Is second shift the right one for you, or would third shift be better? It all depends on your circumstances and stage of life:

Third shift may work best for you if any of the following apply:
-You are unlikely to be interrupted by kids or pets while sleeping during the day
-You want to maximize the amount of time spent with family and friends on traditional schedules
-You and your partner want to “trade-off” childcare responsibilties so you don’t need daycare
-You like to stay up late and sleep in
-You would like to attend classes during the day
-You like to work autonomously
-You want to get paid as much as possible

Second shift may work best for you if any of the following apply:
-You have daytime responsibilities or interruptions that would make it difficult to get enough rest on a third shift schedule
-You and your partner want to “trade-off” childcare responsibilties so you don’t need daycare
-You want to reduce the amount of time wasted in traffic to and from work
-You like to stay up late and sleep in
-You are prepared to spend time away from friends and family five nights a week
-You would enjoy having every morning free to run errands, schedule appointments, etc.

If your situation doesn’t fit neatly into either one of these categories, working days may be the best choice for you. But if you’d like to give it a try, you can succeed on any shift as long as you have a positive attitude and are committed to making it work.

Welcome to this month’s new members:

Tammy-Lyn Yapp: Riverside

Sara Krieger: Vernon Hills

Roller Derby Night

Many laboratorians begin their career on third shift (~11:00 pm – 7:00 am) or second shift (~3:00 pm – 11:00 pm). Some have difficulty adapting to the schedule; others love it and spend their entire career there. If you’ve never considered working evenings or nights, you should. Here are some pros and cons you might want to think about:

-Earn more money per hour
-Enjoy a more relaxed work environment than day shift
-May work more weekends and holidays, but you are compensated with weekend and holiday differential
-Fewer “experts” and supervisors around to provide answers when problems arise
-More likely to be hired as a generalist and maintain competency in all departments
-Odd hours may accommodate schedules of students and parents of young children
-You can sleep in whenever you want
-Avoid the frustration of commuting during peak rush hours
-Fewer coworkers to help carry the work load during emergencies and busy nights
-More likely to find a job if you are willing to work any shift
-More supervisory opportunities for people who lack management experience
-Get your foot in the door at your hospital/employer of choice

Welcome to this month’s new members. Don’t forget to check back again in September and October for more on second and third shifts.

Danielle Blancaflor, Peoria

Kayla Hoffman, Ashley

Andrew Molnar, Caseyville

Shenise Townsend, Peoria

Former students who renew as First Year Professional members will receive a free gift.  And thanks to a special offer from national, everyone who renews by September 30, 2010 will receive six free CE quizzes.  New members who join will receive one free CE quiz.

Welcome to this month’s new members:

Gina Donatoni – Chicago

Merle Essex – Chicago

Brittany Fitzgerald – Shelbyville

Danielle Merfeld – Chicago

Abby Slesar – Chicago

Michael Thompson – Macomb

Kathleen Wayne – Peoria

***

This month is our third and final post with practical advice on reducing stress while searching for a new job.

Tip #1: Take inventory of all your options
Tip #2: Simplify the application process
Tip #3: Assess your priorities

We all have certain things we look for in a job. You may want to work in a particular hospital or geographic location. Someone else may only want a job that is full-time or day shift. Another may want to work in a particular department, avoid a long commute, get paid a certain dollar amount, or get lots of vacation time. Maybe all you can think about is that you want to start working as soon as possible!

If you can’t find your dream job and you can’t afford to sit around and wait for it, it might help to sit down and think about which aspects of it are absolutely essential and which aren’t. Mull each one over and think about how getting it or not getting it would affect your life. Once you know what’s important, it’s easier to accept a compromise on the little things. And remember, if you need to take a job that isn’t perfect for one reason or another, stay positive. Once you’ve put in a couple of years of experience, you will be an even better candidate for that dream job.

Happy job-hunting, and welcome to all our newest members!

Anne Murray: Yorkville
Angela Blazevicz: De Kalb
Eric Lev: Chicago
Ashlie Heagy: Quincy
Obaid Ullah Muhammad: Aurora

Here’s an update from Melissa Collins, ASCLS-IL Membership Chair
***

Looking for a lab job? This post is part two in a three month series focused on keeping you sane during your search.

