Casey Zakroff
@caseyzakroff.bsky.social
Computational biologist, squid scientist, author of Science Comics: Whales + other things. Taskmaster: the Live Experience champion. Views mine own.
I just don’t know how to anymore. The version of an interactive and engaged online community I have in my head is just never what it is on any platform. I think that’s mostly a me thing, but I don’t have the energy or motivation to actively cultivate online presence. It feels too much like work.
November 24, 2025 at 7:40 PM
I just don’t know how to anymore. The version of an interactive and engaged online community I have in my head is just never what it is on any platform. I think that’s mostly a me thing, but I don’t have the energy or motivation to actively cultivate online presence. It feels too much like work.
Yeah, I would agree not to art it up - people tend to go too far with it. A very minimalistic stylistic touch can be nice, especially if relevant to the position, but it is mostly distracting and unnecessary. You can have an art/design portfolio and include a link to it if it is relevant.
August 13, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Yeah, I would agree not to art it up - people tend to go too far with it. A very minimalistic stylistic touch can be nice, especially if relevant to the position, but it is mostly distracting and unnecessary. You can have an art/design portfolio and include a link to it if it is relevant.
It sucks such an incredible amount, but you will land something/get there! And just try to keep in mind self care and mental health as best you can along the way.
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
It sucks such an incredible amount, but you will land something/get there! And just try to keep in mind self care and mental health as best you can along the way.
So I would work up the CV/resume with short attention span communication principles in mind, yes. But also put some time aside into where and how you can meet, talk, convince people with jobs or who know people with jobs that you should be in one of those jobs.
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
So I would work up the CV/resume with short attention span communication principles in mind, yes. But also put some time aside into where and how you can meet, talk, convince people with jobs or who know people with jobs that you should be in one of those jobs.
I got connected to my company through a Data Engineering program - and to my current Data Science position through word of mouth and networking internally. I believe strongly my lack of network and support in academia outside Cephalopoda is mostly why I couldn’t land a postdoc.
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
I got connected to my company through a Data Engineering program - and to my current Data Science position through word of mouth and networking internally. I believe strongly my lack of network and support in academia outside Cephalopoda is mostly why I couldn’t land a postdoc.
In both cases, really frankly, networking matters more than resumes and applications at the end of the day. Getting any face time you can, where you can be persuasive and convincing and exciting goes so so so far.
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
In both cases, really frankly, networking matters more than resumes and applications at the end of the day. Getting any face time you can, where you can be persuasive and convincing and exciting goes so so so far.
Likewise they need money and if you have gotten money they will want to know that you can help them get money. This is my trauma speaking, so I apologize if this is harsh - postdoc applications sucked hardcore.
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Likewise they need money and if you have gotten money they will want to know that you can help them get money. This is my trauma speaking, so I apologize if this is harsh - postdoc applications sucked hardcore.
And say where you are intending to submit - give it like a draft title and expected journal - give them tangibility that you are in the thick of that and ready to do more because that is what they will want you to be doing for them.
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
And say where you are intending to submit - give it like a draft title and expected journal - give them tangibility that you are in the thick of that and ready to do more because that is what they will want you to be doing for them.
From my experience, academia cares about pubs and grants first then skills. It was less “can you do this job” and more “are you published in this job” and really more “can I make you publish our existing bioinformatic data backlog.” Highlight projects/thesis work where pubs are in process up top…
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
From my experience, academia cares about pubs and grants first then skills. It was less “can you do this job” and more “are you published in this job” and really more “can I make you publish our existing bioinformatic data backlog.” Highlight projects/thesis work where pubs are in process up top…
Academia - foof - I’m a bit removed from at this point to say but a lot of the same rules apply. The most relevant skills and experience need to be up top, page 1. It can have everything but unless the lab is super sci comm-y they don’t usually care about that stuff so put it laaaast last.
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Academia - foof - I’m a bit removed from at this point to say but a lot of the same rules apply. The most relevant skills and experience need to be up top, page 1. It can have everything but unless the lab is super sci comm-y they don’t usually care about that stuff so put it laaaast last.
So industry: name/info, skills, experience, education. Thats page 1 as a format and you cut and shift for each job. Page 2 can have more experience/jobs/etc. but only really if relevant - they do not go that far to read it.
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
So industry: name/info, skills, experience, education. Thats page 1 as a format and you cut and shift for each job. Page 2 can have more experience/jobs/etc. but only really if relevant - they do not go that far to read it.
I’d suggest making this one section and selecting three, maybe four of the key items that highlight the skills noted at the top that are relevant to the role and provide clear results with tangible numbers/outputs from your contributions.
