Finding a job these days can be tough. With an economic recession forcing many companies to institute hiring freezes and others to resort to layoffs, chemists in the job market are competing for a smaller than usual pool of available positions. That's why the more information they have, the better. In addition to numerous American Chemical Society resources--including career and education services--job hunters can turn to classified ads, the Internet, periodicals, newspapers, and books to give them an edge. Here is a brief sampling of some of the tools that might be helpful.

ACS CAREER SERVICES. ACS's Career Services Department is home to some of the most useful career- and job-related information available to chemists. For more information about any of its services, the office can be contacted at ACS Career Services, 1155--16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036; phone (800) 227-5558; e-mail: career@acs.org; website: http://www.chemistry.org/careers.

ON THE HUNT Job seekers search online at the National Employment Clearing House at the ACS meeting in Boston. PHOTO BY SUSAN MORRISSEY

One of Career Services' best programs for job seekers is the National Employment Clearing House (NECH), now in its 65th year. The program puts job-seeking members in contact with employers and sets up interviews prior to ACS national meetings. Recently, NECH moved to a completely online system that allows employers and job seekers to communicate back and forth months before the national meeting, and users can set up private e-mail boxes for easy communication. Prior to the national meeting in Boston in August, for example, some 30,000 messages were exchanged between ACS members and potential employers. Unemployed ACS members who register with NECH are eligible for a waiver of the national meeting registration fee.

Those unable to attend national meetings can take advantage of the Regional Employment Clearing House (RECH) program that aims to bring employers and chemists together at several ACS regional meetings. The RECH program has both a print and an online component.

Career Services also hosts a number of career-related events and symposia at regional meetings and local universities on topics such as preparing a résumé, learning interviewing techniques, making career transitions, managing a job search, and interviewing effectively. A full calendar is featured on the Career Services website. There is also a full program of workshops and symposia at national meetings. One of the most popular services is an interview critique: Participants are videotaped during a short interview, and their performance is thoroughly reviewed by an ACS career consultant.

Then there's the Career Consulting program, in which more than 70 volunteers provide ACS members with information on a full range of employment topics, including career transitioning, job searching, interviewing, preparing résumés, and going back to school.

Career Services has a large library of career-related books and publications, which it transports to national meetings. It also maintains a number of online pamphlets. The "Department of Career Services Catalog" provides a good overview of Career Services' offerings, and "Resources for Career Management" is a useful list of job-hunting books and resources. Other publications on the Web include professional employment and academic employment guidelines, "The Chemists' Code of Conduct," "The Interview Handbook," "Tips on Résumé Preparation," "Targeting the Job Market," "Coping with Job Loss," "Employment Guide for Foreign-Born Chemists in the U.S.," professional and workforce news, analysis of current trends, and other career information.

In addition, ACS produces a series of videos covering career transitions, job hunting, interviewing, résumé preparation, and career management; they cost between $10 and $20. Two books also could be of interest: "Careers for Chemists" and "Career Transitions for Chemists" profile different careers and assist in personal assessment, networking, and creating the right résumé. They cost $15 individually or $25 together.

Career Services also maintains an extensive database of employment, salary, and workforce information on its website. This includes salary and employment data of ACS members from annual member surveys (C&EN, Aug. 5, page 37); starting salary information, particularly of new B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. chemistry and chemical engineering graduates (C&EN, March 18, page 51); and mature and early-chemist surveys. Career Services also provides a salary comparator than can help analyze salaries based on experience and location.

STUDENT RESOURCES. ACS features a number of programs geared especially toward undergraduate students. Any undergraduate can gain access to these resources by applying for student affiliate membership; an online application can be found at https://center.acs.org/applications/acsmembership/join.cfm. Annual fees range from $17 to $32. Student affiliates receive an exclusive student magazine, in Chemistry; are eligible for discounts on society journals; and have full access to other society resources, including career-oriented features such as Career Services and C&EN Classifieds Online.

Many universities also feature student affiliate chapters, which provide additional opportunities and resources to undergraduates. All SA chapters are eligible to use the ACS Speaker Tour Service, which can bring interesting talks to campus. These talks include perspectives on careers in chemistry and interviewing tips. In addition, SA chapters offer opportunities for preprofessional development and teaching experience through community outreach programs aimed at educating the public and younger students. They can also apply for ACS grants to subsidize their programs.

