Jason Gillikin is a senior medical informatics consultant with Priority Health, where he consults on quality improvement strategies related to chronic disease management, avoidable hospital readmissions, and the use of socioeconomic data in health analytics. He earned his BA in moral philosophy from Western Michigan University, where he’s also pursuing a graduate certificate in applied statistics. He serves as president-elect of the Michigan Association for Healthcare Quality.
Last autumn, representatives from one of the region’s largest health care employers stood attentively during a career fair while graduate-level biostatistics students engaged in the timeworn ritual of seeking either an internship or full-time employment after graduation. Student after student shuffled to the table. Some hung around nervously, waiting to be invited to speak. Others, bolder, advanced uninvited and demanded to know what jobs we had for them. A few asked us what we do.
The scene replayed itself over and over—not just at this event, but also at similar events scattered among colleges and universities from sea to shining sea. We, the employers, assessed the scene after the event. Some of the students impressed us. Others … not so much. But one thing was clear: As a cohort, new graduates aren’t as well prepared for the working world as they think they are. Maybe it’s fair to blame the universities a little, but the truth is, it’s up to you to ensure you’re ready to enter the working world.
Because you are your own best advocate, mastering just seven rules can make a big difference when it’s your turn to belly up to the table.
Seek school-year employment that translates into effective real-world experience. Why fold clothes at the mall or flip burgers for minimum wage when you could be doing something more useful? It’s not hard to decide whom to hire between a freshly minted MS whose only prior job is stocking the shelves at the outlet store and one who’s been working in an office environment and has exposure to the rhythms of corporate life. The closer a ‘school job’ matches the environment or skills of your target industry post-graduation, the better you’ll be able to relate to recruiters and hiring managers.
For example, if you have a passion for statistical process capability, it’s probably better to take a summer job at a stamping plant instead of the community pool. At least with a manufacturing background, an employer looking for an SPC coordinator can assume you know enough to wear steel-toed boots to work on orientation day.
Push back against substandard internships. If your prestigious internship leaves you faxing papers, fetching coffee, and watching YouTube videos, seek alternative arrangements. Although for some students—particularly mid-career professionals—internships are a royal pain, they’re a valuable introduction to both the application of theory learned in the classroom and the daily life of a statistician for younger students. Never settle for an ‘easy’ internship that imparts no useful accomplishments you can tout to future employers. Statisticians, in particular, ought to rebel against internships focused on data entry or data abstraction. Demand the chance to apply higher-level statistical skills to self-contained projects that benefit the employer while giving you a real accomplishment to share during hiring interviews.
Pay careful attention to your résumé and your LinkedIn profile. A weak résumé or a nearly empty LinkedIn profile gives prospective employers little to grasp. Get help from your institution’s career center to make a résumé that glows. Meanwhile, ensure your LinkedIn profile offers as many endorsements, work products, affinity groups, and other indicators of professionalism as you can manage without it looking like credential stuffing.
Don’t underestimate the utility of extracurricular activities as a sign of professionalism, either. If you chaired the undergrad statistics association, mention it. If you coauthored a presentation for a regional SAS or R users conference, mention it. Peripheral accomplishments that are nevertheless germane are preferable to giant blocks of white space.
Answer that phone! A 2010 Nielsen study shows that 42 percent of Millennials use a cell phone primarily for texting, not for calls. In fact, some companies have hired consultants to teach younger workers how to converse using a telephone. When the phone rings, the appropriate response is to answer it. Don’t let it ring to voice mail, and then reply back later with a text or email. Many recruiters prefer to use phone conversations as a further assessment of a candidate’s overall presentation—so ducking the call isn’t a winning strategy.
Practice your people skills. The best résumé in the world won’t get you a job, so you’ll have to shine as a networker; outside of academia, most significant job offers above entry-level positions are made on a “who you know” basis, not on who has the most well-polished CV. As such, you’ll need to master people skills so you can approach a recruiter’s table with confidence, conduct a brief but friendly discussion, impress the recruiter with your comportment, and convey the impression that you’re interested in the company and are committed to its mission. If this kind of task sounds hard, brush up by studying books about basic human psychology or business networking. Statisticians who can grok the psych can apply the paradigms correctly and thus improve their level of “know, like, and trust” pioneered conceptually by networking experts such as Ivan Misner.
Learn the practical side of the industry. Seek a mentor in your chosen field and ask penetrating questions about what most of the work is really like. Some statisticians, for example, may not do much high-level testing; they may actually spend more time data mining, so taking courses in SQL could be a significant differentiator. Look to trade groups that cover industries for guidance, not just profession-specific peer associations. Find opportunities to earn certifications or other credentials, or to claim credit for MOOC short courses on applied topics relevant to the industry. Those credentials and short courses can significantly augment your résumé.
Master the theory behind the procedures explained in the classroom. Savvy employers understand the difference between a person who deliberates over the selection of the right statistical test given a complex data set versus a person who only knows a few tests and tries to force-fit the data to match his statistical palette. Even if your background in statistics is more applied than theoretical, it’s imperative you get the ‘why’ so you can find novel ways to drive value within the workplace.
Moral of the Story
Employers recruit candidates who demonstrate, through a mix of skills and experience, that they are well positioned to succeed from day one. Candidates who cannot differentiate themselves amidst the hordes of résumés and spot interviews are basically saying, “I’m a blank slate that you’ll have to spend considerable time and money to train before I’ll be useful to you.” Tough sell!
Although many schools offer various career-development seminars, many of those offerings are optional. Perhaps they shouldn’t be. A student who performs well academically and truly understands the power of statistics, but presents an undistinguished résumé augmented by weak interpersonal skills, is less likely to get a job offer than the mediocre student who parleyed a part-time secretarial gig into a career through social grace alone.
Ask yourself: Would you rather be ready for a career, or would you rather be consigned to folding clothes and living in your parents’ basement until you’re in your mid 30s? A little prep now, before you graduate, can save you years of angst after you graduate.
Leave a Reply