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
I’d suggest making this one section and selecting three, maybe four of the key items that highlight the skills noted at the top that are relevant to the role and provide clear results with tangible numbers/outputs from your contributions.
Education needs to be there on the first page but is a bottom item in my view. You need the degree(s), it’s a check mark to check for the reviewer, but it isn’t important compared to what you have done/can do, so the meat of page 1 is experience/projects
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Education needs to be there on the first page but is a bottom item in my view. You need the degree(s), it’s a check mark to check for the reviewer, but it isn’t important compared to what you have done/can do, so the meat of page 1 is experience/projects
For industry, summarize your skills and put them straight at the top. What tools can you use, what assays can you run, what code languages do you know, what leadership/business/comm skills do you bring to the table. Lead with these and then reinforce them with your projects and experience.
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
For industry, summarize your skills and put them straight at the top. What tools can you use, what assays can you run, what code languages do you know, what leadership/business/comm skills do you bring to the table. Lead with these and then reinforce them with your projects and experience.
Prioritizing information depends on your audience so these are intertwined. In both academic or industry cases, I don’t think the summary is necessary - it’s the narrative you convey in the interview once they know you are a strong candidate via skills and experience
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Prioritizing information depends on your audience so these are intertwined. In both academic or industry cases, I don’t think the summary is necessary - it’s the narrative you convey in the interview once they know you are a strong candidate via skills and experience
In terms of space, shrink up the header, remove the molecular biologist subtitle (as recommended elsewhere). Think about reducing to 2-3 bullets max. People do not read long things - apply your expertise in short attention span communication here like you would a video or poster.
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
In terms of space, shrink up the header, remove the molecular biologist subtitle (as recommended elsewhere). Think about reducing to 2-3 bullets max. People do not read long things - apply your expertise in short attention span communication here like you would a video or poster.
As such, it is a communication problem, which you are more than equipped to solve. The keys here are use of space, prioritization of information by ordering, and knowing your audience.
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
As such, it is a communication problem, which you are more than equipped to solve. The keys here are use of space, prioritization of information by ordering, and knowing your audience.
For most spaces, this is too long. It is a good academic CV, but I’m assuming you are chopping it up for industry, which is a one page max - two ooonly if the first page really captures them.
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
For most spaces, this is too long. It is a good academic CV, but I’m assuming you are chopping it up for industry, which is a one page max - two ooonly if the first page really captures them.
First and foremost you are an impressive candidate - the silence and rejection at large can be so crushing and gaslighting in a way - but it is not a reflection on you or your qualifications. It is a shitty, flooded job market and it is a law of large numbers problem/hellish lottery.
August 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
First and foremost you are an impressive candidate - the silence and rejection at large can be so crushing and gaslighting in a way - but it is not a reflection on you or your qualifications. It is a shitty, flooded job market and it is a law of large numbers problem/hellish lottery.
@franzanth.bsky.social my cousin sent it to me. The post is doing numbers haha
June 27, 2025 at 2:50 AM
@franzanth.bsky.social my cousin sent it to me. The post is doing numbers haha
School and education - learning at all really - need to not be a chore, not be a judgment, not be seen as an impedance to enjoying day to day life for people to not want to cheat their way around doing it.
June 3, 2025 at 8:57 PM
School and education - learning at all really - need to not be a chore, not be a judgment, not be seen as an impedance to enjoying day to day life for people to not want to cheat their way around doing it.
When education is points and scores, when students are there because they have to be rather than wanting to be, it is not surprising that students game and hack the system. They always have - but AI really breaks it in a new and dramatic way.
June 3, 2025 at 8:57 PM
When education is points and scores, when students are there because they have to be rather than wanting to be, it is not surprising that students game and hack the system. They always have - but AI really breaks it in a new and dramatic way.
As much as AI sucks, I think this is the product of a global education system - and cultural value system - where what matters is just passing and moving on rather learning and engaging with information.
June 3, 2025 at 8:57 PM
As much as AI sucks, I think this is the product of a global education system - and cultural value system - where what matters is just passing and moving on rather learning and engaging with information.
I have other, partly you-inspired, ideas on this as well but as ever committed art time escapes me.
May 21, 2025 at 2:58 PM
I have other, partly you-inspired, ideas on this as well but as ever committed art time escapes me.
I’m hoping the information literacy part of next graphic novel is well received and I can use that as leverage to push for a book where science + information literacy is the core topic (because rn publisher is nooot interested, haha).
May 21, 2025 at 2:58 PM
I’m hoping the information literacy part of next graphic novel is well received and I can use that as leverage to push for a book where science + information literacy is the core topic (because rn publisher is nooot interested, haha).