Scientific Recruiter: Scott Canavera

Scott Canaver, M.B.A.

How did you choose your career? Was this an easy or hard process for you? If you struggled, how did you overcome these struggles?

I wouldn't say that I chose my career or that I had even thought about scientific recruiting as part of my career goals. I took a very circuitous route to get here. I received a B.S. in Microbiology and one year later I went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Immunology. However, I left the program early with a M.Sc. as I realized fairly quickly that my passion for research, and more specifically, bench research was not there. I knew I didn't want to teach or run a lab, so I decided to pursue other opportunities. I pretty quickly went back to school and received an M.B.A. with the overall goal of staying within a scientific company, but working on the business side of things. I knew I wanted to stay in the non-profit sector focusing on global health and life-science research, so Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center was an obvious place to look. I ended up finding this position as a Scientific Recruiter, which was a nice blend of science, business, and working with people.

What kind of training, both formal and informal, did you receive to prepare you for your career? If applicable, how did you select where to attend graduate school? How about any additional training? How did you choose what additonal training to pursue and how did you choose where to do it?

I have a B.S. in Microbiology, a M.Sc. in Immunology, and an M.B.A. I chose graduate school based on quality of programs and reputation and on location. When I entered graduate school, I had a backup plan in case I didn't enjoy working on the Ph.D., which at the time was pursuing a law degree to do biomedical patenting. However, shortly after leaving the program with a M.Sc., I thought an M.B.A. would be more beneficial and open up other doors of interest.

How competitve and/or rigorous was the training for your career?

The Immunology Ph.D. program at the University of Washington is highly competitive and only has a few slots each year.

In general, how much did the training cost? Was the investment worth it?

The M.Sc. training did not cost anything as I received a stipend, so yes, it was worth the investment. The M.B.A. program cost just over $30,000 and was well worth the investment, both in terms of training that I received and in new positions that I was able to gain with that degree.

How long did it take you to train? Was it shorter or longer than anticipated? If you had any setbacks, how did you deal with them?

It took a while to complete all of my training and there were some setbacks, particularly when I decided to leave the Ph.D. program. However, these changes took place in phases and at different times and were not all part of the plan; I dealt with things one step at a time. Since I didn't have a concrete goal of where I was going, I adapted to the situation and to my interests.

What was the process like to apply for your first job after your training was over? Was it easy or difficult? How did you cope with any difficulties? Did that differ from subsequent jobs you've had?

The process was very long and difficult. I kind of had one foot in science and one foot in business and people had a hard time figuring out where to place me, especially given that I did not have much business experience outside of school.

What advice would you give to someone interested in following a similar career path?

I would encourage people to work and/or do internships before entering into any program or career path. It is essential to know that you are committed and can stay committed for an extended period of time. By working or doing internships before going to school, you gain valuable experience and exposure to different areas of interest, which will help you identify what you are really passionate about.

What would you have done differently in preparing for your career?

First, not felt the pressure to hurry up and go to graduate school and took my time to work a little bit beforehand. Second, completed some internships to better explore possibilities and gain experience.

How much do you like what you do? Why? Is it what you imagined it would be? If not, how have you adapted?

Yes, I do enjoy what I am doing because I work at a great organization, I interact with a lot of interesting and intelligent people, I am exposed to science and can immerse myself as much as I want to, and I am making a difference in the lives of others through the work of the Hutchinson Center.

How do you achieve career-life balance? Is this easy or hard to do? How many hours do you typically work per week?

This is pretty easy to do as the Hutch offers a great work/life balance and I traditionally work a forty-hour week.

What strategies have you figured out over time to help you succeed?

Building relationships, finding commonalities, paying attention to others needs, looking for the win/win in any situation, and doing the best that I can do.

How do you see your field changing in the next 5–10 years?

I see it moving towards being more digital and less personal, with less human-to-human interaction.

Anything else you would like to share?

I think it is always important to continue to move forward and not look back and to not be afraid of trying new things or doing things that, on the surface, may not be exactly what you are looking for. Allow yourself to be open to new things. Finally, do your best at whatever you choose to do.