Why did the DFG, the German Research Foundation, open an office in Washington a year ago? To gain a perspective on how science is conducted in another country, said the DFG's president Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker last week at a reception to welcome the new director of the Washington office, Marina Koch-Krumrei. Naturejobs is opening a new feature this issue, called Career View, for similar reasons. We want to bring in more voices from different career stages — from the postdoc trying to land his or her first tenure-track job to a senior scientist who's bounced between academia and industry.

The first new perspective we've added is that of an outsider. Deb Koen, vice-president of the company Career Development Services based in upstate New York, has years of experience counselling scientists and non-scientists. We know that her 'nuts and bolts' advice, on everything from writing resumés to negotiating salaries, will be valued by scientists, even if they're not actively job-hunting.

Noting the many organizations catering specifically to young scientists — from students to postdocs — popping up around the globe, we thought they deserved a platform. The first Career View features the results of a survey of young biotechnologists by the Association of Italian Biotechnologists. We will try to give a voice to organizations from all over the world. Finally, we have moved our established feature 'Movers' to this new page in an altered format that focuses on one scientist and their career path.

And like the incoming head of DFG's Washington office, Naturejobs also has an interest in addressing so-called 'soft issues', such as finding jobs for spouses when a scientist relocates, or the effect that housing costs have on recruiting postdocs to expensive cities. We encourage suggestions for new issues and angles and welcome the addition of your voice to our Career View.