4. INTERVIEW PEOPLE (WOMEN AND
MEN) BY BEING OPPORTUNISTIC
RATHER THAN SKEPTIC.

In academia and industry, the people
and what they can contribute build
the core of overall value. In forward-
thinking organizations, it is as im-
portant to consider maintenance, as
it is to consider what roles a candidate
can generate to make a better environ-
ment. Accolades and resume lines can
unfortunately be a distraction. Those
aspects favor the status quo and ap-
peal to skepticism. In contrast, an op-
portunist can be convinced by fresh
qualities and contributions that only
a diverse candidate can bring to the
table. For example, if Tim Berners-Lee
was focused exclusively on handling
physicists’ data at CERN, the World
Wide Web as we know it might not ex-
ist today. One diamond in the rough
can change an entire organization,
bring ongoing ideas to fruition, or give
significant advantage over status-quo-
driven competitors.

5. OPEN DOORS FOR OTHERS BY
NEGOTIATING IN A PROFESSIONAL
ENVIRONMENT.

Negotiation is a tool for fairness and
creating value. All participants are re-
quired to be professional in order to
achieve fairness. Consider the person
who goes through the door and doesn’t
hold the door for the person behind.
This man (or woman) who doesn’t open
doors for others is simply a person that
doesn’t negotiate. Almost always, this
ends up being a loss of value in the long
you are a scout at a diner discovering a
potentially successful supermodel. A
scout knows snapping some pictures
for free and slapping the images on
the cover of a magazine is not the most
effective way to create a supermodel.
Instead, the key is to uncover and nur-
ture strengths. Unfortunately, in the
science fields, whatever appears as an
“objective” assessment can often be a
quick judgment that leaves no room for
developing potential talent.

It then follows that when it comes
time to interview for that dream job,
approach the opportunity as though
you’re getting discovered. As a candi-
date, show off your strengths and how
you can bring something new to the ta-
ble and then be open to learning more
on the job. I m
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