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I am attending the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in sunny Phoenix, AZ where I will be providing career development guidance to undergraduate and graduate students. Ironically, given the dismal job prospects in the life sciences industry for entry level employees, I will be giving a talk on how to find a job!  Last year's meeting in Orlando was a great one and I expect this one to be just as good.

While I am on the road, it doesn't mean that I won't be keeping track of the goings on back in my neck of the woods. To that end, Merck announced today that it will keep Schering Plough's corporate headquaters in Kenilworth, NJ open. Merck announced the decision today after closing on the $7 billion deal yesterday. This is good news for the NJ residents who currently work at the Kenilworth site. New Jersey has been extremely hard hit by all of the pharmaceutical layoffs in the past few years. Unemployment continues to rise and things will not get any better since conservative Republican Chris Christie was elected governor on Tuesday (he plans on laying off massive numbers of state employees) once he takes office in 2010.

Johnson and Johnson, on the other hand, announced that it was closing research & development facilities in Radnor and Chesterbrook, PA and consolidating those operations at the company's Spring House site. The New Brunswick, N.J., company would not say how many jobs are at those locations now or how many would remain in Spring House after the move, which is to be completed by 2012. These closure come shortly after JnJ announced earlier this week that is was elimating ca 8,200 employees or roughly seven percent of its global workforce.

Let's hope that things begin to improve soon. 

Hat tip to the Pharmalot blog!

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!

 

 

 

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As somebody who has been unemployed more than once, unemployment can be depressing, very frustrating and extremely worrisome.  In addition to sending out resumes and networking, I highly recommend using the free time that you have at your disposal to learn new skills to either make your life more manageable or to increase your employability.  Obviously, unemployed persons usually don’t have the money to enroll in formal training programs but thanks to the Internet and social media there are a variety of free tools and options out there for people looking to pick up new skill sets. 

Amber Johnson at OnlineDegreePrograms.org has put together a list of 100 skills you should learn (for free) while unemployed. While many of her suggestions are intuitive, there are a few on the list that may surprise you and quite possibly improve your chances of finding a new job!

100 Skills You Should Learn (for Free) While You’re Unemployed

People Skills and Networking

Become a better networker, small talker and listener to improve your job prospects.

1. Listen: Become a better listener by tuning out background noise and making eye contact.
2. Build a portfolio: Have an organized hard copy and file on your computer that succinctly and accurately represents your best work.
3. Share the conversation: Don’t dominate the conversation: learn to take a step back when you’ve said your part, and know when to jump in if the conversation becomes all about them.
4. Understand your emotional intelligence: Become more socially aware and learn to evaluate your own emotions and reactions.
5. Bring personality to a company: Being able to provide something that people can relate to behind the big corporate name is priceless.
6. Make your resume Internet ready: Make sure your updated resume will display nicely when you e-mail it and post it on job sites.
7. Set an example: Learn how to inspire others by doing what you love, being expressive, and helping others along the way.
8. Expand your network: Tap into contacts two or three degrees removed from your regular network.
9. Network or interview on the phone: Stop working on your in-person networking skills for a minute and remind yourself how to win someone over via the telephone.
10. Give a strong handshake: Impress people with your confidence by giving a better handshake.
11. Remember people’s names: From face association to repetition, there are various ways to remember a person’s name.
12. Know when and how to use icebreakers: Become the one other people depend on to make connections and feel comfortable.
13. Make a point to grow existing relationships: Don’t just get to know people on the surface: get to know business and personal contacts on a deeper level.

Life hacks

From making your own coffee to saving gas, here you’ll learn valuable skills that save you money, too.

14. Make your own coffee: Cut back on expensive coffee runs by learning how to make your own cup.
15. Comparison shop: Comparison shopping will save you money and turn you into a more responsible consumer and better product researcher.
16. Learn how to be more energy efficient: Save money on energy bills at home and at your new office when you get hired again.
17. Save gas: Minimize the number of times you have to spend money on gas by making each fill up last longer.
18. Eat cheaply: Watch this video to learn how to make yummy meals out of dollar-store food.
19. Discover your life purpose: Discover how to tap into your life purpose and passion to give you more direction in your job search and life goals.
20. Face reality: Accepting and dealing with reality will help your career and your personal life.
21. Cook: While you have the time, learn to cook healthy, budget-friendly meals for yourself, and use leftovers.
22. Being positive: Stop complaining and turn yourself into a positive thinker.
23. Meditate: Meditation will help get you through the tough times.

Productivity and Task Mastering

Stay productive and learn to stay on task, avoid procrastinating and set goals even when you’re unemployed.