Tip #1: Take inventory of all your options

Tip #2: Simplify the application process

Completing one online application after another can be tedious and redundant. Every employer uses a different system, and not all enable you to upload the resume you worked so hard to perfect. But, if you draft answers to commonly asked questions ahead of time, there’s no reason why every single answer can’t be as polished as your resume itself. I recommend gathering the following information before you begin applying and adding to the list as you come across applications that request additional info. Before long, you’ll be flying through those applications in no time!

Resume: Regular version and one with no special formatting.
Job History: Job title, dates of employment, starting and ending pay, hours per week, supervisor, address, phone, a succinct description of the position, and reason for leaving your last three jobs.
Education History: Name, dates of enrollment, address, phone, and degree granted for every college and high school attended.
Certifications (If Applicable): Name, organization, certification number, date earned, and expiration.
References: Name, contact info, relationship, and years known.
Requested Salary: If you’re not sure, ask recent grads and professors for advice.

Good luck to those of you in search of a job and welcome to all our new members!

Marion Acurio, Harwood Heights
Haneen Alatrash, Chicao
Irfan Babariya, Skokie
Monica Bechtold, Crystal Lake
Raya Hajjawi, Oak Lawn
Jennifer Hampshire, Chicago
Constantine Kanakis, Chicago
Monali Mehta, Palatine
Majed Nasrallah, Naperville
Kellie Negangard, Riverton
Mansour Oroujeh, Hanover Park
Khyati Patel, Schaumburg
Amanda Reisor, Aurora
Kelly Sandfort, Evanston
Megan Skolasinski, Springfield
Allison Vesely, Willowbrook
Biljana Zecevic, Chicago

Shannon Alducin, Elgin
Danielle Angelo, Chicago
Eseul Ban, Dekalb
Melissa Boger, Naperville
William Brummel, Aurora
Dominick Camillo, Chicago
Soupaphone Chantharangsy, Cherry Valley
Erik Chatroop, Des Plaines
Elizabeth Conaway, Springfield
Khushboo Contractor, Hoffman Estates
Malgorzata Dorosz, Champaign
Catherine Doty, Decatur
Shelli Ellingson, Poplar Grove
Eric Foster, Rockford
Cybil Foster, Springfield
Andrea Gardner, Springfield
Mario Gjoni, Chicago
Garyia Hawkins, Peoria
Jessica Hoshor, Pekin
Areej Jumah, Justice
Marie Kubala, St. Charles
Carlie Lang, Dixon
Laura Larsen, Crystal Lake
Ju Hyun Lee, Chicago
Eric Marshall, Chicago Heights
Dana Mastandrea, Chicago
Ian Caesar Mejos, Springfield
Lyubov Milostrazich, Chicago
Emily Morey, De Kalb
Theophile Ngoupa, Springfield
Rachana Patel, Elk Grove Village
Bhakti Patel, Skokie
Nishitaben Patel, Skokie
Valerie Pikul, La Grange
Kate Pippin, New Berlin
Saloni Premani, Decatur
Ashley Puro, New Lenox
David Reyes, Darien
Timothy Shawver, East Peoria
Abdirahman Sheikh-Abdi, Chicago
Mala Soni, Des Plaines
John Sprinkle, Dekalb
Jill Standvich, Sycamore
Jenna Stewart, Monroe, WI
Bob Thiemann, Peoria
Jamie Thompson, Havana
Ashley Trank, Dixon
Corey Watkins, Morrisonville

Are you a graduating student or experienced professional in search of a new laboratory position? Over the next three months I’ll be sharing some practical tips to help you reduce stress while you’re job-hunting. Feel free to post a reply with any advice you want to share. 
 
Tip #1: Take inventory of all your options 
 
Searching for a job can be daunting, especially if you don’t know where to look because you’re moving to a new city or you’ve never worked in a lab before. One thing you can do up front to make things easier is to take inventory of every single laboratory employer in the area. Look for blood centers, hospitals, reference labs, public health labs, staffing agencies, certifying agencies, and laboratory vendors. Use search engines, online maps, magazines like Advance, and job posting websites, and be on the lookout for job fairs. Save links to the hiring section of every website you find in a Word document or your Internet browser. If the list seems too small, you may want to consider looking a little further from home, just in case. Your finished list will be an indispensable tool to easily search for contact info and new job listings in a matter of minutes, not hours or days which it may have taken to find everything to begin with. The list can also be utilized for a future job search when you’re ready to take the next step in your career.