Online Career Resources Sites for Life Scientists and Other Bioprofessionals
Believe it or not, employment opportunities are looking better in the life sciences industry. While this may be good news for some, the need for R&D scientists and sales representatives in the US is dwindling. The high cost and low ROI for R&D at most major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies has forced life sciences executives to outsource many R&D functions that previously had been performed in house. Likewise, the inability of companies to bring novel, new medicines to market has reduced the need for pharmaceutical companies to maintain large sales forces. Put simply, there aren’t enough drugs to be sold to warrant large numbers of sales people trying to sell them! Given this backdrop, now may be a good time for bioprofessionals in these areas to consider new job opportunities and possibly new career paths. To that end, this post contains information about several biocareer developments sites (created by me) that may be helpful to bioprofessionals looking for work or new careers.
BioCrowd
BioCrowd, created two years ago by Clifford Mintz and Vincent Racaniello, is an online networking site for scientists and other life sciences professionals. Built on a flexible and highly interactive social networking platform, BioCrowd was designed to foster scientific and business relationships between its members. While science is the main driver of our community, it takes a host of other bioprofessionals in addition to scientists to create successful life sciences ventures. To that end, BioCrowd provides its members with immediate access to world class academic researchers, industrial scientists, consultants, recruiters, venture capitalists and other life sciences professionals.
Our goal is to provide a socially-interactive “one-stop-shopping” solution for bioprofessionals who are interested in advancing their careers or seeking new business opportunities in the life sciences industry.
BioJobBlog
BioJobBlog was created four years ago and focuses on training and career development issues that are facing scientists and other bioprofessionals. The blog offers career development ideas and advice for bioprofessionals and also provides insights into hot topics and debates taking place in the life sciences industry.
Its founder, Clifford Mintz, started the blog because of the career difficulties he faced while making the transition from an academic scientist to freelance science writer. Cliff hopes that by sharing his experiences with others they may be able to more easily navigate their own career paths which can be difficult, frustrating and emotionally- draining!
The BioJobCenter
The BioJob Center offers both job seekers and employers ‘real time,’ current job listings, job application tracking, and e-mail job alerts. Job seekers can join for free and search for jobs (based on job title and/or location) and directly apply for them from the job center.
Employers, for a fee, can list job openings; advertise jobs; call out ‘hot jobs’ or search candidate resume databases. Jobs posted to the BioJob Center are also simultaneously listed on other job sites including www.JobJobHealth.com and Twitter Jobs.
While this is not close to being a comprehensive list of biocareer development sites out there, I can safely say that the advice and content on these sites is relevant and sound.
Until next time...
Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!
Regulatory affairs professionals (RAP) are by far some of the most important employees at pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical devices companies. Without RAPs, the requisite regulatory documents would not be filed and new drugs and devices would not be approved for marketing and sale.
There is no question that interviewing is an art and that experienced job candidates may have a leg up on more junior candidates seekers when it comes to face-to-face (F2F) job interviews. That said, there is a commonly held belief among job seekers that hiring managers frequently ask silly, “bonehead” and irrelevant questions during F2F interviews. Examples of these frequently asked questions include “What are your strengths and weaknesses” and “Tell me how you overcame adversity or a difficult situation at work.” 
Some of you may have noticed that a new tab entitled “BioCareers” has been added to the BioJobBlog navigation bar.
I came across this excellent article written by 
Congratulations! The resume that you spent many hours carefully crafting has resulted in a face-to-face interview at a Company that you are extremely interested in. After the adrenalin rush has worn off, you think “OMG, I have to put together a seminar, make travel arrangements and buy new clothes and shoes (well only if you are a woman)”. Although you may think that the hard part of your job search is over; think again….the fun is just beginning. 
Under ideal circumstances, job interviews can be very stressful and emotionally draining. After all, how you perform on a job interview will likely determine whether or not you get an offer for a position. Unfortunately, unless you are an experienced jobseeker, who has has participated in many job interviews, you will likely be taken by surprise at your next one. To that end, the following tips, when adhered to, will likely help to reduce your stress level at your next job interview and possibly increase your chances of getting a job offer.
Life sciences employers ranging from academic institution to private sector companies are increasingly turning to telephone interviews as an initial means to screen prospective job candidates. While in many instances these interviews are perfunctory, they are conducted for two main reasons. First, the employer wants to verify that the information presented by the candidate in his/her curriculum vitae is correct and accurate. Second, and perhaps more importantly, to determine whether or not a candidate has sufficient oral communications skills that warrant the cost necessary to bring a candidate in for a face-to-face on site interview.
What is the real purpose of a business card? Everyone knows that they ought to have one but do they really help to generate business or aid in a job search? According to the “experts”, a business card is an integral part of any corporate or personal marketing plan (that’s right it is okay to market yourself). Of course, you can't expect a business card to tell the whole story about you or your company. That said, the real purpose of a business card is to present a professional image or impression so that people will remember who you are after they meet you. (2).jpg)
The advent of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter Linked-In and MySpace (does anyone still use it?) have taken the concept of "networking" to new levels. However, is sitting in front of computer thanking people for adding them to their friend's list really what networking is suppose to be about? I think not!
