Message to Faculty
The Stanford University School of Medicine is a hub of innovative scientific and technological research, representing the distinctive talents of the graduate students, MD students, clinicians, and postdoctoral scholars within it. BioSci Careers partners with faculty to help advance academic preparation, strengthen relationships with Biosciences trainees, and to work, together, to help trainees transfer their academic training into myriad careers of choice.
Our Philosophy: Helping Trainees Find and Follow Their Career of Choice
Our Philosophy
Great scientists from Stanford find a world of opportunities in which they can make a difference. We believe that individuals do their best—providing the most meaningful, substantial contributions to society—when their activities are aligned with their interests, skills and values, and when they are encouraged, trained, and provided outlets to pursue them. Stanford Biosciences trainees have tremendously impacted universities, industries, and communities.
As mentors, advisors, committee members and instructors, BioSci Careers counselors and coaches are here to help trainees become the best scientists they can be. In turn, we collaborate to help our trainees define and follow their passion to translate their science into their career of choice.
Helping Trainees
You do not have to delve deeply into your trainees’s professional needs and interests. However, allowing trainees to try new things is a way of showing support for such needs and interests. This support will go a long way, and will be helpful to both of you, if you can discuss how you see the trainee’s professional and academic goals integrating and aligning with those of the lab. Finally, there are a lot of resources on campus, including BioSci Careers, to which you can refer your trainees and with which you can collaborate.
We help our trainees in the following ways:
Counseling and Coaching
We assist trainees with defining their interests, skills, and values in order to apply these to both their academic training and beyond.
In addition to applying traditional counseling and coaching methods, this is achieved through:
- career interests assessments
- job application review
- interview practice
- professional presentation/job talk practice
- negotiation strategy development
- setting academic and career goals
- networking strategy for academic conferences and organizational events
- finding postdoctoral and other professional opportunities
- anxiety and other wellness concerns effecting student academic and/or career success
Curriculum
We help students learn about career options within the academic sector as well as those within other research sectors, and those in communications and business. Our classes, events, and workshops also provide them with opportunities to learn and practice new professional skills, such as: networking, social media strategy, project management, conflict management, etc., all of which will help them succeed in their academic training and beyond.
Curriculum offerings include:
- Development programs help define and build academic and professional skills, interests, and values. E.g. – Career Exploration Opportunities (CEO) course, MBTI/StrengthsQuest assessment, IDP preparation, networking, and social media
- Awareness panels and events help you identify your career-of-choice options. E.g. – Academia/Education, Biotech Research, Finance, Communications, Consulting, Healthcare, Law, Nonprofit, and Policy. This also includes our annual Biomedical and Bioscience Industry Expo
- Prep & Practice coursework allows trainees to refine and experience various careers of choice. E.g. – Biotech Business and Finance, Biotech and Government Research, Communications and Media, Consulting, Law, and Policy
- Transitions workshops and immersion clinics help trainees prepare for their career of choice. E.g. – Academic Application and Academic Interview clinics, Career Expo Preparation, Consulting clinic, Internships, Interviewing, Job search, Negotiation, and Resumes/CVs and cover letters
Connections
One of the best ways to advance science, whether our students are in training or moving into their career of choice, is through their connections with other researchers and scientists. BioSci Careers helps our students make these connections.
Connections opportunities include:
- Biomedical & Bioscience Industry Expo (BBIE): more than just a career fair, the event allows students to develop relationships with a core group of companies and professionals from various sectors. BBIE is also a formal channel for learning about job opportunities and company culture, it showcases current research and trends, and it stimulates the exchange of scientific ideas and dialogue between employers and Stanford trainees, alumni, and faculty.
- Industry Insights: showcases employers from a variety of sectors and industries. Industry Insights provides opportunities for students to meet a wide range of employers who will share insights into their technologies and professional opportunities.
- Industry Onsites: One of the best ways to understand the culture and technologies of an organization is to experience them firsthand. We work with employers and alumni to enable students to visit organizations so that they may directly experience organizational culture. While there, they will learn about hiring practices and connect with members of the organization’s team.
In addition: BioSci Careers works with student groups and organizations to help them develop their own opportunities. To learn more: Trainee Leadership. Further, we proudly worked with faculty and students to develop a nationally-recognized IDP program to support their mentoring relationships.
For more information on how you can play a role in trainee career development, please see How Can I Help My Trainees? For information on how BioSci Careers works with student groups and organizations to help them develop their own opportunities, please see the Trainee Leadership page.
If you would like to discuss these resources or approaches to discussing ideas about working together to help your students, residents, and fellows, please feel free to contact, Stevie Eberle, seberle@stanford.edu
Career of Choice Options
We believe Stanford University Biosciences trainees can do anything they want to do as long as they are able to communicate a fit with their future employer’s desired interests, skills, and values. However, the primary sectors in which our alumni work are:
- Academia and Education
- Biotechnology Business and Finance
- Biotechnology and Government Research
- Communications and Media
- Consulting
- Data Science Research
- Healthcare
- Law
- Nonprofit
- Policy
For more information about these opportunities, see What can I do with my degree?