Careers in Industry

Dr. Gail Martino, Gillette Co.

GWIS event, January 30, 2003, at MIT

In January, Dr. Gail Martino, Ph.D., spoke to an audience of about

35 people. She is a senior research scientist at Gillette, to which she

came after a career as a professor. She spoke about moving from academia

to industry, the job search process, and the skills necessary to succeed

in industry. She listed some of the benefits of a career in industry,

namely the flexibility in location, particularly for dual-career couples,

and the resources available to scientists in industry. Dr. Martino pointed

out that good recruiters can be a big help to you in your job search, and

they may even go so far as to negotiate salary and benefits on your

behalf, but the bad ones might send your resume everywhere, which makes

you look desperate. She also gave some advice for interviewing: be sure to

interview them as well, and listen well, find out the company's

challenges, political situation, and financial health. In a behavioral

interview, answer the question you wanted the interviewer to ask you. For

example, if you are asked about an area in which you need to improve, tell

the interviewer about a challenge you faced where you were successful.

Gail's insights and humor were much appreciated by the audience, who said

her presentation was "awesome" and "really valuable". One participant

commented that, "I really needed to hear this!"

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