“But I have no skills!” identifying your skills to meet employer needs

Postdoctoral scholars develop a myriad of skills throughout their work by the very nature of scientific training. Some of these skills include research techniques, experimental design, and data analysis in addition to other, less technical skills. Yet many postdocs struggle first to recognize those skills, and then to articulate them effectively to potential employers. To identify their skills, it is critical for postdocs to start by engaging in self-reflection. Once skills are identified, postdocs need to understand what employers are seeking in job candidates and translate their skills into language that resonates with employers. This article will take a hands-on approach to both tasks: assisting postdocs with conducting a self-assessment to identify their skills and helping them to deconstruct sample job descriptions to become more familiar with the language of industry. Through this process, postdocs will learn how to translate their work in ways that are meaningful to employers, and that address needs that they face. The combination of self-reflection, identifying transferable skills, and then translating these skills to demonstrate value to potential employers, should lead to increased confidence as well as success in navigating the current job market.