Analysis and news
Job searches in Covid times
Manisha Bolina and Heather Staines share some insights about looking for scholarly communications positions in a pandemic
Manisha: changing things up
Towards the end of 2020 I found myself thinking about a new job. Some people would think I was crazy to look for a job during a pandemic – especially when I already had one that was amazing. However, I started to think about the companies I had always had at the back of my mind that I wanted to work for. Digital Science was one of them, a hub of cutting- edge technology for academia, and a place where innovation happens from a needs-driven environment. Curiosity drove me to the LinkedIn
page, where I saw a role for a dimensions product solutions specialist – driving AI solutions for libraries and the research office. Perfect! My background with AI discovery tools at Yewno and 10 years experience selling to libraries globally would hopefully get me an interview. Now, I have been the interviewer and
the interviewee and usually it starts with a short phone call and then one to three face-to-face interviews. I always liked the phone interview as, being a sales person, the phone has always been a ‘comfort zone’. But with the pandemic in play, all parts of the interview process have become virtual. After sending my
24 Research Information June/July 2021
application in I had three virtual interviews at Digital Science before the job was offered to me. I recall that a few years ago I was
invited to interview for a very prestigious publisher, I remember having to think about one of the most important issues – what am I going to wear? I needed to book an eyebrow and nail appointment asap! In a virtual interview, these were two things I didn’t really need to think about (not that I
was going to turn up in Zoom with my PJs on, but you catch my drift). I also realised that, though small considerations, they actually resulted in increased levels of pent up anxiety – not needed when you are going for an interview with your dream employer. All this meant was I was able to spend way more time practising my demo of dimensions and learning about Digital Science. Result! I do not live in a publishing hub like
Tip-top tips from the top
In your home there is so much you have control over, so use it to your advantage. Here are a few tips:
l No travelling to and from locations means you have more control over what time and date your interview is. You can better organise your diary and potentially not interview after a fully- loaded day at work – or not take a day off!
l Have your comfort items with you – your favourite
mug, water bottle, or a cute pic of your pet or loved one on your desk. Or how about some aromatherapy oils diffusing to keep you zen?
l For you instagrammers, if you have a ring light, this might be good if the light in your room is a bit dim. If you don’t normally use the camera function on your PC, be sure to check how the room looks and give it a tidy if you need to. If all else fails, see if you can use a suitable background filter.
l Close extra windows on your computer and switch off unneeded programs – this will make sure your machine has the power it needs to function at its best. Turn Slack and emails off.
l Always have phone numbers handy in case your internet fails – but a big plus from the pandemic workarounds, is that people are now more understanding around technology failures.
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