once. Consider having an audit every six months or on a yearly basis. If an organization is basing their hiring strategies on old data, it is not doing the employees of color any justice which can directly and negatively impact employee happiness and retention.
Also, consider continuing to support and lift ERGs at the company. Showing solidarity and support to these groups can make employees feel much more welcomed and included by having a safe space to talk about their goals and problems. For example, when a new employee is starting or even interviewing, mention the ERGs that are available to all employees and provide them information on how to join.
Lastly, continue educating all employees on racial discrimination and what can be done to help coworkers of color. Keep up with current headlines and societal events, as addressing and changing practices due to current events is crucial in avoiding performative activism.
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Consider these practices and implementing them within your organization to better the environment for black workers and let their voices be heard.
Many workers in the technology space have become weary and uncertain with their positions due to the current state of work in the industry. According to Layoffs.fyi, since 2022, over 300 tech companies have conducted layoffs which have affected nearly 97,000 workers. Amid these massive layoffs and reductions in staff, many job seekers are looking to different industries for their next career move.
The tech industry is not the only space for these aspiring professionals, as there are many other industries that can meet their needs and provide a satisfying career. Read below to learn more about these growing opportunities.
Finance & Accounting
Finance and accounting roles often require gathering, analyzing and reporting numbers and data, which is where tech professionals come into play for this industry.
One of the most sought-out positions for accounting and finance companies to fill are data analysts. Some of the responsibilities of this role include gathering information on mutual funds, stocks, bonds and more. It is estimated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that there is going to be a career outlook increase of 23% from now until 2030.
Another tech job that is in high demand in the account & finance space is cybersecurity roles. Having evolving technology at our fingertips is great, but it can also cause wide-spread security concerns, especially in this sector, with the large amounts of confidential information that is dealt with daily. The estimate of outlook for cybersecurity is 35% by 2030, which is a much greater job outlook compared to most jobs.
Also, with most of the work for data analysts and cybersecurity professionals being done on a computer, many companies are offering fully remote roles all over the U.S.
To learn more about securing a data analyst role, check out this blog here.
Here are some other tech jobs that job seekers can find in the finance and accounting industry:
Consider these tech jobs in finance and accounting to accelerate your career and professional development.
Manufacturing
When thinking of the manufacturing field, many could think of manual jobs that require a lot of physical work. Even though there are many “blue collar” jobs in manufacturing, there are also thousands of tech jobs in this industry.
Manufacturing is one of the biggest assets to the world economy. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the manufacturing industry contributed $2.3 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2021, which accounted for 12% of total U.S. gross domestic product (GDP).
To be able to build and pour these manufactured products, they first need to be designed. To be designed, there needs to be software which is where tech professionals come in. Many manufacturing companies use systems like SOLIDWORKS, AutoCAD, Siemens and more to design their products and tools. With all these different types of software, tech professionals are needed to ensure these systems are properly working.
Here are some tech jobs that job seekers can find in the manufacturing industry:
These types of careers can help candidates gain knowledge, professional development and a new perspective, for a sometimes-misunderstood industry.
Healthcare
While the needs for tech software and companies often vary with the economy, healthcare is always needed no matter what economic state is present. Typically, doctors, nurses and caregivers support patients directly, but tech workers are needed behind the scenes to ensure that necessary programs and systems are running properly to ensure the proper healthcare of others.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that IT professional careers will grow over 11% between now and 2028, which is significantly higher than most occupations. The only problem with that statistic is that there is a shortage of healthcare IT professionals. This shortage is to the point where over one third of hospitals report having vacancies and looking to fill these critical roles. Due to this shortage, technology professionals can expect there to be numerous job postings available.
Being an IT professional is not the only tech career available in healthcare. Here are some tech jobs that job seekers can find in this industry:
Having a career in healthcare can be fulfilling for tech workers with these high sought-out positions.
Government
With the sweeping tech layoffs, many government sectors are targeting these affected workers and many others in the tech industry. According to GoGovernment.com, there are over 79,000 IT professionals in the government sector alone. With increasing technology, there are plans to add thousands more jobs to support government programs and protect national security.
These types of jobs are not only for national government. To be considered a government employee, a professional could be working for local, state or federal government. Being a government employee can also provide great benefits. Some of the perks that are offered to government employees include:
These benefits can be provided for not only just the employee, but also can be provided to significant others and children.
