Lab Work

[Xittenn]

I have an interview on Monday to work as a production assistant for a major pharmaceuticals manufacturer. What should I learn on the weekend to impress the president of this company? I have no formal knowledge of chemistry and really I am a chem nub as I have been saving all my learning in this department for school. I know book stuff like Organic 101 and Bio 100.5 :/ what lab type stuff should I blast through to at the very least look like I have some potential?

 

[farmboy]

Hmmm, thats a hard one. Personally I've always found that lab work is actually very simple in chemistry (cooking a quality meal is perhaps harder), it is the theoretical side which is tough so I'm not sure there really is that much you can learn in advance. I work in a lab every day (PG student) and I still quite often look up the best ways to set up my aparatus or silly stuff like does the water go into the top or bottom of a condensor lol (happened today) so I wouldnt worry too much. I'd say enthusiam is more important than anything else from what you have said.

 

If you really want to learn something though, then I'd go with safety regulations. COSHH crap, basic laboratory rules (no running with scissors lol) and stuff like that. Maybe the names of some common chemicals. HCl, NaOH, acetone, diethyl ether etc.

[Xittenn]

I am a really good cook! I have my WHIMS certificate and I have worked in a lot of similar positions just never directly in a position that involved real live chemists. I'm sure you are right, I'll just have to go in with that never fail positive attitude .. .

[farmboy]

I am a really good cook! I have my WHIMS certificate and I have worked in a lot of similar positions just never directly in a position that involved real live chemists. I'm sure you are right, I'll just have to go in with that never fail positive attitude .. .

 

No idea what WHIMS is lol. I'm from UK just incase you are american and the qualification isn't international.

 

But yeah in my experience being good in the lab is very much comparable to being good in the kitchen. You need to have an intuitive nature with regards to the progress that a reaction will take (and cooking is basically just a lot of chemical reactions at the end of the day anyway).

 

But yeah the safety stuff is the only thing I can think of still.

 

Maybe someone else will come along with something else though, so don't take my advice as absolute lol.

[Dr. Monte Miller]

Being a previous researcher, forensic scientist, and lab director I can tell you that I have worked as, worked with, and hired many nubes. The most important thing is to understand chemistry terms, grams, mL, and their symbols fo microliters etc so that you can make solutions. Math is extremely important and knowing how to calculate hom many grams or mililiters you will need is vital. If you can do that, and follow the recipe, the rest is easily taught.

 

mmiller@forensicdnaexperts.com

[John Cuthber]

"I have an interview on Monday to work as a production assistant for a major pharmaceuticals manufacturer. What should I learn on the weekend to impress the president of this company?"

 

Honesty.

Well OK, that may be unfair, but if you think you can pull the wool over their eyes by cramming about practical chemistry in a few days then you will not have a long career (except, perhaps, in politics).

 

If you don't know the stuff, say so.

They can teach =you the lab stuff if they fell they want to. If they even suspect you are bulls**tting them they won't bother to speak to you again.

On the other hand, make sure you have stories you can tell about things you have learned in a hurry before and how keen you are to get into the field. If your only previous job was flipping burgers then at least make sure you can say that you learned to do it in half the time the other trainees did.

If you are going to cram something then Dr Miller's ideas are a good start. Also learn a bit about the company.

[SCIENCEROCS]

A lot of places when you start to work at will teach you what or how they want you to do the different things. Just remember that the basic scientific method still applies, but they may have things done on a larger scale. Good luck on your job!