How to market your skills to a job in a new field in a new country [Event Recap]
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In today’s competitive job market, finding work requires more than just submitting resumes. This issue was the subject of this talk “How to market your skills to a job in a new field in a new country”.
The speaker, Dr. Harish Vasudevan, a Career Consultant at UBC as well as the Vice president of Research and Commercialization at Tait Laboratories Inc., started his talk by pointing out that it is possible to explore a career in a field different from one’s educational degree. He mentioned two career options that scientists will excel in. The first option is Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA); it allows scientists to make financial decisions in their areas of expertise. The second one is Management Consultant; management consultants and scientists are similar in that they both follow the same systemic scientific thinking – developing and executing strategies to achieve success.
Dr. Vasudevan then shared tips to improve one’s networking skills. He introduced a number of organizations and workshops that provide mentorship and training, including Toastmasters International. “Networking is all about people” said Dr. Vasudevan. He elegantly summarized this concept to an equation:
You+Your Audience ⇋ Your Message
Dr. Vasudevan emphasized that the key is to encapsulate your profession in very succinct terminology, so you can convey your skills in a conversation. Also, you must know your audience; understand what their interests are, or what skills and expertise they are looking for. Dr. Vasudevan added that you need to be “in the system” to understand how the system works and who your audience are. Once you address those questions, you will improve the quality and output of networking.
Dr. Vasudevan concluded his talk with the following points:
– Networking is beneficial even for those who have a job, because we are all humans who yearn to grow.
– Nurture your entrepreneurial spirit by forming a group on LinkedIn. Keep moving forward. Be optimistic and know that “it will get better”.
A series of thought provoking questions were raised by the audience, and then Dr. Vasudevan shared his experience enthusiastically. The event brought some great insight into the opportunities that lay ahead of us for women in science. We look forward to seeing you all again in our next event!
Written by Zhila Pirmoradi
Photo credit: Blanca Rodriguez