The Blue Sky Resumes blog has a great post, the 7 Mistakes You’re Probably Making on LinkedIn.
The pharmaceutical and biotech sectors have been enthusiastic adopters of this social networking site. If you’ve ever wondered how to find the names of people to call for informational interviews, or for personalizing your cover letters, this is your answer.
These days, LinkedIn should definitely be a part of your networking strategy but you can’t just put up a profile and forget it. Louise Fletcher’s advice will help your profile get attention.
If you’re trying to land a clinical research job, you should apply these tips on how to write a clinical research resume to your profile as well. Be sure to sign up for some LinkedIn groups that relate to your career goals (e.g. the Good Clinical Practice group).
In a future post, we’ll talk about how to use LinkedIn to actively build relationships, and discuss the value of other niche social networking sites.
Medical Science Liaison jobs are often seen as the “Golden Ticket” for advanced degree holders looking at career options in the pharmaceutical industry. The thought of receiving a six-figure salary to travel from place to place discussing the latest scientific research is incredibly alluring, and many PhDs and postdocs see the skill sets required as a “perfect match” for their own experiences carrying out research and making presentations. But for most, MSL jobs remain out of reach, because they don’t think carefully about what the industry is looking for in applicants.
Here in Toronto, the MaRS Discovery District is a biotechnology research hub that was specifically developed to connect the science, business and finance communities.
If there is a biotechnology hub like this near you, it can be a great resource for your job search. MaRS frequently holds events and seminars that allow students and interested members of the public to learn more about all aspects of the biotechnology sector. One series of lectures, called Entrepreneurship 101, is especially useful for getting a behind-the-scenes look at what’s involved in the operation of a biotech business.
Not in Toronto? Never fear! The Entrepreneurship 101 lectures are available for free online as webcasts.
This particular session, “Managing your Career – how to sell yourself and manage your career goals“, is of particular relevance for this blog. Teresa Snelgrove, an executive recruiter specializing in the pharmaceutical and biotech sector, and Frederic Sweeney, a scientist who left the lab to start a career in finance, both share insights into the job search and career development.
You can view the webcast here, and download a PDF of the presentation here (requires a free slideshare registration).
A webcast of a previous version of the same presentation can be viewed here. You may also want to check out the full archive of Entrepreneurship 101 presentations.
One of my favourite motivational speakers is Dave Howlett, a former pharmaceutical sales manager (Hoescht Marion Roussel, GenSci OCF) and corporate executive (Sciax Technology, the MAGNES Group) who now gives entertaining presentations on the arts of sales and networking.
Dave suggests that you should always wear a lapel pin as an aid to your networking efforts: “People look for points of commonality with you. Where you came from. The school your kids go to. Whether you own cats or dogs. Even the pin you wear on your suit gives people an opportunity to find out what you do for fun on weekends. That invites conversation and relationship-building.”
If you love science, then Made With Molecules is a great place to find jewelery, cards and gifts that express your interest and can provide an opener for conversation at conferences and other networking events, or help your thank-you notes stand out and be remembered. They’re made by Raven Hanna, PhD, a former molecular biophysicist who left the lab to share her love of science in a different way.
When you’re applying for a job in the biotechnology sector, one of the best ways to set yourself apart from the competition is through the knowledge of the industry you bring to the table.
If you’ve ever thought of taking your PhD into the world of high finance, or dreamed of starting your own company someday, then the free e-book, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to a Biotech Startup is a must-read — but understanding how all the different parts of a biotech company work together will help you in your biotech career no matter what you do.
No job exists in a vacuum. You may be applying for a job as a preclinical scientist, but if you understand how the work you do at the bench relates to the rest of the company — intellectual property, regulatory affairs, technology transfer and more — then you are in a position to deliver real value.
The Guide is a phenomenal resource for understanding how biotech companies are put together. The author, Peter Kolchinsky, is a Harvard-trained virologist who finished his PhD and began working as an investment analyst in the biotech sector. The guide clearly explains how biotech firms are built from the ground up, beginning with an idea, and moving chapter by chapter through the business plan, legal issues, staffing, public relations, business development and more, all the way to raising capital and going public with an IPO. The chapters on drug pricing principles and clinical development are fantastic introductions to these fields for anyone exploring a career in health economics or clinical research.
The book closes with a brief note on networking, and I think the closing paragraphs are too good not to share:
“Knowing someone involves more than remembering their face and name. Well-networked people . . . find opportunities to interact with the same people on multiple occasions. Like a finger-drawing on a fogged window, a network must be traced and retraced or else it disappears.”
The best thing about the guide? It’s free! You just need to register at Evelexa BioResources, a site full of information about biotech ventures, and you’ll be able to download it as a PDF.