Here are some more jobs that tech professionals can get in the government sector:
A career in the government is not only fulfilling but can provide great benefits and experience for any tech professional.
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Tech companies are not the only destination for tech professionals. These industries and many others are hiring more than ever for this type of work.
Looking for your next great STEM career? Check out STEMHUNTER, a job board designed specifically for STEM professionals.
Entering your last semester of college is exciting, but can also be nerve-wracking with the pressure of finding a job after graduation. If you are feeling these uneasy thoughts, you are not alone. According to a recent study, 24% of college students report feeling stressed with the idea of landing a job after graduation.
With the right tips and practices, job seeking in your last semester can be less stressful. Read below for some best practices of job searching when you are in your last semester of college.
Prepare Your Resume
The first thing you should do when starting your job search is to create or revise your resume. Your resume gives hiring managers a high-level overview of your experiences and abilities to see if you match the type of job they are hiring for. Without a resume, most hiring managers will not consider your application and move on to the next candidate.
Make sure your resume includes these sections:
Also, consider having a peer or professor to read over your resume before you submit it to job applications. This can be useful to make sure there is correct grammar, accurate/relevant information, ideal formatting and more.
Having a clean and standout resume can give you the extra edge when it comes to job searching while still in college. Check out our blog, Anatomy of a Resume to learn more about making the most of each section.
Use University Resources
While universities are a great place to learn new things and study for your future career, they also have career services departments that specialize in helping college students prepare and find their first job out of college. These departments employ full-time staff whose role is to provide opportunities and resources to guide you to career success following graduation.
Here are some of the services career centers offer:
While these services are extremely helpful in job searching, there is only a fraction of college students utilizing these services. Gallup found that only 20% of college students utilize their school’s career center for job searching advice or services.
Most colleges also host a variety of different career fairs throughout the semester to allow students to have the opportunity to meet with potential companies and hiring managers. These career fairs can be general or specific to a type of major or field of study.
Consider utilizing one of these services from your university’s career center to give yourself an extra step ahead of others that are not taking advantage of these perks.
Start Searching Early
When job searching, it is typically better to start earlier than later. If you start searching too late into your last semester, you can find yourself at graduation without a position lined up.
After you revise your resume and figure out the type of role you would like, start searching on online job boards and network with others in your desired field. Searching early will give you a better understanding of the types of companies that are hiring for your desired role, an idea of your field’s salary outlook and if there is chance you may have to relocate for work.
The exact time to start finding a position can depend on the industry or role you are looking for. For example, if you are looking for a job in accounting, you could potentially receive a job offer a whole year before you even graduate due to the nature of the industry. But for a more creative role, like marketing or communications, employers will likely consider graduates who will be able to start in a month or two from the job posting date due to an immediate demand in these services.
It is a best practice to start looking at job openings during your second-to-last semester of college to research potential career paths. Then, start applying to relevant jobs at the beginning of your last semester. In addition to job searching, consider reaching out to professionals in your network that you may have met at professional events or previous internships. These individuals may have connections that can help you find different opportunities than what you are search for online.
Apply to Multiple Postings
While there are many job openings for soon-to-be graduates, it is important to apply to more than one job opening to cast a wide net. Many of the job openings you apply for may have hundreds of different candidates who are your competition. Beyond that, your chances of getting an interview for the position may be low even if you match every qualification in the job posting. For example, Zippia found that it takes around 21 to 80 different job applications to get a single job offer due to the many applications that a business can receive. With this in mind, only applying to a handful of jobs may not be the best decision when job searching in your final year of college.Also, it is important to keep your mind open to different types of roles. For example, if you are a mechanical engineering major, look at roles for mechanical engineers, civil engineers and construction engineers due to the overlaps of these types of industries.
Landing your dream job directly after college can be difficult. Consider each opportunity as a stepping stone to obtaining your dream job later. Simply getting experience in a field of work can be extremely valuable to growing your career. Just like many other things, dream jobs can take time to achieve.
Expect Rejection
When applying for jobs, rejection is almost inevitable. Being fresh out of college gives you a lot of advantages, but also can bring you disadvantages, like lack of experience. Many times, when you apply for a job, you may be competing with professionals who already have had a couple of years of work under their belt.
With so much competition in the job market, you may be faced with rejected applications or not being moved into the next round of an interview process. This should not be taken personally since almost every professional has gone through this at some point in their career. When you get a rejection, reflect on the reasons you didn’t move forward, and move onto the next opportunity.
The job market is also always changing. When the economy is facing more hardship, an increase in rejected jobs could follow. While the state of the market can be overwhelming and anxiety inducing, there is still a positive outlook for college graduates. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, hiring for the class of 2022 college graduates was up 31.6% from previous years.
While finding a job before graduation may be preferable, all hope should not be lost if you graduate without a job offer in-hand. Being patient in the hiring process is essential to keeping your stress low and can also be key to finding the best job after graduation.
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Looking for an entry-level STEM job? Check out STEMHUNTER, a job board made specifically for STEM professionals.
Chemistry is an essential part of many innovative and future-focused businesses and is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing career fields. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is estimated that jobs for chemists will grow 6% over the next 10 years, which totals about 90,600 jobs.
With the right skills and tools, you can land a job as a chemist in no time. Read below to learn more about how to expand your skills and nail your next chemist interview.
Pursue Career Development Opportunities
Whether you are at the beginning of your career or are many years into it, career development is an important method of improving your skills. Career development involves sharpening skills, learning new things and meeting others in your shared industry.
Some ways to increase your career development include:
If you are a college student, consider looking into extracurricular groups or clubs that involve chemistry that would be ideal to put on a resume. Some of these groups could include honor societies, clubs or even studying groups. Being an active and engaged member of groups such as these will not only improve your skillsets, but could also lead you to helpful networking that could benefit you in future when job searching.
Being exposed to these types of professional development methods can also give you the opportunity to talk to other peers in your field which can lead you to dream job positions.
Evaluate Your Soft Skills
When thinking about becoming a chemist, you can assume that you are required to have a deep understanding of chemistry. While that is true, there are many other skills that applicants can have that will enable them to be successful in the chemistry field.
Skills that are not technical are considered soft skills. Soft skills are the common skills that help you interact and work with others. These can include interpersonal and communication skills.
Some of the soft skills, suggested by Scholarship Guidance, to be a successful chemist include:
A great way to show these skills during an interview is bringing them up in natural conversation with situations that demonstrate how you utilized that skill. For example, if the hiring manager is asking about a project you have worked on, you can mention that you utilized time management skills to make the project successful. Also consider including a small list of them on your resume so that the hiring manager can see them before they even interview you.
Consider analyzing the areas in which you excel and noting any opportunities for further development. Develop your soft skills by enrolling in courses, taking on new projects or asking for feedback from trusted colleagues.
Practice Interview Questions
After researching and applying for jobs, you will hopefully enter the interviewing stages for a new job as a chemist. Interviews can be nerve-racking and stressful for some. In fact, JDP found that 93% of job candidates report being nervous before a job interview.
A great way to combat this nervousness and uncertainty is to practice interview questions before the actual interview.
Here are some examples of questions you could be asked at an interview for a chemist:
Consider practicing these questions with a trusted colleague to ease your nerves and enable yourself to answer with no hesitation.
When you are answering the interviewer’s questions, try to tailor your answers to the type of industry that you are applying for. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the industry with the highest amount of chemists is the pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing industry which means there may be a high probability of interviewing with that type of company. If you are asked, “why did pursue chemistry?”, try to weave in your passion for medicine and how it will fulfill you as a chemist. This will show the hiring manager you have a passion for their industry and are very interested in the position.
While it is good to practice interview questions, keep in mind that there may be other parts to your upcoming chemist interview with things such as a technical assessments, background screenings, personality tests and more.
Ask Thoughtful Questions
Interviewing for a job not only lets an employer get to know you, but it is also an opportunity for you to learn more about the company and their values. Utilizing this time effectively can give you greater insights into the organization and show the interviewer that you are prepared and interested in the role.
Here are some questions to consider asking your interviewer:
Asking these types of questions can give you a better idea of the work dynamic, how others collaborate with each other daily and what the general company culture is.
Remember that you are also interviewing the company to see if they are a good fit for you and your career trajectory. If you ask these questions and your interviewer gives very general answers or tries to avoid the question altogether, this could be red flag. Consider taking a closer look into the company itself and its culture using websites like Glassdoor or directly reach out to current employees to see if it is a good fit for you.
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Landing a job as chemist does not have to be hard. With these tips, you can find yourself landing a chemistry job in no time.
Looking for your next job in chemistry? Check out STEMHUNTER, a job board made specifically for STEM professionals.
