The Best Way To Get A Job After Graduation
Dr. Teresa Evans, director of the Office of Career Development at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UT Health Science Center, was recently featured on the PhD Over Easy website.
Describe your job and what you do on a day-to-day basis.
As the director of the Office of Career Development, I work to build programs that focus on preparing our grad students and postdocs for their careers of choice. These programs include partnering with the community to build a network of bioscience professionals to aid in the guiding of our trainees.
Further, I work with our trainee organizations to engage with the community through innovative community outreach efforts. In this way, the office of career development not only exposes trainees to a multitude of careers but builds both their network and their marketable skill set.
How did you get your first job out of academia?
As a graduate student it was clear to me that there was an immense need for career development training for graduate students and post docs, like myself. In order to fill this gap I worked with the Graduate School and our newly formed Office of Postdoctoral Affairs to conceive the initial career development workshop series for our institution. These programs resulted in the building of a platform of skills and knowledge that allowed me to negotiate for my current position within the graduate school. In this way, I was able to write my own job description and initiate a program that I am now at the helm of creating.
Tell us about your academic background (describe your science at an undergraduate level)
As a graduate student I studied the association between Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and peripheral nervous system diseases such as Lou Gherig’s Disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). I did this using both molecular and behavioral techniques in a mouse model system.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone looking for a job now?
The number one way to get a job is through your network. I encourage everyone to get out of their comfort zone and to meet new people whenever they can. Also, do not think that you will find your job in a job listing. . . this is not the way that Ph.D.’s often find their jobs. You too can write your own job description.
Contact Teresa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresaevansphd
