Technical Capability, Technical Performance Are Top Qualities Employers Seek In Advanced-Degree Chemists
Corinne Marasco

What is required today for success in an industrial R&D environment? This question was recently addressed by corporate recruiters on a panel at the 223rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Orlando. The formula is pretty straightforward: technical capability plus technical performance plus the ability to collaborate and work well on teams all add up to success for new advanced-degree industrial scientists.

"The competition is fierce," acknowledges Dr. Ron Webb, Manager of Doctoral Recruiting and University Relations at Procter & Gamble. Webb receives anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 applications a year and only one percent of candidates are ultimately hired from that pool.

Industry is a major employer of doctoral chemists, according to Webb, and the jobs are out there, but finding them takes work. At Procter & Gamble, "technical mastery of your field is an absolute must and is the key entrée to a job offer. The first promotion will come based on demonstrating technical mastery of your field." Therefore, Webb advises that it's imperative for new advanced-degree chemists to demonstrate this mastery in their resumes, and especially in their early years on the job.

Dr. Lawrence Friedman, Manager of University Relations for the Bayer Corp., agrees. "Companies are looking for employees who own their performance within the company, own the performance of the company, and own their competitiveness in the marketplace." Technical capability is at the top of the list but the ability to deliver on that capability is equally important.

Both Webb and Friedman note that non-laboratory skills make the difference in hiring new employees. Employers are looking for employees who can:

  • Think critically
  • Collaborate across disciplines
  • Learn in fields beyond their own specialty
  • Adapt quickly and innovatively under changing conditions
  • Work well in teams with a diverse group of colleagues
  • Communicate effectively with people in your field as well as outside your field
  • Demonstrate leadership

"Universities, companies, and individuals all have a role to play in career development," notes Friedman, "but the primary responsibility belongs to the individual by focusing on career-long learning and skill improvement, renewing professional capabilities, and developing portable competencies and skills."

Friedman cited the work of Robert E. Kelley, who has studied how average performers differ from star performers in the workplace for more than a decade. What Kelley found was that where you got your degree, your GPA or SAT scores, your IQ, didn't matter. How you go about your work is what matters: demonstrating initiative, networking, self-management, seeing the big picture, and helping others succeed (what Kelley calls "followership"). Being a star performer is all in how you do your work.

Friedman also shared a Bayer Corporation study, which found that the critical skills leading to promotion to Director or Vice President included problem-solving skills, strong practical judgment, the ability to cope with stress, communication skills, leadership skills, and social receptiveness.

Corinne Marasco is Content Manager of JobSpectrum.org

View Each Panelist's Presentations

Lawrence Friedman, Manager of University Relations, Bayer Corp.
Ron Webb, Senior Manager of Doctoral Recruiting, Procter & Gamble