WORLDWIDE--Way back in 2005, Laser Focus World profiled a number of websites that assist photonics professionals with finding jobs. In light of the current economic situation, a refresher course on these websites certainly couldn’t hurt.
These searchable websites generally contain listings for optics and photonics professionals not found on generic job sites like www.monster.com, www.theladders.com (100K and over jobs), or www.careerbuilder.com. Some of the sites introduce you to recruiters in the photonics industry that can provide more specialized career services. Please note that most of these listings are for jobs in the United States, although some have overseas listings. If you know of other sites or recruiters that could be useful to our job-seeking readers, we would be happy to profile those in a future issue of Optoelectronics Report.
www.WORKinOPTICS.com
The official jobs website of The Optical Society (OSA; Washington, DC), www.WORKinOPTICS.com currently lists approximately 57 optics and photonics-related jobs. As with most of the jobs websites, a keyword search function allows you to narrow job listings according to location, company, industry, salary, education, and more. Job alerts can be sent according to keyword terms, and ‘security’ clearance information can be added to employee profiles. Employers can list a job for a reasonable fee of $155 for 30 days, and OSA Corporate members can list 20 jobs per month without a fee. Be sure to take advantage of OSA’s Career Fairs at the upcoming OFC/NFOEC and CLEO/IQEC conferences, and contact Daphne Greenwood directly if you have any questions about the site: [email protected], (202) 416–1402.
www.SPIEWorks.com
SPIEWorks, the SPIE job site, has been serving the career needs of optics, photonics, and imaging professionals since 2001. This website provides job seekers with job listings, resume posting, email alerts, advice from experts in the field, and a searchable Technical Library. Employers may post jobs and gain access to a resume database, create resume alerts, and participate in career fairs held at three major SPIE events: Photonics West, Defense, Security+Sensing, and Optics+Photonics. SPIEWorks offers free posting of internships and SPIE staff will create customized recruiting packages tailored to clients needs. For further information contact Dave Baggenstos at [email protected] or call (360) 715–3705. Now is also a good time for students to get some hands on experience through internships; see www.job-search-engine.com/keyword/optics-internship.
www.optics.org/jobs
Including both U.S. and international opportunities, this site currently shows about 20 job listings. You can sign up for an optics.org jobswire that will email new listings to you as they become available.
www.NatureJobs.com
With many international listings, www.naturejobs.com lists science jobs in a number of disciplines--an ideal site to visit if you’re thinking of applying your talents beyond the photonics industry or within an academic environment. Incredibly, the site is currently listing more than 5400 science jobs worldwide. I typed “photonics” in the keyword search and came up with nearly 30 job listings.
www.Dice.com
Trademarked as “The Career Hub for Tech Insiders,” Dice offers tens of thousands of jobs in technical fields. A search on “photonics” brought up 13 openings, while a search on “optics” listed nearly 300 jobs.
www.Rafey.com
Bruce Rafey Associates has nearly 40 years of recruitment experience in the microelectronics and semiconductor industries. Its website purposefully lacks links to career resources because the company wants job seekers to contact one of its highly professional placement “counselors” for an old-fashioned career discussion. The company says that few agencies are talented and experienced enough to offer personal career guidance that considers the “human element” of the job search process. I counted more than 30 current listings on the site.
www.ChristieAssoc.com
Christie Associates offers recruitment and candidate placement exclusively within the fiber optics industry. Director Cynthia Christie explains that listed positions cover the range from junior-level individual contributors to senior management and executive roles in engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and sales. Her firm primarily represents corporations that manufacture a wide variety of products from passive components to active devices and systems, with applications particularly for the telecom/datacom markets. After 29 years, Christie Associates has numerous repeat clients using their services, as well as many candidates that have been placed two or three times.
www.LRA.com
Louis Rudzinsky Associates (LRA) has specialized in laser, optics, and photonics recruitment and placement services to individual candidates and client organizations worldwide since 1968, and has used the Web as a vital part of its strategy for more than ten years. Candidates can look at a variety of open positions with LRA’s clients, and can submit and update their resume online (www.LRA.com/jobseekers/submitresume.html). Candidates can also view job listings and find relevant information about resume writing at www.LRA.com. LRA offers candidates access to opportunities in all geographic areas of the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia via membership in National Personnel Associates (NPA), a member-owned network of 400 professional and ethical recruitment firms. Reach Howard or Jeff Rudzinsky via their Linkedin Profiles or through email: www.linkedin.com/in/howardrudzinsky and www.linkedin/com/in/jeffrudzinsky; [email protected] and [email protected].
www.LinkedIn.com
If you’re not linked in, you might be missing the best social networking opportunity around. By becoming a member, you can join photonics groups and link to industry contacts to help you “network” and find a job. By scheduling email deliveries from various groups, you’ll be plugged into many job listings before they even find their way to a jobs website.
Gail Overton | Senior Editor (2004-2020)
Gail has more than 30 years of engineering, marketing, product management, and editorial experience in the photonics and optical communications industry. Before joining the staff at Laser Focus World in 2004, she held many product management and product marketing roles in the fiber-optics industry, most notably at Hughes (El Segundo, CA), GTE Labs (Waltham, MA), Corning (Corning, NY), Photon Kinetics (Beaverton, OR), and Newport Corporation (Irvine, CA). During her marketing career, Gail published articles in WDM Solutions and Sensors magazine and traveled internationally to conduct product and sales training. Gail received her BS degree in physics, with an emphasis in optics, from San Diego State University in San Diego, CA in May 1986.