We now have our new mods for this year’s first I’m a Scientist event, and the first ever I’m an Engineer! While we welcome our six new team members, here is some short feedback for those who applied but didn’t get to interview.
There were loads of excellent applicants this year and we were especially impressed by all the amazing science communication work you had all been doing. From writing to volunteering at festivals, it’s great to see people who are passionate about communicating science, especially to young people. In this job, being able to handle groups of excited teens is definitely a plus.
We interviewed people who stood out because of their proven passion for the subject, but also based on their cover letters. This is the best way to try and get to a feel for what a candidate is like. So we like letters that get your personality across. We’re all about trying to engage young people, so being able to engage us with your writing is an excellent start. We are also looking for people who will be fun to work with, so dry and boring letters that could have been copy and pasted from any application just don’t stand out.
The best cover letters I looked at were lively, showed enthusiasm for the job, covered all relevant experience (rather than hiding it in the CV) and gave actual concrete examples to back up statements such as ‘I’m very organised’ or ‘I’ve worked with young people’.
That said, it is possible to be overly casual in a cover letter. Writing “Give me this job!!! xxx” although enthusiastic, doesn’t really give the best impression!
If you didn’t get through this time round we hope you will keep an eye out for future I’m a Scientist and I’m an Engineer events. We look forward to hearing about all the science communication you’ve been doing in the mean time.
