#Resource

Tag: #Resource

Career Planning Guide

Career Planning Guide (all links will take you to the CLC website)
Chapter 1 – Resumes
Chapter 2 – Cover Letters
Chapter 3 – Portfolios and Personal Websites
Chapter 4 – Managing Your Image
Chapter 5 – Etiquette
Chapter 6 – Networking/Making Connections
Chapter 7 – Job and Internship Search
Chapter 8 – Other Letters
Chapter 9 – Interviews
Chapter 10 – Components of a Job Offer
Chapter 11 – Graduate School

Highlighting Skills for Your Resume

Highlighting skills in your resume to show what you’re capable of doing can be challenging. What even counts as a valuable, resume-worthy skill? Experience can come from anywhere including the classes you took at Lawrence. Here are some examples of how to showcase skills you’ve already developed thanks to your classes and incorporate them into your resume.
Western Blot: An analysis used to detect specific proteins in a sample of tissue homogenate or extract. Sample resume phrase: Performed Western Blot to detect CD19 scFv protein.
R Studio: A programming language for statistical computing and graphics. This is introduced in BIOL 170, and CMSC 205 goes into greater depth about other applications of R. Sample resume phrase: Performed and analyzed statistical tests using R.
UV-VIS: A measurement of the weakening of strength of a beam of light after it passes through a sample or after reflection from a sample surface. Sample resume phrase: Determined Mg content in water samples using UV-VIS.
Arduino: A microcontroller board equipped with sets of digital and analog input/output pins that can be connected to other circuits and programmed to do certain things. You can learn how to use it in PHYS 220, an electronics lab class. Sample resume phrase: Coded Arduino Uno to stabilize a plastic boat for group project; presented results of project to class.
Python: A programming language also used to visualize data. Classes like PHYS 220 and PHYS 225 provide a basic overview on how use Python to create graphs and analyze data. Sample resume phrase: Used Python to graph data collected for experiments.

Julia Ammons ’22 is a Biology major and Anthropology minor with interests in the natural sciences and museum studies.

Raisa Fatima ’23 is a Physics major with interests in research related to Physics and/or engineering.

Tips for Gaining Experience in a Pandemic

1. Finding Summer Research:

  • Ask faculty members if they have funding for research and are planning to continue their research over the summer. Since Lawrence’s campus is relatively safe and the research is usually highly individualized, it is a good way to improve research skills. It might not be possible, but it doesn’t hurt to ask and apply.
  • If on-campus research is not possible, ask if it is possible for faculty to connect you with someone they know and be sure to follow-up with them.
  • Search for off-campus research. Handshake and pathwaystoscience.org are good places to start. The National Science Foundation funds research known as Research Experiences for Undergraduates or REUs. Additional organizations include Oak Ridge Institute for Science Education and Los Alamos National and Laboratory.
  • The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has its internship listings here if you’re interested in working in these fields.
  • If you’re interested in pursuing research related to ecology, Harvard has a summer research program. Find details about the program and its application process here.

2. Searching for Remote Projects:

Try finding a mentor who is willing and able to help you with a remote project. This involves doing the research project away from the research site or office. Most work these days requires more and more computational skills and given the prevalence of the pandemic, remote work is a good way to improve these skills if in-person research is not possible. A good way to look for mentors includes asking faculty, as well as reaching out to alumni on Viking Connect.

3. Improving Computational Skills:

  • If none of the above options are possible, improve your computational skills on your own. Try practicing with different data analysis software other than Excel through self-study or online classes.
  • A good way to learn coding is to do projects that connect to your hobbies. For example, if you enjoy music, a potential project idea could be coding an Arduino to sing a specific song .
  • Lawrence may fund the purchases of some licenses if you ask. Check to see if this is possible.

Raisa Fatima ’23 is a Physics major with interests in research and engineering. She works as a Career Peer Educator for the PHN career community so if you’re interested in anything PHN related, or you just need some general advice on anything professional development related like resumes, cover letter etc. you can schedule an appointment here.