Many professionals around the world are looking to improve their career development, whether it is for moving into leadership roles, becoming more attractive on their resume, or simply improving their work skills. For example, Lorman reported that 61% of adults in the U.S. are currently seeking career development opportunities when looking at job postings.
A great way to advance in your professional development is to receive a professional certification in a certain skill or field of work. Certifications are not just present in STEM fields, but are also seen in almost every other industry of the professional world.
Even though it is not required, many employers often help or completely cover the cost of certification exams to help improve the professional development of their employees. According to Robert Half, nearly 94% of companies cover all or some of the cost of professional certifications for their employees. This is a great perk that employees should take advantage of if their company offers it.
Gaining certifications will not only make you more qualified for more roles, but it can also lead to an increase in pay, change in position and can show your current employer that you are dedicated to advancing your career. According to Dice, a STEM professional who receives a professional certification will earn $12,000 a year compared to their counterparts who do not receive a certification.
Read below to read about the most in-demand professional certifications by employers in the STEM industry.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
The Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification (CSSC) is a certificate for professionals that have at least three years of work experience that would like to demonstrate their knowledge of the process of Six Sigma which involves statistics and data to reduce errors in workloads.
The Six Sigma certifications do not end at just the “Green Belt”. Professionals are able to expand their knowledge and earn more ‘belts’ that can represent their career development and expertise in this space. Just like karate, the highest level a professional can earn is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
One of the careers that Six Sigma certifications is most in-demand for is project management. This field encompasses a large range of industries which includes healthcare, IT, finance, manufacturing and more. According to Invesis Learning, nearly 52% of job postings for project managers in 2022 require a CSSC. Without a certification in Six Sigma, a job seeker could find themselves outnumbered by more attractive candidates and risk being unsuccessful in a job search.
The Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification program is estimated to take between two to seven weeks to complete and the Black Belt certification program takes around one to three months to complete. Many universities around the U.S. offer classes and study sessions for professionals to obtain these certifications.
Project management is not the only profession that utilizes and prefers a CSSC. Other roles include data scientists, computer engineers, process engineers and more due to the nature of their work.
Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert
Another in-demand certification in STEM is the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification. This certification involves a series of technical assessments for networking individuals. This certification program allows information technology professionals to demonstrate their skills of designing, building, implementing, troubleshooting and maintaining high-level networks.
Cisco offers a wide range of specifications for this certification to best fit the career path or industry that a professional may be in. Some of the specific certificate tracks include security, enterprise infrastructure, data centers and more. Cisco also offers four levels of certifications to allow professionals to continue their development and further their knowledge in this space.
According to a survey from Indeed, 82% of participants said the CCIE certification helped their career progression and 92% answered that the certification helped them find a better job in their preferred industry.
It is estimated that these types of certifications take around three to six months of studying for successful completion.
The roles that would benefit most from this type of certification would be information technology professionals, computer scientists, network technicians and more.
AWS Certifications
Many computer scientists around the world are completing certification programs through Amazon Web Services (AWS). According to Amazon, more than 400,000 professionals hold an active AWS certification. certification.
AWS certifications heavily focus on cloud computing where companies can design, deploy and manage applications in a cloud setting instead of a physical hard drive or computer. This allows for more work being able to be done across multiple locations without the worry of data being lost through malfunctions of physical equipment.
Like other certification programs, AWS offers a wide range of paths of certifications that professionals can achieve and earn depending on their career level and specialty. Some of these certificates include DevOps engineering, data analytics, machine learning and many more.
It is estimated that a single AWS certification takes 80-120 hours of studying while working a full-time job which equates to about three months before the exam is taken.
Some roles that you can benefit from having an AWS certification are solution architects, cloud account managers, cloud developers, SysOps administrators and many others.
OSHA Lab Safety Certification
A certificate that not only improves your professional development, but also keeps you safe in the laboratory is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Lab Safety Certification. This certification program teaches laboratory professionals how to keep themselves and others safe while working with potentially toxic and harmful elements at work.
Working in a lab setting can be potentially life threatening if you are not aware of the proper regulations and actions to take while working. Nature, a scientific publication, featured a study regarding lab safety issues and the results were astounding. According to the study, only 40% of lab personnel were wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times at work. It also found that 25-38% of lab personnel have been involved in a type of accident or injury that was not reported to their direct manager.