Students at schools without an SA chapter, or with one that has become inactive, can take the initiative and start up one of their own. Chapters must develop their own bylaws and submit an annual report of their activities at least once every three years, or they become inactive and must be reactivated through a similar process.

One of the most important ACS programs for students is Experiential Programs in Chemistry (EPiC), a compilation of internships, co-ops, fellowships, study- and work-abroad programs, and summer opportunities that students can apply for. The programs can help students see if a particular career option is a good fit, and the experience often helps in securing a job. The listings are primarily aimed at undergraduates, but some programs of interest to graduate students are also included. The most current version of the list is located on the Internet and is continually updated with new opportunities and information; it can be found at http://center.acs.org/applications/epic/epicmain.cfm.

The ACS Education Division also has programs of interest to undergraduate and graduate students. Students who want to enter chemistry-related careers should sample the "Careers in Chemistry" series and accompanying materials, which include the following:

• "An Inside Look: Chemists at Work," a one-hour video that profiles 16 different career options in academia, government, and industry.
• "A World Outside the Lab," a book of 80 profiles on careers outside the lab, along with a CD-ROM containing career profiles, career information, and self-assessment tools.
• "Chemical Careers in Brief," a pamphlet series of brief interviews of scientists in different fields.
• "I Know You're a Chemist, but What Do You Do?" pamphlets in which chemists describe their work and what to expect during a job hunt.
• "Futures through Chemistry: Charting a Course," a comprehensive guidebook to career options for B.S. chemists, with advice and resources for entering the workforce, going to graduate school, and finding a suitable career.

Contact the Education Division for information about how to obtain these products.

Students going to graduate school will be interested in the "ACS Directory of Graduate Research," a list of master's- and Ph.D.-granting institutions in the U.S. and Canada, complete with a listing of faculty, their research interests, and their recent publications. The Education Division also maintains a registry of chemistry-related master's degree programs; publishes "Planning for Graduate Work in Chemistry," a primer for those considering going to graduate school; and hosts a Graduate School Fair at each spring ACS national meeting.

The ACS Education Division can be contacted at 1155--16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036; phone (800) 227-5558; e-mail: education@acs.org; website: http://www.chemistry.org/education.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. ACS also offers a number of continuing education options for chemists interested in learning new skills, making career transitions, or increasing their desirability in the job market. These are available in a variety of forms.

Short courses--one- to five-day in-person seminars--can help chemists keep on top of a competitive job market. ACS hosts short courses at numerous locations around the country on a range of topics, including courses devoted to specific types of equipment, particular fields of chemistry, and issues of interest to chemical scientists and management. A number of these courses are held every year in conjunction with regional and national meetings.

In addition, ACS features Internet courses that allow chemists to study on their own schedule; these courses cover topics such as safety, statistics, computing, using lab equipment, and more. The society also provides webcasts of select short courses and has an on-site in-house training program that can provide employers with the information they need to hold their own courses.

More information about short courses, a full calendar, and registration and payment options are available through the Education Division's website.

ONLINE RESOURCES. In recent years, more and more job seekers have turned to the Internet as their primary source of employment information. The Web has made it quick and easy to find and browse job listings, apply for openings, get career advice, network with other job hunters, and research employers.

General job websites, such as Monster (http://www.monster.com) and Hotjobs (http://www.hotjobs.com) are good places to start an online search. They post thousands of job openings in all areas and fields across the country, as well as provide career information, discussion forums, salary calculators, and other useful information. Job seekers can post their résumés online and apply for interesting positions with just a few clicks. Other general job websites that might be of use include America's Job Bank (http://www.ajb.dni.us), a government-sponsored job bank, and the Riley Guide (http://www.rileyguide.com), a comprehensive job search guide that links to a number of additional resources.

But though it may be tempting, relying entirely on the Internet for job searching is a recipe for frustration. According to Karen L. Dyson of ACS Career Services, networking and use of other career guidance resources are just as important as electronic job searching. At any one time, up to 60% of the relevant jobs are in a "hidden job market," unlisted online or in print, she says.

