Be Technically Literate
Some good skills to emphasize in your search for a chemistry job would be any relating to your familiarity with current technology. Chemistry work can be high-tech, and if you know how to set up the mass spectrometer, troubleshoot the DNA sequencer, or even rapidly run a few simulations, you are much better off than the poor schmuck who can’t type very well.
Knowing how to run a good presentation is also vital. Chemistry is a dense subject, and needing to explain it (or your project) to someone not as technically literate as you is very likely. The chemist who can “dumb it down,” as it were, will be much more useful than someone who cannot speak except in acronyms and formulae.
Polish Your Chemistry Credentials
Polish your credentials if you haven’t been in the classroom in a while. This can be done in several ways. Publishing a short article on some aspect of chemistry you are familiar with is a great idea. Here’s an even better one: start a blog. There aren’t many chemistry-oriented blogs, so this is a field that is ripe for harvesting. If you provide a fun, educational chemistry-oriented blog, your fellow chemists will eventually hear about it — and your name will start to spread.
If you have the time, and you’ve been out of school for a while, why not take some short classes offered by the professional societies or some evening classes at a local university? These can go on the resume pretty fast.
Wear More Than Your Chemist’s Hat
If you have a history of being able to do more than just your chemistry work, you will be much better off. Someone who can patent frequently is highly prized by many employers, while successful grant writers are also prized. The chemist who can run a lab efficiently and safely is also attractive. These skills, while not necessarily chemistry skills per se, are very crucial.
There are multitudes of specialties out there, and each requires different “soft” job skills. Imagine being the one chemist in the department who can actually explain to marketing why the companies product 1) cannot cure cancer and 2) why it can clean fruit punch off of wool. The ability to communicate well is quite critical in many chemistry jobs.
Use Targeted Resumes
Since there are lots of chemistry fields, each with different types of jobs, use a targeted resume. If you think about it, the resume of someone looking to become a forensic chemist will look much different than that of someone applying to teach chemistry at Yale.
Don’t forget to network! Maybe your good buddy Phil who helped you with that great liquid nitrogen trick you two pulled off in school knows of a job opening.
Best of luck in your job search, and may you end up with a strong covalent bond with your next position!
