Laughing at a boring CV

How do I know which specialisation to choose? Do I want to work in academia or in industry? And what kind of company suits me best? Those were the sorts of questions participants could bring to the KNCV career coaches during the careers evening at the Netherlands Catalysis & Chemistry Conference, NCCC, on Monday 6 March in Noordwijk. Eight career coaches spoke with a total of 30 PhD and MSc students about practical matters such as their CV, but above all about what they want to achieve and how they can shape their first steps in their career.

Coach Eelco Vogt spoke with, amongst others, an aspiring world improver. ‘I ask participants what they want. Today I spoke with a PhD candidate who wants to have a positive impact on the world. If that’s the case, you shouldn’t go to a large chemical company, because there you’ll mainly be maintaining the status quo.’ He advises young chemists to focus on what they want to achieve, rather than on what they want to earn. ‘Things will inevitably come along that you haven’t counted on.’ Coach Frans Houwen noted how self-assured the participants were this year. ‘Last time I had participants who had completed their PhD cum laude, yet were still anxious and uncertain about their own abilities. This year was different. My conversation partners were confident in their own capabilities and asked focused questions.’

Raghavendra Meena is a PhD candidate at Wageningen University and Research and had a coaching session with Erwin van der Geer. His participation came out of curiosity. ‘I heard about it after registering and had never attended such an event before.’ During dinner he spoke with KNCV staff members Frans Koeman and Jessica Vermeer, who explained to him how the event had come about and how KNCV engages in science communication. During the coaching session, Van der Geer gave him tips about his CV. Meena: ‘He thought it was a good CV, but boring to read aloud. He said that on paper I come across as a nerd, and we both had a good laugh about that.’ The conversation helped Meena gain insight into what he could improve and how he might tailor his CV to the Dutch job market. ‘I am very pleased with the conversations I had this evening. I’m glad I signed up.’