A sampling of Internet resources of interest to chemistry job seekers follows.

Chemistryjobs.com, http://www.chemistryjobs.com or http://www.chejobs.com--One of few job sites that focus on chemistry specifically, this site features a simply designed database of chemistry-related openings. Users can register for e-mail updates and featured jobs, chat with fellow job seekers in the "chemistrychat" forum, and find links to other niche job sites.

Chemsoc, http://www.chemsoc.org/careers/careers.htm--Hosted by the Royal Society of Chemistry, Chemsoc features listings of chemistry-related positions in Europe and the U.K. It also features employment news, career profiles, and an extensive list of other online resources.

COMING SOON A One-Stop Job Site For Chemists ACS will soon be combining two of its most popular Web-based resources for job-hunting chemists into a "supersite." The online component of C&EN Classifieds will be merging with JobSpectrum.org to form C&EN Chemjobs, a single site that will meet all the needs of chemists looking to start or switch careers. JobSpectrum.org is a chemistry-specific job website run by ACS that allows visitors to search job listings, post their résumé online, receive e-mail alerts about new jobs, and submit applications online. More than 9,000 job seekers and 1,400 employers are currently registered. C&EN Classifieds is a leading provider of quality job postings for a wide variety of chemistry and chemistry-related positions. More than 300,000 chemists worldwide read C&EN every week, and online ads are downloaded almost 8,000 times a day. ACS members can also post free or low-cost situation-wanted ads. The new site, which is slated to debut on Feb. 10, 2003, at http://www.cen-chemjobs.org, will keep the most valued content and functionality of the old sites. Merging the two sites will make it easier for job seekers to find positions of interest and employers to find candidates who meet their criteria. In addition to reposting classified ads that have run in the print version of the magazine, C&EN Chemjobs will feature online-only ads and give users access to much more powerful search and career management tools than were previously available. The new site will feature additional employment information and content and links to C&EN and ACS Department of Career Services employment features. It also plans to expand and incorporate new features after it debuts.

JobSpectrum.org, http://www.jobspectrum.org--Produced by ACS to meet the needs of both chemists and chemical employers, JobSpectrum allows visitors to search a large job database; create personal accounts to store résumés and cover letters; receive e-mail notifications about which jobs meet their criteria; and access a number of employment resources, including tips on the job-hunting process as well as salary and survey data. JobSpectrum is being merged with C&EN Classifieds & Careers Online to create a new online job site (see box ).

Medzilla.com, http://www.medzilla.com--Focusing on positions in biotechnology, health care, pharmaceuticals, medicine, and the life sciences, Medzilla contains a job database, résumé posting services, company overviews, salary survey information, and discussion forums.

MonsterTrak, http://www.monstertrak.com--A service of the job megasite Monster, MonsterTrak partners with more than 1,000 universities and colleges to provide targeted job and internship opportunities for college students and recent graduates. It also contains advice and articles geared primarily toward students. Access to MonsterTrak is limited to students and alumni of participating schools; job hunters can contact the career resource center of their alma maters for help in logging on.

Naturejobs, http://www.nature.com/naturejobs--The journal Nature runs its own job website for scientists in all fields. In addition to an international job database and résumé storage space, it boasts a large amount of editorial content. Scientific disciplines, institutions, employers, and important scientific discoveries are all evaluated from a job hunter's perspective; special features, general employment advice, and a calendar of events are also included. Scientific American is a cosponsor.

NewScientistJobs.com, http://www.newscientistjobs.com--New Scientist also runs its own job database, with an internationally diverse set of job listings. Users can submit résumés and cover letters online, browse recruitment news for information and ideas, or read profiles of scientists working in different areas.

Science Careers, http://recruit.sciencemag.org--Science Careers is a comprehensive science job website published by Science magazine and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It features free access to a job database, résumé and curriculum vitae posting, career advice and articles, and e-mail job notification services. Visitors also have access to AAAS salary and survey information and a salary calculator.