24. Get up on time: Learn how to get up right when your alarm goes off to get a fresh, productive start to the day.
25. Funneling: The art of funneling means that you know how to manage incoming projects and to-do lists, and prioritize them accordingly.
26. Speed reading: You’ll be able to stay on top of industry reports, news stories, job postings and more when you learn to speed read.
27. Break things down: Turn difficult tasks into easier ones by breaking them down and taking it day by day.
28. How to set goals: Setting goals will help you be more successful, in the short-and long-term.
29. Overcome fear of failure: Fear of failure wastes time and prevents you from doing what you really want.
30. Beat procrastination: This step-by-step guide will help you beat procrastination.
31. Prepare a to-do list: A well-organized to-do list will keep you on track and save time.
32. Learn the Pomodoro Technique: Those who are anxious about meeting deadlines should master this technique.
33. Eliminate distractions: Learn how to tune out distractions and interruptions.

Computer and Internet Skills

These skills will turn you into a better Googler, blogger and typer.

34. Online research: Besides helping you find a job, solid Internet research skills will make you a desirable job candidate.
35. Learn how to use different operating systems: Train yourself to learn how to use Macs, Windows and Linux systems.
36. Hack Google: Learn all of the Google shortcuts and business tools.
37. Build a high-traffic website: Promote yourself and show potential employers how you can improve their websites.
38. Use Facebook productively: Turn Facebook into a business tool for networking, branding and more.
39. Basic web design: Employers will snatch you up if you know even basic web design.
40. Blog: Becoming an expert blogger takes time, so use your unemployment to learn the technical and business side of blogging.
41. Telecommute: Learn how to work with others online.
42. Learn to type: Typing quickly and correctly saves you time and makes your work look more professional.
43. Create a podcast: This fun and simple skill could increase your job prospects too.

Organization

Organize your personal and professional life by learning these skills.

44. Be punctual: Being punctual forces you to map out your day according to appointments and to-dos.
45. Use spreadsheets: Spreadsheets are great organizing tools and are used at almost every office.
46. Sort email: Set up folders, archives, filters and searches to organize all of your emails.
47. Prioritize: Prioritize your tasks so that it’s easier to work down your to-do list.
48. Use a calendar: Make use of an online calendar to set up alerts and more tools to help you stay organized.
49. Improve your memory: Practice different techniques to improve your memory.
50. Organize your closet: A better organized closet will help you stay on top of chores and get ready faster in the mornings.

Writing

Write better emails, use better grammar and influence others with your writing.

51. Write better emails: Write effective, impressive emails and subject headings.
52. Learn correct grammar: Poor grammar will hurt your career prospects in a heartbeat.
53. Persuasive writing: Learn how to write more persuasively and passionately.
54. Write for the Internet: Writing online pieces is completely different than writing for traditional media.
55. Write the perfect cover letter: Write a better opening and remember to include all the important details.

Confidence

These skills will boost your confidence and make others take notice of you.

56. Work on body language: Learn how to stand confidently, make eye contact and relax.
57. Trust yourself: If you’re constantly worried about what other people think of you and your decisions, you’ll come across as weak and inexperienced.
58. Examine your soft skills: Discover what soft skills make you a good employee: leadership, dedication, or the ability to motivate others.
59. Master the job interview: Be prepared, be confident and research the company and person you’re interviewing with.
60. Handle rejection: Stay confident and inspired even when you aren’t getting call backs.

Promotion and Branding

The skills you learn to promote yourself now will pay off later.

61. Design for branding: Learn how to think creatively and visually in order to promote your brand.
62. Understand copyright: Learn about copyright laws and how to get your own patent.
63. Promote yourself without bragging: You’ve got to learn how to relate to people and make them interested in you and your experience, without bragging.
64. Know — and own — your best attributes: Show off your ability to close a sale or put on your resume that you’re the one to call if a decision needs to be made.
65. Being accountable: Monitor what’s being said about you online and on social networks, keep track of your brand’s reputation, and own up to any mistakes or issues people have with you.
66. Use Twitter effectively: Learn how to use Twitter to boost your brand and reputation, not diminish it.
67. Develop your message: Learn how to create a focused, engaging message.
68. Write a press release: Even if you don’t work in PR or marketing, being able to write a press release is a valuable, desirable skill personally and professionally.
69. Follow up: Make sure you follow up on promises and after meeting new people.
70. Identify an audience: Learn how to rework your message depending on who you’re speaking to.

Speaking and Communication

From better storytelling to learning a new language or becoming an effective public speaker, these communication skills will make you more influential and confident.

71. Learn a foreign language: Speaking at least two languages greatly increases your desirability as a job candidate.
72. Storytelling: For presentations and networking, it helps if you’re a good storyteller.
73. Keep it simple: Don’t babble; instead, learn to speak clearly and simply.
74. How to make transitions: Making smooth transitions in your talks and presentations will strengthen your speech overall.
75. Deliver bad news: You should learn how to be diplomatic and break bad news considerately.
76. Consider things from different points of view: Relate to your audience and act like a fair leader by considering various points of view.
77. Give a compliment: If you’re uncomfortable giving compliments, you’d better learn how to get over it.
78. Negotiate: Negotiate salary, job offers, payment, and more.
79. Conflict management: Learn how to be more diplomatic and solve problems in the workplace.
80. Speak to executives: Don’t be afraid to talk to the boss, just make sure you do it the right way.

