I'm a Visiting Scholar at Berkeley and many of you may know me from the workshops on finding non-academic jobs and handling lab conflicts that I presented at Berkeley this past year. You may also be aware of my website, www.dougsguides.com, of free resources to help students at all levels find and thrive in their first jobs. I've been working with Sam Castaneda, Director of the Visiting Scholars and Postdocs Assn, and with people in the BPEP and PIEP programs to develop tools to help students at all levels find their first jobs. Here are some of the results:
Self-Assessments
People look for different things in a job: one person might want to change the world, while another just wants a paycheck. What type are you? I've put together a simple questionnaire to help you figure out your work personality and match it to different kinds of work environments. Check out Who Should I Work For? It will help you to determine whether you'll be more comfortable in an academic, entrepreneurial, consulting, or other type of work culture.
Studies have shown that the workplace culture and type of people you work with is a bigger contribution to your workplace happiness than salary. Take a few minutes to get your own assessment of the kind of place that appeals to you.
Are You Ready to Look for a Job?