If you read the comments on the Chemistry Faculty Jobs 2016 list at ChemBark you probably feel the same way. The job market for 2016 is worse than a Minecraft first night in hardcore mode. Especially the comment by an anonymous contributor from industry R&D lays it out clearly.
For those of the unlucky ones, I want to say it's not entirely your fault. I am not saying this just to comfort you, it is the truth. There are a lot of factors for evaluating a candidate: pedigree, pubs, letters, fit to the open position, research plan, teaching background, nationality, gender, race, and even religion. As much as we want to believe discrimination doesn't occur, it does. It is in human nature. Maybe declaring it a crime is a good deterrent but I'm yet to hear a counter-action on those grounds.
So, most of the factors that lead to getting hired are not in your hands. I'm sure you know what to do now but here're a few more suggestions:
1. Try to change the factors that can positively affect your marketability: Apart from the "do more work and get high impact journal paper" thing, what you can do is to get a scholarship or a grant for your work. There are so many opportunities for small funding to do a few things. Many agencies, companies or even countries are looking for a fresh scientist to show off on their pages.
2. Go out of your comfort zone and entertain options that you didn't think viable: Even though you always wanted to be a professor (or a scientist at an industrial R&D), check whether an hedge fund analyst job would be attractive. Or a patent lawyer assistant. And think about moving to another state, the world is bigger than California. And I'd say, go beyond borders. Developing countries are craving for scientists like you as they want talented people.
3. Set priorities for near term and long term, SEPARATELY: Life is changing everyday, so should you. Your priorities has changed and will change, and your plans should fit accordingly. Don't think your next job will bury you nearby. People hang on to jobs for 4.6 years and marriages 12+. This means you probably will change jobs at least 2-3 times in your married life.
4. The best advice I got for choosing the right place: Go to a school (or company) where they're happy to have you, not you're happy to get the job.
For those of the unlucky ones, I want to say it's not entirely your fault. I am not saying this just to comfort you, it is the truth. There are a lot of factors for evaluating a candidate: pedigree, pubs, letters, fit to the open position, research plan, teaching background, nationality, gender, race, and even religion. As much as we want to believe discrimination doesn't occur, it does. It is in human nature. Maybe declaring it a crime is a good deterrent but I'm yet to hear a counter-action on those grounds.
So, most of the factors that lead to getting hired are not in your hands. I'm sure you know what to do now but here're a few more suggestions:
1. Try to change the factors that can positively affect your marketability: Apart from the "do more work and get high impact journal paper" thing, what you can do is to get a scholarship or a grant for your work. There are so many opportunities for small funding to do a few things. Many agencies, companies or even countries are looking for a fresh scientist to show off on their pages.
2. Go out of your comfort zone and entertain options that you didn't think viable: Even though you always wanted to be a professor (or a scientist at an industrial R&D), check whether an hedge fund analyst job would be attractive. Or a patent lawyer assistant. And think about moving to another state, the world is bigger than California. And I'd say, go beyond borders. Developing countries are craving for scientists like you as they want talented people.
3. Set priorities for near term and long term, SEPARATELY: Life is changing everyday, so should you. Your priorities has changed and will change, and your plans should fit accordingly. Don't think your next job will bury you nearby. People hang on to jobs for 4.6 years and marriages 12+. This means you probably will change jobs at least 2-3 times in your married life.
4. The best advice I got for choosing the right place: Go to a school (or company) where they're happy to have you, not you're happy to get the job.
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