Finance

Save money and learn smarter budgeting tips here.

81. Open a Roth IRA: Use a little of the money you have saved to start a Roth IRA for the future.
82. Pay taxes as a freelancer: If you’re freelancing between full-time jobs, you’ll need to learn how to do your own taxes.
83. Turn eBay into a money-maker: While you’re out of work, learn how to use eBay to make extra cash.
84. Haggle: Get better deals on food, entertainment, clothes and more when you learn to haggle.
85. Lower your cell phone bill: Learn how to lower your cell phone bill when you’re tightening your budget.
86. Get a tax extension: If you just can’t pay your taxes this year because you’re unemployed, learn how to get an extension.
87. Consolidate debt: This skill may help you with a finance problem at work and alleviate some of the burden of high interest rates.
88. Make a budget: This practical skill will save you money and help you trim expenses at work.
89. Find a bargain: Learn when to go generic and hunt for bargains.
90. Save: Practice restraint by setting up savings accounts and spending less.

Weird Skills

You never know when you’ll need to win a fist fight or have to know your tolerance for alcohol, so practice now.

91. Win a fist fight: Man up and learn how to win a fist fight or street fight.
92. Be more photogenic: Look more attractive and confident in photographs.
93. Know your tolerance: Before getting wasted at networking events or office parties, know how much booze you can handle.
94. Be a respectful house guest: Review basic etiquette and send a thank-you note the next day.
95. Know when someone is lying: Be able to tell when someone else is lying to protect yourself.

Miscellaneous

From tying a tie to taking better notes, here are more skills you should learn while you’re unemployed.

96. Stay on top of industry news: Make reading industry reports and niche news blogs a habit for when you’re unemployed and when you get a job.
97. Get comfortable with international travel: Even if you can’t afford a plane ticket, read world news, learn a language and keep up with other cultures to broaden your horizons and show potential employers that you’re open to traveling for them.
98. Tie a tie: Make sure you always look presentable by tying your tie correctly.
99. Keep your brain active: Keep learning so that you’re in shape to tackle new challenges when you do find a job.
100. Take better notes: Learn to take notes during interviews and meetings.

There you have it!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!

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Whenever I do resume critiquing at scientific meetings, someone always asks about how to negotiate a job offer.  Most of the people that ask the question aren't even close to receiving a job offer and I do my best to deflect the question.  However, at a recent meeting, I spent 30 minutes with a PhD student who had received an offer advising him on how to get a better deal from his prospective new employer.  This got me thinking and I invited Joe Tringali, a veteran recruiter with lots of negotiating experience to write a blog post about strategies and things to consider when negotiating a job offer.

The "Dos" and "Don'ts" of Negotiating a Job Offer

by Joe Tringali

Invariably, the topic of salary negotiations in the interview process makes its way to the surface and, as a seasoned professional recruiter, I have a few thoughts that I would like to share with jobseekers.  During the course of my almost 30 year career, I have work as a traditional “headhunter” and also as on onsite contract recruiter for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, shifting gears and mindset as warranted by the particular client and the task at hand. In other words, I have been on both sides of the negotiating table either on behalf of a job candidate or a client company.

Fundamentally, job seekers need to understand the “economics” surrounding their search; who—the candidate or employer—has the most leverage in the relationship? Is there more demand than there is supply for a candidate with a specific set of skills or is there an excess of talent allowing an employer to choose the absolute best candidate for job. That said, consider the following:

A candidate who has received an offer can always try to negotiate to see how far they can push  the employer. As a rule of thumb, the initial offer that is proffered is usually not the best offer and if you aren’t satisfied with it, try and negotiate for a better deal.  If you ask and you don’t get what you want, the initial offer will likely still stand but you won’t have any regrets or say to yourself “I should have asked” if you eventually accept the offer. On the other hand, if the offer IS negotiable, it’s most likely only negotiable within a finite range. To that end, you must “come to the table” knowing your worth and what the compensation and benefits standards are for comparable positions in the industry. Rest assured that the prospective employer is at least as prepared as you are (usually more so) when it comes to negotiating offers. After all, most companies have dedicated compensation departments that spend a good portion of their workweek establishing fair compensation ranges. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t ask and attempt to negotiate, but simply that you must temper your expectations and not “expect the world.” Typically, employers are limited with what is negotiable in an offer. Things that are typically not negotiable are base salaries and healthcare and financial benefits. Other things like vacation time, sign on bonuses, relocation costs etc are. The reasons why base salary and benefits are not negotiable are because companies try to maintain internal equity among its employees.

