ACS Goes Virtual

If you’ve visited Second Life, used a social networking site, or taken an online course, you’ve experienced an environment in which people from around the world can interact and learn through technology. Now, the virtual world comes to ACS with the ACS Virtual Career Fair, which will be held on Nov. 2–3.

The ACS Virtual Career Fair offers networking opportunities, interviews with employers, career development workshops, and resources—all accessible from your home or office computer.

Chemical professionals seeking employment can interact with global organizations from a wide range of locations in North America and worldwide. Employers and job seekers alike will be able to interact in real time using text chat, video chat, and e-mail.

This free event is cohosted by Informex, the fine, custom, and specialty chemical trade show, and C&EN. The event coincides with C&EN’s annual Employment Outlook issue.

The Virtual Career Fair begins when you log in and arrive at the conference site. You can then chat with employers and recruiters in the exhibit hall, attend expert presentations in the auditorium, network in the networking lounge, and more.

Each day begins with a keynote ­session:

■ Tuesday, Nov. 2: Rudy M. Baum, editor-in-chief of C&EN, and Susan J. Ainsworth, senior editor and Employment Outlook writer for C&EN, discuss “How To Prepare for What’s Ahead.”

■ Wednesday, Nov. 3: Richard N. Bolles, author of the books “What Color Is Your Parachute?” and “The Job-Hunter’s Survival Guide,” shares “Five Secrets to Career Success for Scientists and Engineers.”

Throughout each day, attendees can visit the auditorium to view four webinars presented by industry experts, company representatives, and career specialists:

■ “Chemical Industry and Employment Outlook,” presented by Pat N. Confalone, vice president of Global R&D at DuPont; Susan B. Butts, senior director of External Science & Technology Programs at Dow Chemical; and Paul Hodges, chairman of International eChem.

■ “Pharma and Biotech Industry and Employment Outlook,” presented by David C. Spellmeyer, chief informatics officer of Nodality, and expert panelists.

■ “What Recruiters Are Looking For,” presented by Alveda J. Williams of strategic recruitment at Dow Chemical; Patrick Ropella, chairman and CEO of Ropella Group, an executive search and consulting firm specializing in the chemical and allied industries; and Sheila Rosenfield, senior scientific recruiter at Kelly Scientific Resources.

■ “Career Transitions: Navigating the Shifting Employment Landscape,” presented by Lisa M. Balbes, author of “Nontraditional Careers for Chemists”; Cheryl Martin, executive in residence with Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, a venture capital firm; Joe Stoner, retired from Habitat for Humanity; and Carol A. Duane, president of D&D Consultants of Mentor.

An interactive exhibit hall with employer booths will be open both days, enabling job seekers to meet with recruiters and employer representatives. The expo floor will be filled with company booths, where attendees can learn more about a company, its products and services, and what it’s like to work there. Opportunities to have one-on-one conversations with company representatives will be available by text or video chat.

The networking lounge provides a venue for mingling with other scientists and employers. Job seekers can also participate in and learn from scheduled expert-led discussions on key career topics.

The resource center is a central place to find employer literature, ACS Careers materials to help with job searching, on-demand access to ACS Webinars, and more.

“By adding a virtual event edition to the current successful physical ACS career fairs, ACS is able to provide career services and employment opportunities to a wider and more diverse audience—reaching job seekers and employers around the globe,” says David Harwell, assistant director of Career Management & Development at ACS. “ACS will continue to conduct the live career fairs as part of the next ACS national meeting. The next in-person ACS Career Fair is on March 27–31, 2011, in Anaheim, Calif.”

Attending the Virtual Career Fair is free to ACS members and nonmembers. Additionally, the online format allows anonymous access.

Organizations interested in exhibiting at this event can also register at www.acs.org/vcf, or contact Garretta Rollins at (202) 872-6209 or g_rollins@acs.org.