Having this certification not only keeps yourself and others safe, but also allows employers to have a sense of ease for safety when they have an employee that is properly educated in lab safety. An employer is also more likely to hire a job candidate that is aware of safety problems compared to a candidate that is not familiar due to liability and financial reasons.
Consider this certification if you work in biology, chemistry, pharmaceuticals or any other field that works in a laboratory setting to ensure that you do not accidentally hurt yourself or others at work.
Principles and Practice of Engineering
Engineering is a broad term since there are so many different specializations that someone can go into, but there is one certificate that can be obtained by any engineer. The Principles and Practices of Engineering (PE) is a certificate that can be earned after a professional has demonstrated knowledge of engineering and has also completed experience in the professional world of engineering.
According to the National Society of Professional Engineers, this is the exact timeline for someone that wants to complete a PE certification:
Earning a PE can be lengthy process, but it can be very worthwhile in the end. Having a PE could lead to more leadership positions, more complex projects and a possible increase in salary. According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, engineering professionals with a PE can earn up to 13% more in salary compared to an engineer that does not have that certification.
Having a PE also gives you the ability to be able to official sign and seal documents with a PE symbol. Even though this could mean more liability for your work, it can be very fulfilling and can show employers that you are a trusted employee which could lead to more promotions.
If you are considering a path where you would like to teach engineering classes at a public university, you may be required to have a PE. Some of the states that require a PE for university level teaching are Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri.
A PE is not required by all engineers, but it can be an official certificate that helps you stand-out in the job market and can help you obtain your dream job in engineering with its value and demonstration of skills.
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Obtaining professional certifications is a great way to improve your skills, demonstrate your talents and keep you safe and secure in the workplace.
Looking for a new job in STEM? Check out STEMHUNTER, a job board specifically designed for STEM professionals and their needs.
The current competitive and tight labor market is making many organizations rethink their hiring process, but many are leaving out a key aspect, employee retention.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has estimated that STEM jobs will grow 10.5% between the years 2020-2030. With large numbers of STEM jobs projected to open, this presents a great opportunity for employers to add new talent to their organization. However, with this focus on bringing in new talent, many current employees could be looking for new opportunities if their needs are not being met.
A great way to retain your employees is through conducting stay interviews. Read below to learn how stay interviews can help you retain great STEM talent.
What Exactly is a Stay Interview?
A stay interview is a conversation or meeting with successful employees to learn more about how they feel about their position and the organization as a whole. Some topics can include how they enjoy their position, what the organization can do better to support them, what changes they would like to see and other questions about their overall experience.
The Society of Human Resource Management found that it costs an employer one-third of an employee’s annual salary to replace them when they leave their role. This high cost is due to factors such as recruiting, training, loss in productivity and more. To combat these costs, employers are finding great success in having stay interviews with top performing employees.
The objective of a stay interview is to learn how the organization can change to better help employee experience, while also showing the employee that their opinions and experiences matter to management. This directly correlates to employee retention and keeping outstanding workers at your company.
Preparing For a Stay Interview
A great way to prepare for a stay interview is to take a close look at the performance of your employees and identify which individuals would be the best to conduct this type of conversation with. Consider picking employees that you want to retain at the company long-term, or those with a strong work ethic.
Once you have identified employees that you would like to conduct this conversation with, put time for the meeting on their calendar. When sending out an invitation for a stay interview, it is a great idea to explicitly inform the employee what the meeting will entail. If you are not clear about what the conversation will be, the employee could jump to conclusions like a possible lay-off or a haul of extra work which could hinder the meeting productivity and overshadow the purpose of the stay interview.
It is recommended that stay interviews last at least 30 minutes. This allows employers to ask several important questions, while also not taking away too much time from the workday for everyone involved.
Conducting a Stay Interview
Stay interviews are best conducted by a direct manager, rather than an HR professional. This is because employees will more likely have a sense that their feelings and opinions of the organization are being taken more seriously. If it is only being done by a member of HR, it could come off that the stay interview is only being done for compliance or to meet a quota. However, the results should be shared with HR following the interview.
Another factor to consider when having a stay interview is to make sure the interview is being done at a convenient time for both the manager and the employee. Considering both individuals’ time could make the employee feel more comfortable with the conversation and overall more respected by the organization.
Also, consider keeping performance reviews and stay interviews separate. While both are equally important, they have different purposes. Combining the two could cause the employee to be discouraged or stressed during the review and could make them avoid giving genuine answers to the questions that you are asking. It is best to save a performance review for another meeting.
