Article by Louise Lassalle, Life Design Educator for Chem BE and Material Sciences at the Life Design Lab We met with two recruiters at the Broad Institute: Nicky Munnelly and Kate Bazile. They answered student questions about resumes, interviews, and even conducted a fun role play!
Why is the Broad Institute is a great place to start a scientific career?
Kate could not say enough great things about the benefits of starting a career at the Broad Institute!
- An interdisciplinary, collaborative environment that combines the curiosity of academia with the scale of the industry.
- Access to an amazing network of physicians, scientists, and engineers across Boston.
- They have a strong mentorship culture to guide you on your journey.
To learn more about the Broad, check their website: https://www.broadinstitute.org/about-us Entry-level title examples: Associate Software Engineer, Associate Computational Biologist I, Research Associate 1, Project Coordinator, Operations Coordinator. Check more here:
What makes a good resume?
- Give some context around your skillsets. Did you learn it during a class? Research project?
- Highlight the time commitment for a specific role or project.
- Research the experience needed first, then complete with relevant leadership/volunteer experiences.
How to best prepare for an interview?
- Prepare your story and then connect your past experiences to this job position.
- Prepare for difficult questions, like “Tell me more about your weaknesses?” Here, recruiters want to get an idea of how you learn and if you are self-aware. At Broad, they want to make sure they have the resources to train you well in the areas you need help with.
How to best navigate an interview?
- Engage with them and show excitement. Prepare questions for the recruiters to show your interest.
- Take some time to think about difficult questions.
- If it’s a difficult technical question, explicit how you would get to this answer.
- Find the balance between humbly bragging and being confident about the skill set you bring. Be honest.