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12 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS

Unwritten Rules for Advancing

Your Career

Maureen Brandon

Idaho State University

U

nwritten rules: those tidbits of information that

can make or break a first impression or a repu-

tation. How does a cell biologist discover the

unwritten rules of an organization and protect and

ensure their career advancement by fulfilling unstated

expectations? Following are some of the most common

unwritten rules and advice on how to address them:

Mentors Are Key Sources of

Information

It may seem that the role of mentors as the panacea

of a scientist’s career is exaggerated, but they truly are

important figures. Most successful people, no matter

from what field, can name at least one person senior to

themselves who was instrumental in their success and

with whom they have had a long-term relationship.

But a mentor does not have to be narrowly defined, nor

represent an exclusive relationship. Mentors are those

individuals in an organization that have the “neces-

sary” knowledge. Seek out colleagues to discuss scien-

tific matters, such as how much unpublished informa-

tion to reveal to a competitor, as well as more mundane

but still important matters, such as how to dress for an

invited seminar.

Meeting Expectations

The first unwritten rule is ‘do not expect the written

rules to cover everything.’ Young scientists should

meet regularly with their supervisors to assess their

progress. Ask for constructive criticism and advice. In

an academic environment, it may be important to clar-

ify how many publications (and in which types of jour-

nals) are necessary for tenure or promotion, or how

much time to devote to service at the institutional and

national level. In addition, teaching is usually taken

seriously, even at institutions with a heavy emphasis

on research productivity for promotion.

Caroline Kane

University of California

Berkeley