Looking for a job

[Destined]

Hi guys,

 

I am on the brink of finishing my PhD thesis in chemistry (to be more precise organometallic chemistry) and am now looking for jobs. As I don't want to limit myself to jobs in Germany, I am also looking for jobs abroad, although I am limited to English speaking countries. However, especially for foreign countries, I have no idea where to start looking. Can anyone not from Germany help me out and point me to sites or institutions that are most likely to get sensible results? Of course, if anyone knows of open positions for chemists, that I could apply for, I would be just as happy.

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Melan]

The first places to turn to would be pharmaceutical and chemical industry companies, since they sweep up the majority of PhDs in the field. They should have a place on their websites where they advertise open positions... or you may even approach them directly with your CV.

[Goldwell]

A large pharmaceutical company in the US would probably be your best bet. It's an English speaking country and there is some very serious money to be made in a job like that.

 

Getting a visa shouldn't be a problem either as having a PHD makes you a highly desirable applicant.

[demagogue]

 

There's a great future in plastics.

[Jetrell]

Greetings and congratulations on obtaining your PhD,

 

I recommend going to ScienceCareers.org - They have a variety of international and domestic chemistry positions including postdoctoral research positions.

 

If you're interested in pursuing a career in academia I would suggest going to HigherEdJobs.com - They also have a variety of international and domestic positions including postdoctoral research positions.

 

Both of these sites are highly respected within the science community. Be aware if you are not already aware, not all job sites are what they seem.

 

A PhD in chemistry and particularly in the area of organometallic chemistry is very desirable. I'm sure you won't have a problem finding a quality job. For what it's worth, I would not necessarily restrict your search to just English speaking countries because most international labs are accustomed to having non-native speakers.

 

Good luck,

[Destined]

Thank you very much for all your answers! I agree that plastics are still a big field. Unfortunately, I have little to no experience in polymer chemistry. On the other hand, there are very few universities in Germany that teach polymer chemistry in depth, so that might still be a viable field for me.

 

I acutally did not know that Science magazine also had a job section. I will definitely keep an eye on it

 

On other follow up question regarding big firms. Do you by any chance know of some kind of register or list of firms? In Germany we have the "Industrie- und Handelskammer", which translates to "chamber of industry and commerce" that registers all firms and at least provides some names of a given field. Simply googling for chemistry/pharma firms yields just too many results and it would be nice if I could limit the search e.g. by region. Anyway, thanks again guys! I will continue my search with the new info next week.

[Jetrell]

I'm not aware of any other country registry like you describe. However, AcademicJobsOnline.org and Interfolio.com have vast employment databases that can search for jobs within a specific country or region.

 

Both of these sites cater towards academic employment, which is probably not what you are looking for at this point in your career, but keep in mind that universities generally offer excellent research opportunities that private companies just don't offer.

 

With that in mind, RWTH Aachen University in Germany has an interesting PhD/Postdoc position. http://www.schoenebeck.oc.rwth-aachen.de

I found this position at naturejobs.com - http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/jobs/601873-phd-and-postdoc-positions-in-organic-chemistry

 

As for the private sector - ihirechemist.com has quite a few listings for organometallic chemists from companies which include, IBM and Pfizer.

Edited January 22, 2017 by Jetrell

[Taquito]

Perhaps Puerto Rico could be an option for you. I had a Polish friend who worked in UPR Cayey for a year as a Chemist Teacher with no previous experience. Unfortunately he died a year after.