Like most scientists, the questions that I enjoy the most have simple answers. Black or white is much easier to deal with than shades of gray (although shades of gray can be titillating from a research perspective). With this in mind, the answer to my question about online job searches is a shade of gray rather than black or white. It goes without saying, that applying for jobs online is simple, facile, and extremely gratifying. On a given day, you can apply for thousands of jobs and feel like you have done something positive for your future..jpg)
One of the many things that I was not taught in graduate school (or as a postdoctoral fellow for that matter), was how to prepare a resume. Despite opinions to the contrary, a resume is a very important document that must be well organized and carefully crafted. This is because the first thing that every hiring manager sees when looking for new employees is a job applicant's resume. As the old adage goes, first impressions are the most important and the ones that last the longest. That said, it is typically in a job candidate's best interest to have the first impression be a good one. To that end, resume should not be prepared hastily nor should theybe crafted without a substantial amount of thought and consideration. I do not want to get into the nuts and bolts of resume writing in this post. However, every resume should contain the following information:
The ever-increasing competition for faculty positions is forcing many graduate students and postdocs to consider careers outside of academia with a likely eye on industrial jobs. Unfortunately, many of these would be industrial scientists lack the appropriate training and qualifications for entry-level jobs at pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. This is because most undergraduate and graduate programs do not offer training to their students in drug development, quality systems and manufacturing. The reasons for this include: 1) lack of well informed and qualified faculty members to initiate and develop specialized curricula on these topics and 2) a belief that job training is the responsibility of prospective employers, not academic researchers. Unless substantive curricular change is made to existing academic programs, the road to employment for many students will continue to be bumpy and fraught with difficulty. 
In this past Sunday’s New York Time Business section there was an .gif)
BioJobBlog and Career Management Source, a producer of online applications for streamlining job searching and hiring, have teamed to create 
More and more people are losing their corporate jobs because of the recession. The bleak job market coupled with diminishing opportunities for older, seasoned employees is forcing many to consider starting their own businesses to join the ranks of the self employed. However, before you take the leap, I highly recommend that you read Phyllis Korkki’s article in this Sunday’s New York Times entitled 
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Looking back on my career, I don’t think I would have done many things differently; except one. That is, I wouldn’t have listened as much to the advice of others who I thought knew (better than me) about what I should do with the rest of my life. Don’t get wrong, it is important to listen to what others think and the advice that they offer but—at the end of the day —the career path that you choose must be something that you like or perhaps even love to do! This sentiment was clearly and cleverly expressed in a .jpg)
While most successful professionals want you to believe that they “fell into” their current jobs, the truth is that they wouldn’t have made it as far as they had without thinking or divining some type of strategic career plan. The trouble is that many early career professionals buy into this assertion—and rather than chart their own career trajectories—tend to gravitate toward jobs or job titles held by these seemingly successful professionals. 
Ed Silverman who runs the Pharmalot Blog yesterday posted an .gif)
There is no doubt that it is becoming increasingly difficult for persons with PhD degrees in the life sciences to pursue traditional career paths. To that end, Anne Miller of 
A common lament from that I frequently hear from graduate students and postdoctoral scientists at career development meetings is the need for "prior industry experience" to qualify and be considered for an industrial science job. Invariably, someone asks: “How in the world am I supposed to get industrial experience if nobody is willing to hire me as an industrial scientist?” Prior to the financial meltdown, I frequently advised PhD-trained scientists seeking industrial jobs to consider positions in smaller, local biotechnology companies.
After almost a week advising students about the difference between resumes and curriculum vita (for scientists there is no difference), academic vs. an industrial curricula vitae and cover letters at 
As a career development professional, I frequently offer job seekers tips on how to conduct a successful job search. However, my views on the topic are mainly derived from a five year stint as a professional recruiter and over 20 years as a job seeker. With this in mind, it may helpful for job candidates to hear the other side of the story; that is, what hiring managers expect from job seekers.
I will be at the 
In March 2009, the Smithsonian Institution Archives (SIA) created a .jpg)
The recent economic downturn, coupled with the growing competition for jobs at pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, has markedly increased the importance of internships as pre-requisites to gainful permanent employment. In the past, life sciences companies were willing to take a risk on promising new employees who did not possess any previous work experience. However, the glut of life scientists on today’s job market has empowered prospective life science employers to adopt a “let’s-try-them-out-before-we-hire-them” approach to employment. Like it or not, this is the way business is done these days.
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Kitty Holman over at sent over a fairly .gif)
While I don’t advocate postdoctoral positions for individuals unless they plan on doing bench science for the rest of their lives, postdoctoral training is a fact of life for those interested in pursuing academic careers. To that end, The Scientist.com conducts an annual survey that ranks the 
As the competition for traditional life sciences jobs continues to intensify, many PhD-trained life scientists are looking for alternate career opportunities. One of the most popular and intriguing options is business—mostly because each of us more than likely knows somebody “who hit it big” by starting a biotechnology or life science-related company. While the entrepreneurial life isn’t for everyone, those intrepid individuals who are willing to give it a shot and possibly be successful ought to be aware of a few basic tools that will make life as an entrepreneur slightly less stressful. To that end, Emma Taylor over at 
My father was an elementary school teacher who eventually became an elementary school principal, a position that he retired from about 15 years ago. As you might imagine, education was an important part of the lives of my three siblings and me. Like my father, three of four of us eventually pursued careers in education: my sister teaches art to high school students in California; my brother is a professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Vermont and I have been a science educator for most of my adult life..jpg)
I previously have written about various aspects of the interviewing process in the life sciences industry. While I had written on various aspects of interviewing, I never assembled all of the pieces into a single post to give job seekers a complete view of the entire process. To that end, I came across a great post authored by .jpg)
Let’s face it; scientists aren’t generally regarded as being funny. While I have met several very funny researchers during my almost 35 year career, the vast majority of my colleagues have been mostly serious and, at times, difficult to amuse; especially when things weren't going so well in the lab.