When to negotiate? The obvious answer is to negotiate from a position of strength—when a formal offer has been extended (but never before). The offer signals that a company “wants you” and the candidate ought to consider the offer as it stands. Assuming the offer is fair (and the candidate SHOULD know his/her worth as part of the search process), accept it and move on with your career. Should you feel it isn’t quite up to par based on your understanding of your skills and marketplace demand, you might consider a conversation that sounds something like the following:

“I’m thrilled to receive the offer and am trying to find a way to make this work for both parties. My understanding of the market ( from online research, university career services, friends with similar experience, in similar roles, in similar geography,  is that an offer of 2k more might be more in line. IF there is any way you can bump the offer up by 2K, I will accept it and start on XXX date”

In other words, you are offering something back (acceptance/start date) in exchange for a possibly bump in the offer (most companies want you to start sooner rather than later). The worst case is that the employer comes back and says they cannot do any more with regard to compensation. Depending upon your assessment of the situation, you might then try to negotiate additional vacation days or an increase in relocation costs to offset the $2K that you need to feel comfortable to accept the offer. If the answer is still no, the original offer stands until you either accept or reject it—the decision is yours. Generally speaking, most offers are fair and in the range you might expect given your background and years of experience in the industry. But, only you can determine whether or not an offer is right for you. Ultimately, that decision ought to be based on compensation requirements, job responsibilities, geography, and whether or not an offer will meet your needs at this particular time in your life.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

Joe Tringali is a Principal with Tringali & Associates, Inc., a recruitment consulting practice based in Manchester, New Hampshire. He has over 30 years of progressive experience in the field of Human Resources and is particularly well-qualified in the design and implementation of creative staffing programs and executive search practices within the Life Sciences. Some his clients include Pfizer, Eisai Pharmaceuticals, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Biogen Idec, Genzyme , TKT/Shire , Harvard University and Infinity Pharmaceuticals.

 

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According to a report yesterday, Roche is reducing headcount at San Francisco-based Genentech by merging the information technology departments of its pharmaceutical and diagnostics divisions. The company didn’t disclose how many people would be losing jobs as a result of the consolidation.

The company previously merged all of its human resources functions and roughly 20% of HR personnel lost their jobs—although most were able to find new jobs within Roche.

A Roche spokeswoman added that the company will continue unifying its communication processes in an attempt to further reduce the size of its workforce.

Expect more announcements from Roche in the coming months.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

 

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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.

• Allow yourself an ample amount of time to arrive on time at your interview; if, for some reason, you are running late (never a good thing) call ahead ASAP and let your host know that an "emergency" or "traffic problem" is responsible for your tardiness. In general, it is a good idea to arrive at an interview 10-15 min early or right on time. Arriving early allows you to relax, assess the interview space and collect your thoughts before the interview begins.
• Bring extra copies of your resume with you. In my experience, most of the people who you meet will not have read or misplaced your CV. By bringing extra copies with you, your prospective employer is likely to think that you are organized, thoughtful and reliable.
• Regardless of what is happening in your life, it is always a good idea to be personable, upbeat and “positive” on a job interview.  I recommend that you greet everyone (no matter what their standing is with the organization) with a smile and a comment that goes something like “It’s a pleasure to meet you”.  Nobody wants to talk (or possibly work with) a disgruntled or unhappy person.
• Always make eye contact when talking with anyone. We are, by nature, social creatures and a lack of eye contact (or an inability to look directly at a person during a conversation) may cause the interviewer to think that you may lack the requisite interpersonal communication skills necessary for the job.
• Don’t offer an interviewer more information than is necessary. Direct and concise answers are appropriate. Also, these types of responses show the interviewer that you can think quickly, clearly and decisively.  Don’t waste an interviewer’s time with rambling, unfocused answers or stories that are not relevant to the question that was asked. They are busy people and have other things that must be accomplished in additional to interviewing you.
•  Answer all questions as honestly and forthrightly as possible.  If you don’t know the answer to a question, don’t hmmm and haw simply say so!  However, I recommend that you soften the “I don't know response” with verbiage that resembles: “Pause ….hmmm.....That is a very good question …..Pause....I don't know the answer to that one!  Or you can say: Gee I don't know the answer but perhaps you can give me your ideas on the topic?” Also, by pausing, you may sometimes be able to come up with an answer that originally eluded your when the question was first asked.
• Never interrupt an interviewer when he/she is talking or in the middle of a thought. When appropriate, always allow the interviewer to control the flow and pace of the conversation. This signal to the interviewer that you can act professionally, are a team player and can be easily managed or supervised if you decide to join the organization.
• When eating lunch or dinner with prospective co-workers always act professionally and don't "let it all hang out."  This isn't meant as a time for you to kick back and "level" with the guys and gals. This is a chance for current employees to assess your social skills and offer them  a glimpse of how you may represent the organization if hired. Everything you say or do will ultimately be reported or  find its way to the person who will be your immediate supervisor. Remember; although you are in a social setting, you are still being scrutinized for your professionalism. So, always act responsibly and professionally when dining with prospective co-workers or managers.
•  Never drink alcoholic beverages at lunch (even if your host(s) does) and only at dinner when your host(s) orders a drink first. Also, if you cannot “hold your liquor”, I highly recommend that you don’t drink alcoholic beverages at any during your interview.
•  Ask questions about the company when appropriate. Prospective employers love when job candidates ask questions about the company or their roles in the organization. This shows prospective employers that you have done your homework and are interested in possibly joining the company. Also, it gives you an opportunity to assess a company’s culture and whether or not you will be able to fit in if you decide to join the organization.
• TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES, PAGERS, BLACKBERRY DEVICES and iPHONES when the interview begins and leave them off.  Nobody likes being interrupted during a conversation by a ringing cell phone, blackberry, or pager. If you are so important that you need to be electronically-connected at all times, then you probably don’t need the job that you are interviewing for!
•  Never say anything derogatory or pejorative about anyone when interviewing. In case you haven’t noticed, the scientific community is a small one and chances are that one or more of people you meet will know some of the same people that you do!  Everyone loves to gossip so be careful about what you say and how you say it!
• Interview to win! Receiving one or more job offers likely indicates that you are qualified for a job and your interviewing skills are good. Multiple interviews without offers signal that something may be wrong with your interviewing skills or technique. If this is the case, I urge you to seek a career coach who specializes in mock interview training.

