Purple Squirrel Hunt

Chemjobber posted about a "fishy" ACS Careers ad earlier this morning, and a clever commenter deduced a reasonable explanation: the uber-specific writing limited the candidate pool to only those folks working in the founder's lab!

Prof. Christian Melander, of NCSU, helped to found Agile Sciences in the Research Triangle area back in 2007. The company (and the job announcement) aims to find 2-aminoimidazole compounds capable of biofilm dispersion to treat, for example, stubborn hospital-acquired infections or respiratory ailments.

Well, you might think a parody job posting about a comment on a blog about a job posting to be a bit...meta, but here we go*

"Burgeoning Midwestern lab seeks bench chemists who love silicon-Lewis base chemistry. Must enjoy race cars and working long shifts. Mustaches a plus"

"Large, exploration-driven government agency seeks scientists driven to find alternative life forms. Must own set of rubber boots, waders, and enjoy the smell of metal- and sulfur-rich lakes. Creative writing background preferred."

"Are you a 'thinker?' Massive multinational pharmaceutical seeks innovative chemists for 'design' role in large East Coast city. Must enjoy scowling at computer monitor 12+ hours, skimming literature. Prerequisite: outsourcing experience."

"W. Coast Research Institute seeks hard-core synthesis folk. Ability to beat boss in arm wrestling a plus. Must enjoy high-profile publications, spotlights, and joining heterocycles in unforeseen ways. Join our cult, err, program today!"

*Note for the humorless: this is satire.