How do I tell my rotation PI I don't want to join their lab?

A first-year PhD student asks—

How do I tell my rotation PI I don't want to join their lab?

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This is an important communication to have with a PI you have rotated with. It often feels uncomfortable, but don't be afraid—the key is to brief. Sometimes people feel bad saying "no," so they feel like they need to provide lots of justification. But saying "no" is ok and in fact necessary, and PIs are used to it! There are a few things you want to convey in your message:

How many of the qualifications listed do I really need?

A postdoc asks—

When there are multiple required qualifications in a job posting, do you have to be a 100% fit for those qualifications? Can you still apply even if there are a few points that you do not meet?

How do I organize all my applications?

A postdoc asks—

I would appreciate tips and tricks for organizing our documents for all these applications. Do 100 applications turn into 100 separate folders? I sometimes feel that is what is necessary, but I frequently get lost in files. I want to be able to easily reference documents I’ve already written for similar jobs.

Is it even worth it to apply to an old job posting?

A postdoc asks—

I was looking at jobs on LinkedIn and I was really excited to apply for a synthetic biology role that seemed like a pretty perfect fit, but I saw that the posting is already 3 days old (and over 600 people have already applied). Is there any point in still sending in an application?

What goes in a cover letter?

A postdoc asks—

Isn't a cover letter just a repetition of my resume written out? Is there something else that should be in there, or is that it?

Should a resume have a separate skills section?

A graduate student asks—

Should we have a separate skills section in the resume to tick off the key terms from the job posting or should we try to include all of that in the research experience?

My IDP assessment was unhelpful. What now?

A third-year graduate student asks—

I have an IDP meeting with my advisor coming up. My program has us do the MyIDP and then we’re supposed to have this meeting about it. I want to have a plan, but I’m not really sure what to say in this meeting. The MyIDP gave me a list of careers I’m not that interested in, so that feels kind of useless. I just have broad categories of career paths that I’m curious about. Also this feels like a pretty long-term project since I just passed quals—What am I supposed to be doing right now?

How do I answer “tell me about yourself” in an interview?

A second-year postdoc asks—

I feel like every interview starts with a question like ‘tell me about yourself’ or just ‘please introduce yourself to the committee.’ What kinds of things should I talk about? Usually, when I meet new people, I like to talk about growing up in Ontario with four siblings, my favorite recent books and movies or, with the right crowd, how I spent last weekend LARP-ing. But that can’t really be what they’re looking for in an interview. Right?

Where do I start? I’m trying to explore my career options.

A third-year PhD student asks—

I’m currently thinking about pursuing internship opportunities over the next year or two to help broaden my career options. However, I’m having some difficulty figuring out exactly what I want to do and how to go about finding these opportunities effectively. I was wondering if you have any advice or tips you typically share with students who are in the early stages of exploring their career interests. What’s the best way to start identifying suitable internships and gaining relevant experience?

Writing a cover letter when I mainly want the money.

A postdoc asks—I have a question. I need to stay in San Francisco because of my partner’s job, and because of a bunch of financial and family obligations. Because of this, I’m pretty interested in a consulting role that would really help pay the bills, and I generally like to travel, so that’s a bonus. I saw your advice about writing a cover letter that explains why I want the job, but what should I say when those reasons are basically just the money? I’m not too interested in consulting work long-term, although I do think I’d be good at it.