What an M.S. Chemist Should Consider before Accepting an Industrial Position

Before you accept, have you thought about…

• Compensation
• Your Classification
• Benefits
• Career Growth
• A Typical Day
• The Location
• Company's Future
• References

Compensation

The overall median starting salary for inexperienced MS-level chemists employed in the United States in 2004 was $43,600. Salaries vary however with the type of employer, the nature of the product, and the geographical location.

• Salaries are generally higher in private industry.
• Salaries also tend to vary with the size of the company. The starting salary for an MS chemist employed by an industrial firm that had more than five hundred employees typically averaged $12,000 more than those beginning employment in small companies.
• Salaries are generally higher for new inexperienced MS chemists doing applied work than those who accept a research position. About 50% of new MS chemists were hired into the pharmaceutical industry.
• Overall salaries for new inexperienced MS chemists were highest in the Middle Atlantic region.
• Some positions in companies may have commissions, bonuses, and have other salary adjustments which may impact your income and is outside of the survey results.
• Use the ACS Salary Comparator to find current information applicable to specific employment situations (members only).

Further details on current salaries are available in articles that appear in Chemical & Engineering News each April and August.

Find out more information on the latest figures.

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Your Classification

Your job classification may affect both your salary and your benefits. Be very sure whether the job you accept is an exempt or a non-exempt position.

Non-exempt employees are eligible for overtime pay; these positions are usually considered non-professional.

Exempt employees are not eligible for overtime pay; these positions are considered to be professional. They may often work more than a standard forty-hour week without additional compensation.

Technicians are usually considered to be non-exempt positions.

Chemists are usually considered to be exempt positions.

Contract employees may be either full-time or part-time with varying benefit packages.

Before you accept a position in industry, be sure that you understand the nature and responsibilities of the job, for whom you actually work, to whom you report, what your salary will be, and what the benefits are for which you are eligible. As with any job, there are often many more factors to consider than just the quoted salary.

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Benefits

The package of benefits provided with any job should be carefully considered.

• Are there adequate health, pension, vacation, and disability programs available? What portion of the costs will you be required to contribute?
• Will the company help to pay for any relocation expenses?
• Does the company have a savings and/or stock ownership plan? Are there savings plans such as 401(k) available and are you eligible to participate? What are the limits on your contributions and those that the company will match ?
• Are there educational programs available such as tuition reimbursement, leadership training, technical training, etc.?

In some companies, the benefits packages are negotiable. Benefit packages vary. Human Resource Officers in each company can help you explore the options available

Find out more information on benefits in ACS Insurance.

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Career Growth

When considering employment in industry, the potential for career growth could be more important than the starting salary and the benefits package. Potential for career growth is very difficult to evaluate, but the following questions may help you:

• What training and professional development does the company offer?
• Does the position allow for advancement? Have others before you successfully advanced and how often?
• Will your supervisor be an effective mentor for your career development? Will your supervisor encourage you to excel? Does the corporate culture support your career development?
• Does the company really need an MS to do this job? An increasing number of companies are seeking degreed individuals for traditional technician positions.
• Is there cross-training with other departments available or encouraged?
• Are there international opportunities for development?
• Are there career developing lateral moves available? Does the company offer future career development opportunities?

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A Typical Day

When considering a job offer, determine how you will be spending your time?

• Will your job be varied or repetitive? Will it offer continual challenges?
• Will you be in the lab or an office? Will you travel?
• Will you spend time with other scientists, vendors, customers, administrators, or government officials?
• Many companies are global. Will you be communicating with colleagues, customers, or vendors from or in other countries? Are you fluent in another language?

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The Location

When considering a job offer, determine how you will be spending your time?

• Will you remain in the facility at which you have a job offer? What is the cost-of-living and what is the quality of life for that location?
• How often does the company tend to relocate its employees? Will this create problems with your spouse? Does the company offer help in locating a job for your spouse?
• Will relocation take you outside of the country? International experiences can offer both faster and more varied career development opportunities.

Research information about the location of the company. Some potential sources include:

See Places Rated Almanac available at most public libraries for detailed information. The American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association’s Cost of Living Index, published quarterly, presents the cost of living indices for selected metropolitan areas.

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Company's Future

• This is hard to evaluate but the future of the company will affect your career growth.
• Is this a financially stable firm?
• What is the growth potential of the specific company and the industry as a whole?

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References

• ACS Careers has information on resume writing, interviewing, job searching, etc.
• ACS Insurance

Other Resources

• Academic Salaries (AAUP)
• Company’s quarterly or annual report in Wall Street Journal
• Company’s financial situation in Dun and Bradstreet
• Cost of Living Index

See your local library or bookstore for some excellent books on establishing a consultancy

ACS Salary Comparator

Using results from ACS employment surveys, the Salary Comparator helps members find answers to salary-related questions by providing current information applicable to specific employment situations:

CEN-CHEMJOBS.org

CEN-CHEMJOBS.org is your online career and employment connection from the American Chemical Society. CEN-CHEMJOBS.org is dedicated to serving the entire chemical science community by connecting job seekers and employers in a way that makes everyone a winner.

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