employment outlook O PPO RT U NI T I ES FOR 20 13 A ND BEYOND
UPHILL BATTLE To compete in a STILL-GRIM JOB MARKET, recent B.A. and B.S. grads are building the skills and experience companies want most SUSAN J. AINSWORTH, C&EN DALLAS
in the chemical sciences, but many who have recently earned a bachelor’s degree may be in for a particularly tough fight. This is the situation that Scott—who asked that his last name not be used—found himself in after graduating with a B.A. in chemistry from a liberal arts school in upstate New York in May 2011. Within six months of searching, he landed a process development chemist position at a small Columbus, Ohio, company only to lose it less than a year later. Then, disenchanted after spending months unsuccessfully searching for another chemistry position, he decided to take his career in an entirely different direction. His skills in Web design recently netted him a position in search engine optimization, and he plans to attend programming school beginning in April. Like Scott, many other fledgling B.A. and B.S. chemical professionals have been struggling to find jobs in their chosen discipline. In the most recent American Chemical Society survey of new graduates in chemistry and related fields, in 2011, 14% of recent bachelor’s degree recipients reported that they didn’t have a job but were seeking one, up from 12% in 2010 (C&EN, June 4, 2012, page 36). In contrast, 9% of new Ph.D. grads said they were seeking employment in 2011, up from 6% in 2010. Results of the 2012 new-graduates survey won’t be available until April of this year. In the meantime, a sampling of career services coordinators at universities across the U.S. reports that the employment landscape for new B.S. and B.A. chemists, biochemists, and chemical engineers hasn’t changed much from last year. For B.S. graduates in the chemical sciFOCUSED After earning a B.S. in ences, the job market “appears to be even a biochemistry at little more challenging this year,” observes the University of O. Ray Angle, director of University Career Oklahoma, Malone Services at the University of North Carolina, landed a job at Caisson Biotech. Chapel Hill. Among its 2012 B.S. grads in chemistry and biochemistry, 33% found jobs, 50% went on to grad school, and 17% are still seeking jobs and remain unemployed, Angle notes. In comparison, 43% of its 2011 grads found jobs, 47% went on to grad school, and only 10% were seeking jobs. At the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), the employment situation for B.S. grads in the chemical sciences “is only slightly better than last year,” says Patricia Simpson, director of academic advising and career counseling and placement for UIUC’s School of Chemical Sciences. WWW.CEN-ONLIN E .ORG
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REGI NA GAUDARD
THE INHOSPITABLE employment climate has not spared anyone
CHEM STA F F
EMP LOYMENT OUTLOOK
“Although many of our candidates are still struggling, our strongest students are getting multiple offers—and probably more offers than they did last year,” Simpson says. Another positive sign: The number of companies recruiting on campus continues to rise each year, after the big drop in recruiting that occurred in 2008, she adds. RECRUITING HAS ALSO been picking
up momentum at Texas A&M University (A&M). “We are really seeing an overall improvement in the job market for those with undergraduate degrees in chemistry, and even more so for those with B.S. degrees in chemical engineering,” says Paula B. Moses, director of employment services at A&M’s Career Center. She attributes the uptick in employment prospects mainly to the strength of the oil and gas industry in Texas. Energy, she adds, is one of the hottest sectors for jobs for chemical professionals. During 2012, two-thirds of companies recruiting chemistry majors at A&M’s oncampus science career fair were seeking those with bachelor’s degrees, while onethird of companies were looking to hire Ph.D.s, according to Marilyn S. Yeager, se-
nior life sciences career coordinator at the university’s Career Center. “It’s clear that there are at least some new opportunities for bachelor’s degree grads in the chemical sciences currently.” However, even as an incremental number of jobs open for new B.S. grads, competition for those opportunities remains fierce. To stand out in a sea of applicants, candidates need to cultivate skills and experience to make their résumés sparkle. “A top criterion that recruiters value in candidates is relevant experience gained through internships or co-ops,” Yeager says. “In addition, they want candidates who have a combination of strong academic preparation at a major institution and effective writing and interpersonal communication skills, which allow them to work well with others on teams,” she adds. “We see more employers utilizing personality assessments in the recruiting process” to be sure that candidates fit within the company culture, Yeager says. Recruiters also covet students who have exhibited “thought leadership,” which involves more than just serving as president of an on-campus organization, Simpson
ACS ME MB ER SU P P ORT
Help For The Unemployed Many chemists are still struggling to find jobs. The American Chemical Society offers career assistance and special discounts to its unemployed members. National dues: Waiveda National meeting registration: Free Regional meeting registration: Reduced fees ACS Leadership Development System: Reduced rateb ACS Short Courses: 50% discount ACS Member Insurance Program: Life insurance premiums deferred Online discussion forums on LinkedIn and the ACS Network, where members can share experiences and job search resources; ACS career consultants are available to ofer advice ACS Careers is starting an online job club for unemployed members; the group meets via Web conferencing
on Tuesdays, 2–3 PM ET, to exchange job-hunting tips and support; sign up online through the ACS Careers site A list of local and national job-hunting resources includes job boards, job clubs, employer information, and other resources For a full listing of benefits for unemployed members, visit www.acs.org/ unemployed. Free career assistance tools for all ACS members: ◾ Virtual Career Fair ◾ ACS Webinars ◾ ACS Careers blog ◾ Personal career consulting ◾ Access to the ACS Network (www.acs.org/acsnetwork) ◾ For more information (www.acs.org/careers)
a Apply for a waiver by contacting ACS with your name and member number via e-mail at
[email protected] or by calling (800) 333-9511 or (614) 447-3776. Dues may be waived for up to two years for unemployed members in good standing. b Enroll in one online course for $25, get three online courses free.
