Quick Learners With Raw Talent Are Desirable When Hiring
Mike Patterson is the CEO of Graphene Frontiers. A startup manufacturing company located at the University City Science Center. Graphene Frontiers is working to streamline the production process of graphene which is a thin layer of pure carbon. Graphene is the strongest material in the world and completely flexible. It could potentially be used for electronics, medical diagnostics and more.
What do you anticipate happening in your field that will bring growth to your market in the next six months?
"There is an urgent need for improvements in sensor technology for health and fitness. Many of the breakthrough innovations in wearables (e.g. Fitbit) have come in networking, data analysis, and user interface. These devices rely on 'old' sensor technologies like accelerometers, thermometers, heart rate monitors, etc. that have been around for decades. People are beginning to demand more specific information about themselves, and progress in the field of nanotechnology manufacturing, including the work we're doing at Graphene Frontiers on chemical sensors and biosensors, makes that possible."
When hiring for your company, what do you look for in an employee?
"I like to hire 'natural athletes.' In the sports world, a natural athlete is someone who is a quick learner and has so much raw talent that he or she can compete effectively in a sport that they have never practiced. In the business world, this means people who are likely to excel and deliver results even when you ask them to play a role where they have little or no experience."
What is the median salary for a position in your field?
"It varies widely based on role, education, and experience. We have team members with everything from undergraduate degrees in materials science and very little 'real world' experience all the way to Ph.D's in neuroscience and folks with decades of manufacturing experience. A rough median salary might be somewhere around $70,000."
What advice would you give to someone entering into your field?
"Work at a small company with a noble and ambitious mission. It is one thing to work at a company whose mission is to increase earnings per share, it's another thing entirely to work at a company that is focused on making the world safer and healthier (while creating value for our shareholders as a consequence, of course). Our team members get exposure to all parts of the business, and on the technical side they get as much experience in six months as they would get in two years at a corporate giant."
Christina Thompson is a freelance writer living in Philadelphia. She reports on various topics such as: Social Media, Local Events, Entertainment, Food and Drink and more. Her work can be found at http://firstsendmedia.com/