Job Skills Career advice for a nuclear postdoc?

AI Thread Summary
A postdoc in nuclear engineering, with a focus on severe accident analysis, thermal-hydraulics, and CFD, is seeking job opportunities as their current position may not lead to future employment. They express concern about the limited job openings matching their qualifications on platforms like Indeed and Glassdoor and inquire about the nuclear industry's job market in the UK. Responses emphasize the importance of applying for jobs even if the candidate does not meet all qualifications, as employers may still consider them valuable. It is noted that many job descriptions list ideal candidates that do not exist, and matching a significant portion of the requirements can still make one a strong candidate. The discussion also touches on challenges faced by foreign applicants, particularly in defense-related positions that often require citizenship, which limits opportunities for international candidates.
Kochia
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Hi!

I am on my way to complete a two-year postdoc. I have BSc, MSc and PhD in nuclear engineering. My research focuses are severe accident analysis, thermal-hydraulics and CFD. Since it is very likely that my current employer cannot ensure a future temporary/permanent position, I am looking for new job opportunities. Here are some questions to which I wish I could get some advice from you:

1. I tried to search for the job openings that matched my skill sets and background online (websites such as Indeed and Glassdoor). However, there were few posts to which I feel confident enough to submit my CV. What jobs do you think I am eligible for?

2. I am very interested in living and working in UK. However, I doubt that I could find any positions if I were to stay in my research field. Any information on situation of nuclear industry or academia in UK?

Thank you in advance for possible advice!

Kochia
 
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I would submit your application to any job that even partially matches your skills. It may be that the employer will decide to grab you knowing how difficult it would be to find someone with all the skills needed.

I knew someone once who lost an opportunity once because they felt they didn't "know" something well enough even though they did candidate (confidence or naively excluding opportunities ) and said so at the interview but upon a second interview got hired.
 
jedishrfu said:
I would submit your application to any job that even partially matches your skills. It may be that the employer will decide to grab you knowing how difficult it would be to find someone with all the skills needed.

I knew someone once who lost an opportunity once because they felt they didn't "know" something well enough even though they did candidate (confidence or naively excluding opportunities ) and said so at the interview but upon a second interview got hired.

Thanks for the reply! Well, guess I took it for granted that one should be fully or mostly qualified for the job to get a better chance for interview.
 
What is "fully or mostly qualified"? The job descriptions list the ideal candidate. The ideal candidate does not exist. There is no one applying who has years of experience in every single topic mentioned in the job description. If you match 2/3 of the list, including at least some of the technical parts, you are already a great candidate. If you match 1/2 you might still be a good candidate.
 
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It's actually pretty absurd what some employers list as required skills for jobs. In some defense areas you can only get hired if you know X but you only will ever know X if you get hired(as X is exclusively used by the military).
 
Qurks said:
It's actually pretty absurd what some employers list as required skills for jobs. In some defense areas you can only get hired if you know X but you only will ever know X if you get hired(as X is exclusively used by the military).
True. But such jobs always require citizenship, which is another (major) hurdle for potential applicants from overseas.
 
Kochia said:
True. But such jobs always require citizenship, which is another (major) hurdle for potential applicants from overseas.

Yea, that's one reason I like them.

Graduate school is filled with so many foreign students and none of them will be getting any of those jobs.
 

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