Like everything else in life, practice makes perfect. That said, the more job interviews that you go on, the more experienced you will become and the more job offers you will likely receive.  

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

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Back in the late 1990s, applying for jobs online was all the rage! The technology was new and fresh and applying for jobs online was fast and easy. Companies raced to build corporate websites for prospective job applicants, major job boards like Monster and Careerbuilder were launched and human resources professionals though they were ushering in a “new era of employee recruitment and retention.” While applying for jobs online once seemed like a panacea for both job seekers and corporate employers, it never has lived up to all the fanfare and hype!

There is no question that applying for jobs online is quick, easy and most importantly emotionally gratifying. Paradoxically, these are the very qualities that have almost rendered the practice useless when it comes to finding a new job. Before applying for jobs online became de rigueur, large numbers of qualified, prospective employees were hired into new jobs. Unfortunately, these days’ most corporate websites and job boards are swamped by unqualified applicants who submit their resumes when ever and where ever they can! This has prompted many companies and job board site to automate their applicant screening processes—which, in many cases, fail to discriminate between qualified and unqualified job applicants. Frequently, because of the sheer volume of applicants, many companies no longer acknowledge receipt of job applications. While this practice is unprofessional in my opinion, it sends a subliminal—if not obvious message—to applicants that the likelihood of winning the job is remote. It is not uncommon for job applicants to never hear from a company after they have hit the send button to submit a job application.

So, if applying for jobs online isn’t the answer, what should jobseekers do to find gainful employment? Like it or not, the best way to find a new job is through networking. The advent of social networking sites like Facebook, Linked In and BioCrowd makes networking less daunting than it used to be. However, it is important to note, that online networking alone won’t be sufficient! Unfortunately, (for some of you anyway), interacting with people in real life will be required! The best way to begin networking is to use Google (or your favorite search engine) to identify companies or institutions that are looking for applicants with your skills and qualifications. Next, work hard to find a contact at a company who is willing to support your application or at least, forward it to an appropriate hiring manager. If you don’t know anybody at the company ask friends or relatives if they do. If this doesn’t work, post a notice on Facebook or Linked In asking if anybody in your network can provide a contact name or phone number of a hiring manager at the company you are interested in. If this also proves to be unsuccessful, you can run at Internet search on a particular advertised position or go to a company website to find the name of a hiring manager. However, to avert an avalanche of inquiries about online job postings, many companies no longer list the names of hiring managers on their websites. If all else fails, you can always put in a call into human resources and ask for more information about a job with the hope of getting the hiring manager’s name.

Once you obtain the name of a hiring manager, send an e-mail message indicating your interesting the position along with an attached resume/curriculum vitae. One note of caution; managers are usually inundated with e-mail messages (many which remain unanswered) and often have their spam filters set on high. Consequently, it may be prudent to also send a hiring manager an old fashioned cover letter and curriculum vitae authority using traditional or overnight mail delivery.

While networking to get an employee referral for a job remains the best way to get your “foot-in-the-door” at most companies, the referral channels, like almost all others, are also extremely clogged. This may require a direct phone call to a hiring manager to inquire about whether or not to apply for a job or to check on the progress of an application. That said, use this approach wisely—some managers may think that this shows initiative (and will pull your resume from the resume heap) while others may be offended or annoyed by your boldness. Nevertheless, once you make the call, DO NOT call back unless you are advised to do so. If the company is interested in you as a job candidate, they will contact you after they have had sufficient time to review your application.

While companies continue to advertise positions, the best way to land a new job is through word of mouth. This is because many companies don’t advertise all open positions and some companies run ads even though they are not hiring. Nevertheless, building a solid network of contacts and friends (both online and in real life) is critical for successful job searches.

In today’s difficult economy it may be prudent to employ a multifaceted job search strategy that includes a mix of networking, job boards and online applications. Also, it is important to cast as wide a job net as possible and not limit your search to a specific job type—especially if you have skills  and qualifications that cut across disciplines. Finally, I always tell prospective job candidates that looking for a new job must be a “full time endeavor.” Devoting less than a full time effort to your job search will likely yield disappointing results!

