5 Steps to get your career started in the Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Industry!
There are many recent graduates that are entering pharmaceuticals and biotech workforce every year. Embarking on a new journey and opening a new chapter of your life can be challenging and overwhelming… this is completely normal and you are NOT alone.
Finding a job and kick starting your career is no easy task. It involves hard work, research, commitment and patience. Here are 5 steps to jump start your career!
Customize your resume
Many headhunters and pharmaceutical recruiters today use applicant tracking systems to scan resumes for keywords. This means that if you do not have specific job related keywords built into your resume you may never receive this opportunity. 
In order to set yourself up for success it is important to edit your resume to incorporate specific job description keywords into your resume. Take a look at the job requirements and required skills and align your resume to match keywords within these two sections.
Check job postings daily
In order to put yourself in the best position for a job – try and check biotech or pharmaceutical opportunities daily and apply to a job within the first 48 hours after it’s posted. To get into a good routine, start off your day by searching for new job openings each morning. There are different job boards that allow you to set up daily notification based on a custom search that best fits your interests, qualifications and location.
If you have specific companies in mind that you are looking to join follow them on social to make sure you are staying on top of all career opportunity updates.
Use your network
Most colleges maintain an online alumni database that grads can use to get contact information. Other medical colleges set up different graduate programs to assist in career building and education.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to your high school or college network. Utilize these connections to learn more about a specific industry or about a particular company.
NOTE: When contacting alumni you are reaching out for information and/or advice. It’s important to remember you are not reaching out to land a job right away. Instead, if the alumni is local, ask to meet up for coffee to chat about questions that you have prepared. Always be organized, professional and appreciative of their time.
NEWS
You may not have a job just yet – but it’s important to understand what’s going on in “your” field. Making sure you are always up to speed on industry related news could be important in future interviews or once you actually start a job. Join different social groups, read different online publications or blogs, be active on social media channels.
Expanding your knowledge will only help you with you future career search!
Being prepared
To actually get the job you will need to have a great interview. In order to put yourself in the best position you should be prepared. If you research common interview questions and prepare ahead of time this will give you the confidence you need when these questions come up.
Make sure you research the company and do your homework. Have questions prepared, read the company’s website, follow them on social media and make sure you are doing your due diligence on all ends.
GOOD LUCK!
Many life science job seekers choose to apply directly to employers for jobs; the added value that pharmaceutical recruiters or biotech headhunters can bring to clients and candidates is sometimes overlooked.
In some cases getting in touch with a recruiter will be more beneficial to you then applying directly to the position in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry.
Specialist recruitment professionals, such as Sci.bio Recruiting dedicate themselves to becoming experts in a particular field. This allows them to provide candidates with the most relevant and efficient job searching experience, resulting in a successful placement that best suits your wants and needs.
As a candidate looking for a career in life sciences, there is endless potential waiting for you. Here are the top 5 reasons why:
1. Market Experts
Many times internal talent acquisition and HR personnel have an understanding of the job they are looking to fill, as well as the market. Although this is usually the case for most employers, the nature of their role means that internal recruiters are often looking to fill several roles in many different areas of the business. This is where the advantage of working with a recruiter or executive talent placement expert makes sense.
Working with a life-science recruiter will have in-depth knowledge of the job market. This includes understanding the job market as well as the wider pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industry. There are no restrictions that tend to hold internal recruiters back, therefore they can offer a unique and honest perspective.
Spanning from small, start-up biotechnology companies to some of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world, recruiters are likely to have access to job roles before they appear on social media or job boards. They can help you to book an interview before the applicant pool gets too high. Going through a recruiter will help you jump to the top of the pile, increasing your chance of securing an interview.
Biopharma Recruiters have access to a wealth of other opportunities that will not be publicly advertised or easily available to candidates. Understanding of the market as it changes also means that recruiters will know if you’re being paid the appropriate amount. Applying directly makes it more difficult for candidates to openly discuss their personal requirements, including salary expectations, as they have no third party to negotiate on their behalf with the employer.
2. Specialist Knowledge
To expand on reason number one, life science recruiters are trained to be specialists in their field. For example, Sci.bio Recruiting offers recruiters and executive talent placement that have an educational background in life sciences, such as a degree and/or years of industry experience. The specialist’s knowledge allows a clear understanding of how the life sciences industry works and gives insight into market/industry trends. This will assist you to better understand what is happening in your field and make the right decisions to ensure that your career is headed in the right direction.
Having a discussion with a recruiter can provide you new ideas to explore and can expose you to opportunities that you didn’t know were relevant to your skill-set.
3. Client Relationship
Social media platforms such as LinkedIn have been very useful to candidates during their job search in past years. Building networks and relationships with the right people has become extremely important to successfully directing your career through the competitive life sciences industry.
Recruitment consultants, do almost all of the hard work for you. Recruiters can help you make important connections with employers and professionals that will most benefit your career progression. They have already met with the client and understand their needs. You receive all the behind the scenes information without doing the work. You have nothing to lose by exploring the ways in which they can help you.
During their meetings and ongoing communication with the client, recruiters find out much more than the finer details of the job vacancy. They get a feel for the softer things. This includes understanding company culture, team dynamics and even getting an insight into the company’s business strategy. This is information that you can benefit you greatly as the recruiter can match your skill-set, experience and personality with an ideal employer for you.
Due to recruiters’ relationships with employers, they have a thorough understanding of what they are looking for in the ideal candidate which is an advantage for candidates. You will know exactly what the role involves and the right way to sell yourself as the best candidate for the job.
Your recruiter will help you by providing information about the company, which you can then expand on yourself in the days leading up to the interview. With these available tools, you will have everything you need to succeed at your life sciences job interview.
5. Long-term investment
Building a relationship with a life science recruiter can benefit you beyond helping you secure your next job. The recruiter will keep in contact with you for months or even years after. Their market knowledge can be extremely useful as you progress. This could help you to make the best career choices possible.
