1. What is your current position?
Senior Imaging Technician
2. How far in advance of your planned starting date did you begin looking for jobs?
3 months
3. How did you learn about your current position?
4. What was your work or educational background before you were hired?
Technical support roles in the commercial companies
5. Which aspects of your background (postdoctoral training, internships, etc.) were required for your position?
Relevant practical experience
6. How long after your interview did you start your position? Were there any barriers to starting your position when you’d hoped (e.g. lack of space or funding available, time to secure appropriate visa)?
1 month. No barriers.
7. How would you describe the interview process and how did you prepare for it? Were there any skills or experiences in your CV that seemed to stand out?
I researched the details of the equipment in the institute and made references where my previous experience matched requirements of the current job. My ability to support end users in technical and application related queries.
8. Had you seriously pursued other positions or career paths prior to being hired?
No.
9. Has your career trajectory followed the path you’d expected when you started graduate school?
I was open-minded at the time but my career had a clear direction following advances in bioscience imaging.
10. Was anything about your job not what you’d expected before you were hired?
No.
11. Are there any skills or experiences you wish you’d had before you started?
I hope to fill any gaps while working here.
12. How do you spend an average workday?
Check and respond to user requests, equipment booking review, liaise with suppliers, update records, information and documents, read relevant material.
13. What do you most like about your work?
Sharing my experience to assist end users, using their input to learn something new.
14. What do you find the most challenging about your work?
At this stage the work I am doing is still exciting.
15. What skills do you think are absolutely essential for your position?
Profieciency in the use of microscope equipment and its imaging packages, good communication skills and ability to teach effectively, organizational skills.
16. Do you think it helps to have a certain personality to do the work you do?
Caring, supporting traits with ability to communicate effectively; attention to detail.
17. Are there any traits that would make it difficult to succeed in your position?
Technical inaptitude, poor interpersonal skills.
18. What advice would you give to someone looking for a position like yours?
Get as much practical experience, finding solutions for problems and obstacles along the way. Be interested in new technology and novel research that go hand to hand. Practice working with lots of different people.