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

  

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Another useful post for job seekers from Job Profiles.org.

The recession may be the worst in recent memory but modern technology can blunt the added frustration of searching for a job. While visiting countless employment sites and emailing resumes can be time consuming and fruitless, your browser may help make the search more efficient. Firefox 3 has proven itself remarkably popular, especially thanks to the add-on feature which allows users to customize their browsers to perform a wide range task specific functions. Check out these 50 helpful Firefox add-ons to make the job search easier.

Job Updates

While the Internet offers an unlimited amount of information about any number of topics, sorting though the details can be extremely tedious. These Firefox extensions will help you sort through the mass of information job sites regularly update.

1. Percula: Integrates your web activity with the monster.com database of jobs. Search a topic, find relevant jobs in that field.
2. CraigZilla: Allows users to monitor any section of Craigslist (such as "jobs") for updates. Even better, this add-on scans updates for customizable key words refining results further.
3. TwitterJobSearch: Search job postings made to Twitter in real time.
4. Indeed Job Search: Includes updates from every major job site. Also includes job postings from a number of newspapers, associations and individual company's career pages.
5. CharityJOB: For those needing moral satisfaction in their work, here's a database of jobs in the non-profit sector.
6. Search4Jobs: Integrates Monter's RSS feed directly into Firefox in an easy to use format.
7. Check4Change: This extension let users monitor web pages for updates at regular intervals established by the user. Unfortunately, it only works with open tabs but great for monitoring niche job websites that are short on features.
8. Update Scanner: Select the websites you want to scan for changes, Update Scanner does just that while ignoring minor changes.
9. DapperFox: Sites without an RSS feed are annoying. DapperFox eases the pain by "RSSying the Web," building its own RSS feeds for any website.

Social

Research has shown that pre-existing social networks often play a key function in helping people find a job. In the Internet era, the popular conception of a "social network" has changed significantly to include Facebook, Twitter and the like. Of course, actually keeping up with even a few networking sites is an easy way of losing real friends. These Firefox add-ons let users simplify their social networking into easier to manage applications.

10. Linkedin Companion for Firefox: Builds a network of 25 million professional into your Firefox browser. Network to find your next job opportunity or catch up with colleagues in your field.
11. Jigsaw Contact and Company Search: The online directory of companies and business professionals brings you this add-on making available its community of 800,000 members. It also has sections for job postings and networking.
12. Yoono: Consolidates all your social network and IM accounts in an easy-to-use sidebar.
13. Meebo: Builds IM capabilities for every major IM network directly into Firefox.
14. RushmoreDrive: A search engine for the Black community that also offers a top notch job networking features. Users can create profiles, search postings and create their own networks.
15. Find on XING: Simply highlight the name of a person on any Website and right-click. The extension then looks for that person on XING.

Research and Organization

Researching and keeping track of job openings can be more than a little confusing. These add-ons are perfect for condensing the clutter.

16. Notefish: Shave portions of web pages for later reference or share them with friends or co-workers.
17. DeeperWeb: Adds a host of features aiming to streamline Google search results. Separates searches by function such as "Answer" or "Wikipedia" searches in addition to a host of nifty features.
18. ReminderFox: A truly excellent online appointments manager, this extension is valuable enough to draw a salary as your assistant. Remembers important dates and sends reminders along with managing extensive to-do lists.
19. KnowMore Extension: This application will let you research the environmental and social impact of a company without interrupting the job search. Perfect for those with a moral streak looking to work in corporate America.
20. Zemanta: Makes content suggestions for your emails or blog posts as they are being written. This application will also make professional introduction suggestions as you write emails.
21. Add to Search Bar: Allows users to add Websites' search functionality to your search bar.
22. Hyperwords: Select text from any page and perform any number of functions such as search and translate.
23. SimilarWeb: As you visit and search Web pages, an intuitive sidebar displays related sites.
24. Surf Canyon: This great extension re-ranks relevant sites as users sift through search results from engines like Google and Yahoo.
25. MashLogic: Scans web pages for topics you're interested about then adds links to show you interesting sites.

 

16. Get Company Info: Highlight a company name on any page and this extension offers a wide range of financial and background data. It also recognizes the stock symbols.
17. Diigo: Adds personal sticky notes and highlights to any web page. The more impressive feature is the ability to connect with people who've bookmarked the same site as you.
18. DejaClick: Repetitive internet tasks got you down? This application will actually record tedious steps and perform them so you don't have to. Great for logging into email or Facebook or whatever…
19. Platypus: This application allows users to customize any web page which then become permanent changes for the user when they visit next time.

Time Savers

Patrolling the Internet for your next great job can be time consuming. Over a long enough time period, clicks and key strokes add up. Here are a few Firefox extensions perfect for trimming unnecessary steps.

