This is a recent article that was published on www.inc.com by Jerome Ternynck.

1. What role will I fill?

When it comes to an employee’s role in a business’s strategy, the job title explains only so much. You are filling a void on the living, breathing team. Is this company hoping for an ideas person, a mentor to other employees, a creative force, a rule follower, a rule breaker? Get to the specifics of “who” your position is supposed to be.

2. Why does this role matter to the growth of the company?

Use this question to explore the expected level of engagement. Are you more comfortable being in a low- or a high-impact role? Do you want to be in a role that is universally respected within the company or are you OK being the undercover hero?

3. Who would my colleagues be?

The best interviews include three to four team members. If that is not the case in your interview, use this question to gain insight into team dynamics and personalities. These are the people you will spend every day with, so they need to pass what Tom Gimbel calls “the airplane test“–someone you would enjoy sitting next to on a long flight.

4. What would I be doing that makes your job easier?

This question has two benefits–you will find out who is going to lean on you the heaviest and what you will need to do to keep the other teammates happy. The answers to this question will be the immediate problems each team member is hoping you will solve.

5. What are additional important skills I will need to do this job well?

What are the soft skills needed for this particular job? Find out if the company needs someone who is also a self-starter or works well in teams. This is also an excellent time to bring up any additional skills you have that are appropriate for position.

6. How does the company measure success?

Identifying how your progress in this position will be measured will give you a better idea of whether or not you will be successful. Get specifics on what your deliverables will be per project. Ask about common work habits of people who have had this position in the past whom the company considered successful.

7. What would you expect from me this month, in three months, and in a year?

Chances are that your employer has a trajectory for your role in mind. Find out what you will need to deliver in the next coming months. Ask yourself if this pace feels doable for the way you work.

8. What is your mission?

This is one of the most important questions you can ask. Research shows that employees are most happy when their goals align with those of their employers. Get philosophical here and find out why you are both here in this room and if you want the same things.

Repeat your questions for each hiring manager you meet, because you will get different responses from different people. As a CEO, I am often the last person in the round of interviews. It happens time and time again that I will say, “Do you have any questions for me?” and get a polite “No, I got a lot of my questions answered.”

I didn’t get my questions answered though. Keep the conversation going. If you want to work for my company, you have to ask for it.

Just recently a former Summer Bridge to The Beach student who was research in Dr. Houng-Wei Tsai has co-authored two publications. Congratulations Debbie on the success on co-authoring two publicaitons!

You can read the two publications: Armoskus-2014_JSHS

Armoskus-2014-BrainRes1562_23

Congratulation to Joaquin Martinez, who participated in the 2012 Summer Bridge to the Beach program, on receiving this amazing opportunity at NASA! We wish him the best of luck on this journey. Here is a blurb from the Press Telegram’s article on him:

Fast forward to today, and the 16-year-old mechanical and aerospace engineering major is among 20 undergraduate students in the nation selected for NASA’s 2014 Aeronautics Scholarship Program.

He is also the first Cal State Long Beach student to be awarded the prestigious two-year scholarship of $15,000 per year. As part of the program, he will participate in an internship at one of NASA’s research facilities over the summer.

Article: 16-year-old CSULB student nabs one of 20 NASA Aeronautics scholarships [Press Telegram]

By: Annabelle Cantu – Promotora de STEM

Life as a STEM major is just about what you would imagine it to be. I almost always get the same facial reaction from people when asked what I am studying, followed by either an “ew”, “wow”, or my personal favorite “why”. In society today STEM careers are in high demand, yet there does not seem to be enough college students up for the challenge of pursuing STEM degrees: a problem to which I would ask the same question, why?

Since my freshman year here at CSULB about 85% of the friends I have met in STEM courses have switched their major out of the realm of science. I entered this university knowing that there was only one route for me – chemistry. Similar to my friends I started to realize the difficulty and demand of the classes I was taking my second year. I became depressed with my academic performance and uncertain if I was good enough to stay a chemistry major. I reached out to an advisor and a few professors and seemed to get the same answer – switch majors. I contemplated switching out of science, but realized I did not come to college to major in something I was not passionate about. Fortunately the same semester I had joined the Hispanic Health Opportunities Learning Alliance (H₂OLA) and had a graduate mentor to talk through my problems with.

To this day I never regretted staying with my major. After struggling I realized that no one is going to believe in your abilities if you don’t believe in yourself in the first place, and that you are not going to believe in yourself unless you give yourself a reason to.

Here is a letter from the Assistent Director of Outreach

Hello SACNAS Chapter Advisors,

We are currently recruiting for our minority research programs. Please
share the information below with your students and colleagues. Thank you!

Are you looking for a summer research or postbaccalaureate program? Are
you interested in participating in a student development program while you
pursue your Ph.D.? Come visit the Washington University in St. Louis, The
Genome Institute Booth #529 at SACNAS 2014!

The Genome Institute at Washington University in St. Louis offers the
Opportunities in Genomics Research (OGR) programs that are directed to
increasing the number of underrepresented students who pursue Ph.D.’s in
genomics and related fields.

We have two OGR programs: Undergraduate Scholars, an eight-week summer
program and Extensive Study, a one-year postbaccalaureate program. Both
programs include conducting mentored research with premier investigators
in genomics, genetics, and other disciplines as well as enrichment (eg.
GRE preparation, career counseling, and presentation and writing
workshops, and journal club). We provide a competitive stipend/salary,
housing (summer program only), and travel to St. Louis. To learn more
about our program and see past participants, visit our website at
http://genome.wustl.edu/outreach.

In collaboration with the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences
(booth #525), we also offer the Initiative for Maximizing Student
Development (IMSD) Program designed to prepare the next generation of
underrepresented Ph.D. students for competitive careers in biomedical
sciences. This program provides a competitive stipend, travel funds for
conferences, academic and personal development workshops, supplemental
advising, and a community of scholars. To learn more about the IMSD
program, visit our website at http://dbbs.wustl.edu/IMSD.

Program staff and current participants will be available from all programs
to speak to you at SACNAS 2014. We look forward to seeing your there!

If you have any questions please contact us at outreach@genome.wustl.edu.