Assembling What Questions to Ask
Just like an entrance or exit interview, preparing questions beforehand is essential when conducting a stay interview. It is best to include questions that are about the organization as a whole, as well as their specific experience working at your organization. You’ll want to ask questions about what motivates the employee to stay in addition to questions related to why they might leave. This can provide leadership with insights to help make decisions on what the organization can do to help increase and improve retention. Consider these questions below to ask in a stay interview:
Also, consider asking questions that are tailored to the employee’s specific role. By including specific questions, employees could feel that you took the time to consider their specific role within the organization.
These questions can be helpful to understand the needs of your employees and help open the door to what leadership can do to make sure that they, and others, stay at the organization for a long period of time.
Using The Information You Collected
Once you have successfully completed stay interviews, analyze what employees said and look for commonalities between responses. It is a good idea to meet with other leaders and the HR department to discuss findings and conclusions. From there, a plan or initiative should be created to improve employee retention.
Additionally, consider having an introspective look at yourself as a leader in the organization. Compare the answers from the stay interview to your leadership style and see if there is any room for improvement. Having strong leadership will go a long way with employee retention and hiring great talent.
After some time, consider having a follow-up conversation with employees to see if the changes have made a significant impact. It is a good idea to track to see if measurable change has been made overtime.
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Stay interviews can be a great way to retain star employees, but can also shape an organization to be attractive to all job seekers.
Looking for great STEM talent? Check out STEMHUNTER, a job board specifically designed for STEM professionals.
Civil engineering is one of the fastest growing STEM careers currently. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has estimated that over the next 10 years, civil engineering jobs will grow by nearly 7%, which is around 310,000 jobs per year.
Job interviewing can be stressful, but it does not have to be when you have all the right tools. Read below to learn more on how to land your next civil engineering job.
Dress Professionally
While it is very important to impress hiring managers with your work experience and qualifications, it is also necessary to make sure that you properly dress the part for your interview.
Zippia found that 50% of hiring managers believe that the way a candidate dresses during an interview should determine if they will move on to the next steps of the interview process.
When attending an interview, consider dressing in business professional clothes. Avoid wearing flashy clothes and make sure your outfit is not wrinkled or stained. Dressing professionally will convey to the hiring manager that you took time and put in effort, ultimately showing that you are interested in the job.
Seem Interested and Be Direct
If you show up wearing nice clothes and have an impressive degree, but do not have a positive attitude during the interview, you may be eliminated from the hiring process.
When answering questions, be enthusiastic and interested in what the hiring manager is saying to you. Also, directly answer the questions you are being asked. In civil engineering, many of the tasks that you will be doing revolve around directly solving a specific problem or working on a complex design. Showing a trait of being direct during the interview may help you stand out from other candidates.
For example, if you are asked about a project that gave you difficulty and how you overcame it, do not try to sugarcoat the problem. Describe exactly what the problem was, and how you took the initiative to work it out with yourself and your team. Discuss any items that worked well, and things that maybe could’ve been better. This will show that you are a problem solver and a team player when faced with adversity and can handle the challenges that come with a career in civil engineering.
Example Interview Questions
A great way to prepare for interviews is to practice possible interview questions beforehand. When you practice answering questions, you may be able to go into the interview more confident and well-equipped compared to other applicants.
During the interview you will most likely be asked general questions about previous work experience, what your desired salary range and more. There will also be specific questions that will relate directly to the civil engineering field that you should be ready to answer.
Here are examples of questions you may be asked:
When preparing for an interview, it is best to over-prepare. Consider practicing answering questions about your skills and experience, situational-based questions and questions that test your knowledge of specific civil engineering practices.
Ask Your Interviewer Questions
Interviewing for a civil engineering job not only involves you being asked questions, but it is also an opportunity to ask the hiring manager questions so you have a better understanding if the organization is the right fit for you. Additionally, asking questions to your interviewer can show that you have researched the position and are overall interested in the role.
Civil engineers can work in a variety of industries and on a variety of projects. Because of this, you should be thoughtful of the questions you ask and utilize this time to get a better understanding of the job’s daily duties.
Here are some questions you could ask your interviewer:
These questions can give you a good sense of the type of work you will be completing and what setting they will need to be completed in.