30. Easy Job Application: Easily sends out job application to prospective employers using sites such as Craigslist.
31. SmarterFox: Faster browsing by simplifying common tasks. For example, this application converts text URLs and makes them into clickable links.
32. Mouseless Browsing: Ditch the mouse, at least whenever you use Firefox. Allows you to search the Internet entirely from your keyboard. Configurable to each users own preferences.
33. All-In-One Gestures: Perform common commands (forward/backward, etc.) with mouse gestures such as scroll wheel navigation and page scrolling.
34. AutoFill Forms: With a single click or key stroke, fill out entire web forms.
35. Morning Coffee: This clever little application opens your favorite web sites with the push of a button. Great for opening those routine morning sites.
36. Link Widgets: Offers links to related pages as well as easing navigation by offering toolbar buttons for the first, last, previous and next pages within a web site.
37. TidyRead: An incredibly helpful add-on that pulls the core text from news articles, blogs, web sites or pretty much anything else on the Internet.
38. iMacros for Firefox: Another program designed to simplify common web tasks, iMacros fills in forms and manages passwords in addition to a host of other features.
39. LeechBlock: Block those sites that waste your time. A little more intelligent than your average filter, this add-on lets users decide what sites to block and when.
40. Autocomplete Manager: Takes Firefox's already fantastic autocomplete feature and expands it. This extension doesn't even need the beginning of the address, only part of it, in order to fill in the blanks.
41. CheckFox: Lets users quickly check and uncheck pesky check boxes.

Security

The job hunt often takes unsuspecting internet users to a host of new and unfamiliar websites. With the recession affecting millions of Americans, employment websites are becoming popular methods of inserting spyware and viruses into unsuspecting computers. Getting a virus while searching for a job only adds insult to injury, these Firefox add-ons will help protect your computer from attack.

42. WOT (Web of Trust): Warns about risky sites trying to scam visitors, infect spyware or send spam. Color coded icons rate over 21 million sites.
43. Panic Button: Allows you to quickly hide all open tabs and windows. Great failsafe for searching job sites at work.
44. Decreased Productivity: Provides a "work safe" mode to cover up any surfing habits you may want to prevent your boss from knowing about. Also great for looking for a new job at work.
45. LastPass Password Manager: Automatically fills out forms and manages all your passwords. Even greater, this extension allows users log into multiple sites with a single click.
46. Lazarus Form Recovery: Automatically saves forms as you type. If your computer crashes or a server times out, no worries, everything is already saved.
47. Stealther: A great way of viewing web sites without leaving evidence of your visit, this add-on temporarily disables features such as browsing history and cookies.
48. BugMeNot: This wonderful extension breezes through compulsory web registrations by using user submitted passwords.
49. Duck Duck Go Toolbar: Blocks over 44 million different sites known for spam or Malware from appearing in search results. Also protects against "typosquatting" or mistyping web addresses.
50. Session Manager: Saves and restores all windows at startup or when a computer crashes. Also allows users to reopen accidentally closed tabs and windows.

 

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I came across an article posted on the MSN career site by Anthony Balderrama that described 10 workplace behaviors that must be kept in check to keep your job—especially during tough financial times. The idea here is to not give your boss an excuse to fire you. I thought it would be informative to pass on the essence of this information to BioJobBlog readers.

1.  Procrastination

Many people claim to work best under pressure or at least they think so. In my experience leaving things to the last minute is usually a recipe for disaster especially when working in team environments.

2.  Sloppy e-mails

Sending e-mails with typos and poor grammar or addressing them to the wrong recipients is a definite no-no. I highly recommend that all e-mails should be proofread before they are sent. It may take some extra time, but in the end, it may be worth not sending your boss the e-mail where you criticize him or her!

3.  Remember who’s the boss

Using your supervisor's first name and going for some drinks after work are common in many industries. Still, you are the employee and the boss is the boss -- the one who can fire you and tell you what to do. Don't cross the line by talking to her as if you're talking to one of your direct reports or even your best friend.

4. “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you”

Some companies are strict about the time you clock in and out. Others have guidelines but no hard rules, so you can arrive at 8:35 a.m. and no one cares. If you continually arrive late and leave early (with plenty of breaks in between), your reputation will suffer and so will your bonus. Remember everyone is keeping track whether or not they let on that they are!

5.  Don’t be stand offish or anti-social

Conventional wisdom suggests that it isn’t wise to mix your personal and professional lives. However, refusing to take part in any workplace social activities -- such as the office potluck or a happy hour – won’t help your career. Interacting with your colleagues helps build camaraderie. You get to know other people better and they get to know you as more than the person they pass in the halls.

6.  Always running late

Everybody is busy and constantly showing up late for meetings or presentations etc is unprofessional. Nobody wants to work with somebody who can’t manage their own time—especially when it impacts theirs. Being late may be fashionable but only in your private life not your professional one.

7.  Inflexibility

I have worked with people who adamantly refuse to go above and beyond what their job description calls for. While annoying there wasn’t much I could do or say to them to convince them otherwise. That said, it is never a wise thing to say to your supervisor or your boss’ boss that "You don't pay me to do that" or “That’s not my job.” You may have a point but you may also lose your job.

