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Archive for April, 2014
Here at Royal Society of Chemistry Careers we're great advocates of using social media as part of your career management strategy. Using social media is a great way to raise your profile and let people know what you're doing, but it can be disastrous if done badly. If you've ever thought about being a science blogger, take a look at this article, which will help you to do it well.
Posted by Julie Franklin on Apr 17, 2014 12:55 PM BST
Are you a graduate with a good Honours degree in science, or about to graduate this summer? If you're considering a career in publishing, the Royal Society of Chemistry has great opportunities for Publishing Editors, open for applications all year round. You can find more details on the role and how to apply here.

This is a great way to take your first steps in publishing with an organisation that is internationally recognised for the excellence of its journals. Not only that, the Royal Society is a great place to work, so what are you waiting for?
Posted by Julie Franklin on Apr 16, 2014 9:41 AM BST
It's all a bit chicken and egg, getting experience I mean. As you move into your chosen career you are likely to come up with the words ' I'm sorry, you just missed out, the other candidate had a bit more experience' or something similar. In an ideal world you would have some experience before embarking on your new job, but how do you get experience without a job, and how do you get a job without experience? See what I mean? It's a chicken and egg scenario.

As I talk to people, particularly students, internships are becoming increasingly important and part of the 'getting experience' strategy. But how do you find them? Finding internships in the UK is fairly straightforward, a quick search on the internet brings up these options (in no particular order):

1. Employment for students (Summer)
2. Internship UK
3. Student Job
4. Internwise
5. Internships UK

But what if you want something more chemistry related? If you are looking for postions in publishing or as a science writer, look no further than the Royal Society of Chemistry. We have two summer internship postions which you can find by clicking on the links.

For lab based internships I would suggest trying jobsites such as Indeed, student specific sites such as milkround
or on specific websites/institutions/companies you are interested in such as The Wellcome Trust or GSK

A couple of words of caution - some internships can be unpaid, make sure you check what is on offer before you sign on the dotted line. Very short unpaid internships can be useful but make sure that you are fully aware of what you will need financially before you agree.
Posted by Charlotte Ashley-Roberts on Apr 14, 2014 12:51 PM BST
Applications are now open for our intern placements over the summer months. We currently have two opportunities open to applications. 
 
The first is as a Publishing Intern working in our Editorial Production department. This opportunity allows you to gain an insight into the full Publishing process from initial submission to final publication. This role in particular will focus on the publication process post acceptance, specifically applying author corrections and committing the article for publication. We have up to six placements available. For more information on the role and the application process please click here
 
The second position is as a Science Writer. You will gain experience working for two of our publications: Chemistry World and Education in Chemistry. This eight week position, supported by the Marriott Bequest Trust, will provide a hands-on introduction to the complete editorial process from writing and editing to page layout and printing. For more information on this role and the application process please click here
 
Both positions offer an opportunity to gain some invaluable experience over the summer months.
 
If you are currently studying science, eligible to work in the U.K and have an interest in scientific publishing and the Royal Society of Chemistry apply now!
Posted by Julie Franklin on Apr 11, 2014 10:00 AM BST
As a member you're entitled to free confidential careers advice but what does this mean for you? Over the next few weeks I shall give you some scenarios. Today we look at networking.

With 30% of all jobs (regardless of sector, experience or qualifications) increasing to 80% of jobs in the graduate/professional sectors being filled through networking, it's clearly an option worth looking at.

Ah, but what about the fact all jobs have to be advertised I hear you cry. Unfortunately it doesn't always work like that an even if a job is advertised there may already be someone lined up, a recommendation in place for someone else or someone may know someone who knows someone....

So, how do you go about networking? If you take the general populous then ~12% never network, 12% network naturally without even thinking about it and that leaves everyone else.

Although you can use social media, for the purpose of this post I will concentrate on face to face networking since you remember these encounters longer than you remember an online interaction. Most people think of networking as a boring evening event where you swap business cards and go home, thinking no more about it. What if there was another way?

I went to a masterclass with career strategist John Lees who suggested the following:

1. Start with people you know: friends and family
2. Don't ask for a job, ask about them: how they got there, what they do, what the company does, ask about entry routes and ask where to find out more - in other words research!
3. Follow up with a thank you and ask them for three names to find out more and get an introduction, even if it's a quick email.

John calls this networking for softies, because most of us are softies when it comes to networking.
Posted by Charlotte Ashley-Roberts on Apr 7, 2014 3:24 PM BST
We interact with people all of the time, both in person and online. It's one of my favourite things, I love talking to people and finding out more about them. Although my preferred method is to interact in person, through consultations or at an event I also like to interact online. Some folks even call it networking (!)

What are the benefits? Well, just like interactions face to face, interacting with others online can help you find out more about a person, sharing in common ground, supporting each other to reach goals or take a step in a new direction. It can help you find out information, for example, about a new career area you might be interested in or make a contact in a new area.


So how can you interact with us?
Other than getting in touch via email, phone or during an event you can also find us online and we love you to interact with us. I write this blog and am the main tweeter on our twitter account @CareersRSC . You can also interact with us via LinkedIn through the RSC group where we will be sharing information, asking questions and answering yours....All we need you to do is to comment, share, follow or get involved
Posted by Charlotte Ashley-Roberts on Apr 1, 2014 9:40 PM BST