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says. Instead, such students “have taken ownership of a project or come up with a new solution to a problem,” she explains. For Erica Schepp, having related research and work experience may have been the key to landing her job as a product development engineer at Ineos’ Battleground Manufacturing Complex near La Porte, Texas, last June. Schepp, who earned a B.S. in chemistry at A&M in May 2012, had met an Ineos recruiter at an on-campus chemistry career fair mixer early in her senior year. Although the recruiter had said that the company was hiring only Ph.D. chemists at the time, Schepp presented her résumé and, only a few months later, was offered her current position. As highlighted on her résumé, Schepp had conducted research with a polymer group at A&M and held a summer internship doing research and compositional analysis for production of dermal care products at Rhodia’s plant in Charleston, S.C. With that hands-on experience, Schepp has been able to hit the ground running in her current job. Handling her own highdensity polyethylene blow-molding project, she is able to “directly contribute to the company’s success,” she says. Work experience was also a critical element in Josh Malone’s strategy for landing a job just before graduating with a B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Oklahoma last month. He is now a laboratory technician for Oklahoma City-based Caisson Biotech, which has developed a heparosan-polymer-based drug delivery system, HEPtune, designed to improve the performance of many drug compounds. Malone had gained experience in the biotech field during his most recent sum-
EMPOWERED In his role at ChemStaff, Lake studies the pressurized water reactor system within a client’s nuclear power plant.
mer job—which involved supporting packaging and qualityassurance functions during production for a Phase II drug to treat ulcerative colitis—at Oklahoma City-based Altheus Therapeutics. In addition, that job helped him forge a key contact in his search for a permanent position after graduation; it was the vice president of Altheus who recommended him for the job at Caisson. Working under the guidance of a Ph.D., Malone is involved in research and development, optimization, and production of heparosan, a naturally occurring sugar polymer that Caisson is commercializing for use in a drug delivery system.
student organizations. She is also currently working as a lead engineering learning assistant, teaching an entry-level course and coordinating other student teachers. In that role, she has successfully overhauled the course to include an interactive project in which students build a miniature chemical plant and give a poster presentation. Khan attended career fairs and corporate socials during her job search, ultimately finding the job with ExxonMobil by networking with former UIUC students who had become employees at the company, she says. Ian Lake also improved his employment prospects by seeking ways to differentiate himself from other job seekers. While in school, Lake augmented his chemistry studies by earning a minor in business. He also spent a semester in Rome. “These experiTHROUGHOUT HER COLLEGE career, ences helped me to relate to and connect Alia Khan has been looking for ways to with a diverse group of people and learn to bolster her résumé in anticipation of her adjust to different situations—something job search. That effort has paid off. She that really helped me to stand out as a canrecently landed a position as a reservoir didate in my job search.” engineer at ExxonMobil Development, A month after graduating in May 2012 which she will start shortly after graduwith a B.S. in chemistry from UIUC, he ating from UIUC in May with a B.S. in landed a job as a consultant at ChemStaff, a chemical engineering. small engineering consulting company that Khan gained research experience durserves nuclear power companies across the ing summers, joining UIUC’s Engineers U.S. In his job, Lake has been installing new Without Borders project, designing and laboratory software at several nuclear sites testing sand filtration systems for water across the Midwest and conducting assesspurification. She also gained industrial ments at plants for the company’s enviexperience through summer internships ronmental projects. “I have been surprised doing analytical R&D by the amount of work at Celanese and responsibility I have UNDERGRAD BLUES In process design work been given this early chemistry and chemical engineering, at Dow Corning. in my career,” he new B.S. and B.A. grads face higher To further ensays. unemployment rates than new hance her marketFor new grads like Ph.D.s or ACS members. ability, Khan worked Lake, international her way up to bework or study expecome the current riences can provide Unemployment rate, % 16 president