Expect Multiple Interviews
Civil engineers can design a wide array of products like bridges, buildings, water systems and other important infrastructure that many people rely on for daily use. With designing such crucial products, employers want to make sure they are hiring the perfect candidate to avoid any type of mishaps or mistakes.
Due to this need of excellent workers, do not be surprised if your hiring process contains multiple different interviews. According to Career Sidekick, the average employer will conduct between 2-3 interviews with a candidate before an official offer is made to them.
If your hiring process is more than one interview, it is likely that you will be meeting with multiple managers and employees of the organization throughout the different rounds. Meeting with different people allows the hiring manager to get a better understanding on how you interact with others and will allow for more feedback to make sure you are the best choice for the job.
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Looking for your next civil engineering job? Check out STEMHUNTER, a job board designed specifically for STEM professionals.
When putting together your resume, it is easy to get overwhelmed by making sure that all your technical skills, education and previous work experience are listed properly. Many job seekers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, which traditionally require technical hard skills, often overlook the soft skills section of their resume.
Soft skills are the personal characteristics that help you interact and effectively work with other people. Soft skills can include traits such as being an effective communicator, possessing self-confidence, being analytically minded and more.
While it is important to portray your strong education and excellent technical skills, you may not be able to effectively execute them in the workplace if you do not have a powerful range of soft skills. According to the Stanford Research Center and Harvard University, 85% of job success comes from soft skills alone, while only 15% of work success comes from technical skills.
Consider developing these game-changing soft skills below to improve your resume and help you stand out from the crowd.
Teamwork
One of the most valuable soft skills that a job seeker can have is a strong sense of teamwork. No matter what role or position you work, at some point you will be required to participate in a group setting with your coworkers. Forbes has recently reported that more than 50% of workers in the U.S. rely on collaboration to get their job done.
To develop your teamwork skills, consider embracing yourself more into group work or offer your services to lead projects and help others. Volunteer for team-based activities and push yourself out of your comfort zone to develop your collaboration skills. As a technical professional, evolving these skills will make you a more well-rounded employee and will enable long-term success as you grow in your career.
Organization
Keeping an organized mental, digital and physical space is important when working in STEM industries. Without organization, projects and work can be forgotten about, often directly impacting your work performance.
For example, you may be looking for a job in the IT field. When working in IT, you are likely going to be asked to handle different projects, work with several customers at a time, figure out different solutions and more. Having so many tasks to keep track of requires a strong sense of organization. If you are unable to complete these jobs in an organized and timely manner, this can directly affect the way that your manager views your work ethic and can hinder overall performance.
If you are looking for ways to improve your organization, consider these tips:
Adding these small tasks into your workday, can make a big difference in keeping you organized throughout your workday.
Time Management
Development Academy has recently reported that only 18% or workers have a proper time management routine which means that an astounding 82% of workers function without one. With such a high number of workers not having a proper time management routine, hiring managers are looking for job seekers that hold this very valuable and sometimes rare soft skill.
As an example, working in a lab requires a lot of time management skills. In a role such as a scientist, you may be required to oversee multiple experiments, help others with their projects, report your findings and many other tasks. Juggling all of these responsibilities can be overwhelming, but establishing effective time management skills can help you manage a large amount of tasks.
To develop your time management skills, consider making a list of all your projects, prioritize the ones are the most time sensitive and create a daily plan of how much time you are going to dedicate to each project. Additionally, consider utilizing a planner or keeping your calendar up to date. Block off time in your day to work on projects in advance to prevent your day from getting bogged down by meetings. These practices can lead to a more effective day and improve your time management skills.
Attention to Detail
Crossing items off and getting your work done is important, but making sure that your work is accurate and complete can be even more important. Having attention to detail is a crucial soft skill that many employers look for in STEM roles.
Attention to detail is especially important to those working in industries that require specific technical skills, such as the computer science field. With this type of work, you will be dealing with long lines of code and complex problems. When working on projects such as these, it is easy to make a small mistake. Without a good attention to detail, it may take time to figure out a small problem in a line of code. This can put the rest of your work on the backburner and could possibly cause significant delays for both you and your team.
Here are some effective ways to improve your ability to pay attention to details in your work:
These practices are easy to implement into your daily routine and can significantly improve your work quality when you take attention to detail very seriously.
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Consider adding your top soft skills to your resume to let potential employers know that you are a top-tier candidate for their job opening.
Looking for your next STEM career? Check out STEMHUNTER, a job board specifically designed for STEM professionals.