Science's Next Wave, http://nextwave.sciencemag.org--Science also provides career and professional development resources through Next Wave, a weekly online publication that covers scientific training, career development, and the science job market. It features articles, columns, and perspectives on topics such as career transitions, science policy, and faculty issues, as well as hosts discussion forums and publishes an e-mail newsletter. Access to Next Wave is not free, but many universities, government agencies, and associations provide institutional access to their members. ACS members gain access through http://www.chemistry.org.

Sciencejobs.com, http://www.sciencejobs.com--Produced by the publishers of ChemWeb.com, BioMedNet, Cell, and New Scientist, this website allows visitors to tailor searches for either chemistry or bioscience jobs by area of concentration and location; job postings consist of both postdoctoral and full-time positions. The website features a job e-mail alert service, links to job-hunting and employment features, and online applications for positions.

SciJobs.com, http://www.scijobs.com--Free to both employers and job hunters, SciJobs.com compiles a weekly database listing openings posted on company websites for a wide variety of positions of interest to scientists. Visitors can search for openings, browse an employer database, submit résumés, or sign up for e-mail notices.

Usenet--This collection of hierarchically organized bulletin boards known as newsgroups is a great way to find out about job openings, talk with other job hunters, and interact with prospective employers. Chemists will first want to head to the group misc.jobs.fields.chemistry for specific information; the group mostly contains postings for chemistry-related positions and internships. Other newsgroups that might be of interest include misc.jobs.offered, misc.jobs.offered.entry, and bionet.jobs.offered.

Finally, corporate websites can also be a valuable source of employment and company information. Most chemical companies have a substantial Web presence, and many of these use their company websites to advertise vacancies at the firm. More than four-fifths of C&EN's Top 75 U.S. chemical producers (C&EN, May 13, page 21) provide career information on their websites, and about half post job listings. Many firms also provide extensive employment and benefit information.

CLASSIFIED ADS. Though online job websites are easy to use and access, classifieds ads in magazines and newspapers still provide some of the best leads during a job hunt, since they target applicants with particular skills or those residing in specific locations. In addition to being printed in periodicals and newspapers, a number of classified ads are posted online.

C&EN Classifieds--Published each week in the print edition of C&EN, these classifieds have long been considered a premier source for chemistry-related job postings and applicants. ACS members can also access the two most recent weeks' worth of classified ads through C&EN's website at http://pubs.acs.org/cen/classifieds. After that, the classifieds are available for free to the public for an additional two weeks through JobSpectrum.org (see box above).

Careerbuilder.com, http://www.careerbuilder.com--Careerbuilder.com, a partnership between media conglomerates Gannett Co. Inc., Tribune Co., and Knight Ridder, has an extensive database of job listings compiled from more than 130 local newspapers from across the country as well as from USA Today.

NewsLink, http://newslink.org--NewsLink provides links to the online versions of hundreds of magazines and newspapers, both in the U.S. and overseas. Job seekers can search the classified or employment sections of these websites for both local and national job positions.

BOOKS. The Internet and classified ads are simple and powerful job search tools, yet books are still a useful source of information about careers and employment. The following is a sampling of books that provide information on topics such as preparing a résumé, interviewing effectively, and searching for a job, as well as more specific advice for chemists, such as finding a job in academia, switching careers, or looking at nontraditional careers. Most of these titles can be found in bookstores or ordered through online booksellers such as Amazon (http://www.amazon.com) or Barnes & Noble (http://www.bn.com).

