My 2 cents…
‘Why you?’ …. Always keep this question in mind when applying for a scientific position.
All job applications and expressions of interest, should fundamentally answer this
question for the hiring manager: Why should we hire you or Why are you the best
person for this job?
So, you have seen the job post and believe that you satisfy the job requirement because
you possess the key skills and expertise. But your resume could be viewed as a general
landscape of the multitude of skills & knowledge, that you have accrued over time. What
you need to do now is detail & customize those parts of your resume that are required
for the job that has caught your interest.
Let’s say, a PhD student has worked with bacteria, analyzed its activity using GC,
detected the presence of some functional genes for this activity and communicated the
research findings via publications to scientific journals. So, broadly, with this
experience, the student could potentially explore roles in microbiology, analytical
chemistry, molecular biology or scientific writing. The student would have captured all
this in the resume. But when the job post is for an ‘Analytical Chemist’, wouldn’t it be
prudent to detail the relevant section of your research – the part where the HPLC or GC
or other analytical instrumentation was used for the study? This would enable the
recruiter to easily comprehend why you are a fit for the position.
And once again, if you don’t want to detail the relevant section in your resume and alter
the format or flow of your document, you may explain this in your email or covering
letter. But ensure you address the requirements of the job specifications to answer the
number one hiring question – why you? 🙂
