Career Advice Throughout COVID-19

As we anxiously await the termination of our existing Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, the realities of an altered workplace and altered research study expectations have plainly hit home. In recent weeks, we have actually heard of the dire forecasts of budget plan shortages – within the School of Medicine, across the UW campus, and within our community. Unfortunately, the monetary impact of our Stay at home, Stay Healthy won’t be completely understood for a variety of months, if not years. More significantly, it will be a long time before we go back to an environment even remotely resembling our pre-COVID memories, especially as it associates with our research study setting and UW in general.

Just as the full budget implications are presently unknown, the COVID-19-related impact upon future job prospects is likewise unclear. Recruitment for numerous positions, both inside and beyond academia, has actually been put on hold, at least temporarily. In truth, even what a ‘office’ constitutes (offices, shared spaces, flexible work-from-home policies, and so on), will likely be different in the coming months and years. However, while it’s not comforting at the minute, please trust that not far into the future, the draw for highly trained scientists and scientists will return. Your experience as a UW postdoctoral fellow will prepare you for these tasks. You require to make certain that when the time comes, you are ready to be successful.
We encourage you to acknowledge the unpredictability and stress associated with the current circumstance. However, if you’re able, momentarily place your negative sensations aside and think about the following actions in planning for your future.

Reflect: Take a moment to examine where you are and where you wish to go. Review and upgrade your Individualized Development Plan (IDP) – or create one if you don’t already have one (see myIDP, ImaginePhD, and OPA’s framing questions). Assess your present capability and determine how you’re going to fill any spaces as you prepare for your next career phase. Once you have actually upgraded your IDP, be sure to have a conversation with your mentor group to get support, guidance, and advice.
Prepare: Whether you expect to pursue a non-academic or scholastic career, you’ll require to prepare a resume or curriculum vitae. In addition, you might be asked for extra application products (e.g., a cover letter, writing samples, teaching & research declarations, etc). Put in the time now to produce or update these documents and ask your peers and coaches for positive feedback. Also, think about polishing your supporting products so you’re ready to merely customize them for particular job opportunities in the future.
Network: Connect to your coaches and peers to learn more about various profession alternatives. Allocate some time to update your profile, and after that get in touch with peers at different business and work sectors. Remember, all it takes is a shared experience to be virtually linked (e.g., linked to a common person, went to the same graduate organization, have a shared interest in a topic area, etc) – then it depends on you to make the first request to link. Once essentially connected, begin a discussion for more information about their career path and their existing job (e.g., an informational interview). This expanded network will be incredibly handy when you formally get in the task market.
Concentrate on your advancement: In addition to resources listed on the UW Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, a lot of our peers have made their career and expert advancement resources available to the broader postdoc community. We will be highlighting a few of these in the coming months. In the meantime, do not hesitate to check out: – UCSF – Office of Career and Professional Development: Managing your profession during COVID-19
– NIH – Office of Intramural Training and Education: Virtual NIH activities for trainees outside the NIH
– iBiology: Courses for early-career scientists

We comprehend that now is an unprecedented and hard time. But, if you do have the bandwidth (both emotionally and mentally), we motivate you to spend a long time getting ready for a potential task opportunity. Invest in your future now, and your future self will thank you!