• "The Academic Job Search Handbook (3rd Edition)," by Mary Morris Heiberger and Julia Miller Vick (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001, $15.95), is a step-by-step guide through the academic job search process and provides information on attending conferences, using the Internet, handling telephone interviews, and cultivating contacts. Sample cover letters and abstracts are included.
• "Alternative Careers in Science," edited by Cynthia Robbins-Roth (Academic Press, 1998, $31.95), provides 23 case studies of alternative scientific careers--including, among others, entrepreneurial business, consulting, technical writing, public policy analysis, publishing, science journalism, patent agency, and research funding administration--and discussions by scientists who made the switch.
• "Career Renewal: Tools for Scientists and Technical Professionals," by Stephen Rosen and Celia Paul (Academic Press, 1997, $24.95), targets academics suffering from career burnout or considering a career change. It provides advice on assessing careers and features profiles of career-switching scientists and engineers. C&EN reviewed this book (April 6, 1998, page 72).
• "Careers in Science and Engineering: A Student Planning Guide to Grad School and Beyond" (National Academy Press, 1996, $11.95) provides guidance on obtaining the education and skills necessary for specific careers, particularly careers in nonacademic settings. Profiles of science engineering professionals in a variety of career paths are also included.
• "Guide to Non-Traditional Careers in Science: A Resource Guide for Pursuing a Non-Traditional Path," a book by Karen Young Kreeger (Hemisphere Publishers, 1998, $36.95), describes the benefits and drawbacks of nonacademic positions available to scientists, including law, public policy, and business. It offers practical advice on entering an alternative field, as well as 100 personal stories from scientists in those fields. For each field, a listing of pertinent trade organizations, what they offer, and how to contact them is included.
• "How to Succeed in Academics," by Linda L. and Edward R. B. McCabe (Academic Press, 2000, $29.95), details the entire academic life cycle, from entering graduate school to succeeding as a professor. Advice is offered on choosing the right mentor, applying for and securing the right job, writing grant applications, attending scientific meetings and making presentations, and writing scientific papers and review articles.
• "Jobs in the Drug Industry: A Career Guide for Chemists," by Richard J. Friary (Academic Press Ltd., 2000, $39.95), is a comprehensive guide for scientists looking to enter the pharmaceutical world. It is geared toward chemists searching for an entry-level position and contains advice about what responsibilities jobs are likely to require, how to evaluate salaries and benefits, and what to expect in interviews. A list of contact information for more than 500 pharmaceutical companies is included, along with information about drug company websites, internship opportunities, and job banks.
• "Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2002–03 Edition," is the latest version of a biannual compilation of the U.S. Department of Labor (Jist Works, 2002, $16.95). The most complete and current compilation of statistics on jobs and job hunting, this book lists data on more than 250 occupations covering about 90% of the jobs in the U.S. It provides information on duties, working conditions, advancement, employment outlook, and salaries. The book is available free on the Web at http://www.bls.gov/oco.
• "Tomorrow's Professor: Preparing for Academic Careers in Science and Engineering," by Richard M. Reis (Wiley-IEEE Press, 1997, $49.95), describes in detail how to find and secure a job in academia and what to expect in academic positions. Stories and vignettes illustrate how to apply, secure, and succeed in tenure-track positions.
• "What Color Is Your Parachute? 2003," by Richard Nelson Bolles (Ten Speed Press, 2002, $27.95), is the latest edition of a seminal job-hunting book of almost 30 years. It has been extensively revised to work with the book's website, http://www.jobhuntersbible.com. The book provides detailed advice on how to assess one's own strengths and weaknesses, find a suitable career, search for the right job, and negotiate salary. The book also rates the effectiveness of different job search methods and outlines possible interview questions and how to answer them. The website provides additional exercises and links to websites useful in the job search process.

COVER STORY

INTRODUCTION - EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK 2003

DEMAND

The year ahead is shaping up as even tougher than this one for those seeking employment in most fields of chemistry. Jobs are available, but the hunt is likely to be long and arduous.

WANTED
Scientists Needed To Help Secure The Homeland

BEYOND GRAD SCHOOL
When Jobs Are Scarce, Some Seek Postdocs

SALARIES & EMPLOYMENT

The unemployment rate for chemists climbed to 3.3% in 2002, the highest rate measured in more than 30 years' worth of ACS surveys. But for chemists already in the workforce, the salary situation remained quite strong.

WORKFORCE
Societies Look At Changing The Face Of Science & Engineering

THE INTERVIEW

Seasoned chemical industry recruiters describe what works and what does not, plus a list of tips for the interviewee.

HEALTH INSURANCE

What employees need to know about ensuring continued coverage when their employment status changes.

CAREER-PLANNING RESOURCES

A guide to sources of job and career information well suited to chemical scientists seeking industrial, academic, or government positions or looking to change careers. Some of the most comprehensive resources can be found at the American Chemical Society.

Chemical & Engineering News
Copyright © 2002 American Chemical Society