of UIUC’s an edge in finding a ◼ New B.A. or B.S. grads 14 ◼ New Ph.D. grads student chapter of job in the increasing12 ◼ ACS members the American Inly global chemical 10 stitute of Chemical or pharmaceutical 8 Engineers. In addiindustries. That has tion, she has held been true for Lydia 6 leadership positions Yeung, who gradu4 in UIUC’s chapter ated with a B.A. in 2 of Omega Chi Epchemistry from the 0 2005 06 07 08 09 10 11 12a silon, the chemical College of Wooster engineering honor in Ohio in May 2011. NOTE: Data are for unemployed people who society, and the uniAfter a brief but frusare seeking employment. a Data are not available for new B.S. or B.A. graduates and versity’s Engineering trating postgraduanew Ph.D. graduates. SOURCES: ACS Starting Council, which mantion job search, she Salary Survey, ACS Comprehensive Salary & Employment Status Survey ages all other ondecided to spend a campus engineering year teaching EngWWW.CEN-ONLIN E .ORG
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lish in China. The experience, she reasoned, would allow her to travel and learn Chinese—something she had always wanted to do. As Yeung’s teaching stint ended, the Hawaii native decided to relocate to San Francisco and enlist the help of staffing firm Aerotek in her job search. Much to her surprise, within just a few weeks she was placed in a contract-to-hire chemist position at Biosearch Technologies, a Novato, Calif., biotech firm. As part of the chemical production team, she GEOGRAPHICALLY synthesizes base materials and DESIRABLE products used for genetic research Yeung relocated and related applications. to San Francisco Yeung says her stint in China to increase her chances of finding was attractive to her recruiter. a job. In addition, he was impressed with the research experience she gained through Wooster’s independent study thesis program. According continue their education instead, he says. to the recruiter, these experiences demGretchen E. Hofmeister, an associate onstrated Yeung’s willingness to take on professor of chemistry at Carleton College new challenges and seek opportunities to in Northfield, Minn., reports that some of develop new skills, she says. the school’s recent B.A. chemistry graduAt the same time, Yeung feels that her deates are making that choice. cision to relocate to San Francisco—where After graduating from Carleton with a she knew there were “more cool start-ups” B.A. in June 2011, S. Grant Bowen found and more science jobs—significantly that the chemical industry jobs for which helped her chances of finding a position. he was qualified—mostly research assisKatrina Thistle makes the same point tant positions—didn’t particularly appeal from the opposite coast of the U.S. After to him. He returned to his hometown of earning a B.S. in biochemistry from SimBoston to work briefly in sales at a brewmons College in 2012, she decided to stay ery, and later at an operations consulting in the Boston area, where jobs in her field company, but then decided to redirect his are relatively plentiful. After interviewing career path. He enrolled at Suffolk Univerfor a number of jobs over the summer, she sity Law School last fall. When he finishes landed a position as a research techniin 2015, he says, “the job search will start all cian at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In over again.” this role, which involves mostly wet-lab Likewise, Atalie Hayes—who earned a techniques, she is researching therapeutic B.S. in chemistry from Westminster Colmodalities for brain cancer. lege in New Wilmington, Pa., in 2011—is also taking her career in a new direction. EVEN WHILE many freshly minted After spending eight months “applying for bachelor-level chemical professionals are countless openings in a variety of indusfinding stimulating jobs, many of their tries,” she faced the same outcome: “No repeers—grads of big universities as well as sponse or a polite rejection,” she says. Lack small colleges—are still trying to launch of experience was her biggest flaw, she says. their careers. Frustrated, she eventually decided to “Outside of going to work for temp placepursue an advanced degree. She enrolled ment agencies, it has been hard for students in Duquesne University’s M.B.A. program, to find jobs,” observes Paul L. Edmiston, building specific expertise in sustainability a professor of chemistry at the College of and gaining relevant experience with three Wooster. Although some recent graduates companies in the Pittsburgh area. When such as Yeung have landed interesting posishe graduates in July 2013, she hopes that tions, several others have given up on their her new slate of skills and experience will search for challenging work and opted to finally open doors into a new career. ◾ COU RT ESY O F LY DIA Y EU N G
biological
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