Lost confidence after job dilemma (applying, jobs, career, contract)

[Manc765]

This post is asking for some job/career related advice. I am in academia however the question is related to leadership potential and I feel people from any field could answer my question.

I work in academic research and I was hired a year ago to work on a project, at the same time they were also impressed with another candidate and hired them. Initially I fell in to the role of coordinating the study – I am a quiet person and am not someone you would see as a ‘natural leader’, and the other person they hired is very enthusiastic and much more vocal than I am. Recently my contract has not been extended and my boss told me they don’t see me as a research lead and more of a patient focused researcher. There is a lack of funding, however they seem to be able to keep the other person on for some months and they are now leading the study.

I am applying for other academic roles which includes roles where leading a study is involved but I feel I have lost confidence from this experience. In the past I have had bad experiences with overbearing bosses, but in this situation I feel that I would have had the chance to shine had this other person not been hired and been pushing themselves to the forefront.

Based on this experience and what my boss said, should I avoid jobs which involved managing and coordinating a study or should I give it another shot? Do you think these kind of skills can be learned/practised? If it is of relevance I am only 28 and the other person is slightly younger.

[nifear]

You mentioned you started your former job a year ago. Is this your first experience as a coordinator? It can take a while to get used to the way things work... each institution has their own way of doing things. It also takes a while to learn the basics of whatever field you're researching. I think, with time, as your foundation and understanding of things gets stronger, you'll gain more confidence and this will enable to to be seen as a 'leader'.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'patient focused' researcher. Do you mean mainly just recruiting, scheduling, consenting, testing? This in itself takes 'leadership' skills as you are not only their primary point of contact, you also need to know how to thoroughly explain things, and provide assistance if they need redirection during testing.

Again, I think with the more experience under your belt, the more sure of yourself you'll become and soon people will be coming to you for guidance.

[Moby Hick]

I wouldn't avoid applying for jobs coordinating a study just because of one experience that didn't work. In many studies, the coordinator is the person who does the patient-focused portions of the work. And so much is going to depend on the PI not the role in the study.