8.  Acting as the resident naysayer 

I think many people admire the person in a meeting who is willing voice opposition to an idea or suggestion that is a bad one. Voices of opposition are often missing in many workplaces because too many eager employees want to be "yes" men and women. But too much negativity grates on nerves especially those of management. It is okay to question things, but when you do, make sure that you have a solution to problem at hand that is in the best interest of your company.

9.  Badmouthing the company

 With blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites, there are plenty of opportunities to vent your frustration with work. However, if you're going to complain about how dumb your boss is and how much you hate your job, try to keep those rants private. The Internet is public domain and comments have a way of finding their way back to all the wrong people.  Also, most companies routinely monitor the web for things that are said about them to get a better idea about their perception in the marketplace. Be careful what you say!

10.  Politicking

Office politics are often unavoidable, but you shouldn't spend more time strategizing and masterminding office warfare than you do working. Getting caught in the throes of a workplace controversy may out of your control, but if you're the one instigating the drama, you're earning a reputation as a person who starts trouble and whom no one trust. In my experience, nobody trusts or respects people who are good at playing the game but deficient in doing their jobs!

While managing and correcting these habits may not ensure continued employment, they certainly won’t hurt your prospects of hanging on to your job when things get shaky!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

 

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As expected, Merck announced today that it would eliminate an additional 16,000 job after the merger with Schering Plough is completed. The combined company is trying to get its headcount down to around 90,000 employees. The new job cuts represent a 15% reduction in the workforce of the combined company.

While the merger may have made business sense, it doesn’t bode well for future employment for life scientists in New Jersey.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (are there any left?)

 

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Last month, while I was presenting my seminar “Interviewing Insights and Tips: Winning That Next Job” at the Experimental Biology Meeting in New Orleans, LA, I realized that I hadn’t covered what to wear to a job interview. Until the meeting, I didn’t think I had to  mention— that while interviewing men—must wear suits (and appropriately-colored, professional-looking shoes) and women should wear suits with pants (or a skirt with an appropriate length) and shoes with reasonable heels (usually less than 3 inches). I saw more cleavage, bare thighs and high heels, not to mention men with atrocious footwear choices at the meeting than I care to admit. Not that I am a prude or complaining about the cleavage, thighs or high heels that I observed—what red-blooded American male would?  That said, it is vitally important to remember that there are professional dress codes that everyone is expected to adhere to while on the job or at national, regional or local professional meetings.

Phyllis Korrki, who writes the Career Couch for the New York Times, wrote a great piece on professional attire in this past Sunday’s Times that I think every prospective job candidate or employee ought to read. And, when it comes to cleavage, exposed thighs and high heels in professional settings she had recommendations similar to mine. She wrote “Women think they have to dress sexy to get noticed in the work world. It’s what they see on campus and what they see on TV and in movies. Cleavage is not a corporate look or what you want to be remembered for. The same goes for very short skirts and extremely high heels. Also, make sure the top of your thong, if you wear one, doesn’t show above your pants.” 

For you guys, as a rule of thumb, wear black shoes with gray, blue and black suits and brown shoes with all others. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

While we scientists are trained to ignore appearance and not pay attention to dress codes—the reality is—the way you look may make the difference between having a job or not!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

 

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As the recession slogs on, it is likely that many more people will lose their jobs and you might find yourself in the unenviable position of having to commiserate or console a friend or colleague was layed off. Not surprisingly, this is often a difficult and delicate situation that requires some sensitivity and tact. 

Because many of us have never been layed off or fired, it is often difficult to know what to say or more importantly determine what a person who lost their job may want from family and friends. To that end, there was a wonderful article in today’s New York Times that offers some insightful suggestions and guidance on navigating a conversation or meeting with a friend or colleague who recently lost their job.

Read and learn!!!!!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!

 

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Using Facebook and Twitter to find jobs is becoming routine in many industries including healthcare. However, the life sciences industry is lagging behind most others when it comes to social media and recruitment. Nevertheless, many companies and academic institutions are beginning to realize that Facebook (FB), Twitter and other science social networks are good source of qualified candidates for  those difficult-to fill job openings. 

Lindsey Pollak, a GenY career guru who, writes on the use of social media for job searching, alerted me to a post (via Twitter @biojobblog) that describes how to effectively use FB to find a job.  While FB may be useful to scientist looking for work, there are many other bioscience social networks like BioCrowd (@biocrowd) that regularly post jobs and career opportunities for life scientists.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting 

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The US economy has lost about 7.1 million jobs since December 2007 and nationwide unemployment is hovering around 8.5 percent. Despite the lost of  about 80,000 pharmaceutical jobs over the past three years and unprecedented consolidation taking place in the life sciences sector—Merck-Schering Plough, Pfizer-Wyeth and Roche-Genentech—the job prospects for scientists at biotech companies, medical devices and diagnostics, and government appear to be stronger than anticipated. While drug discovery and sales jobs may be scare, there are rapidly emerging opportunities in the fields of medical communications, regulatory affairs, biomanufacturing, clinical trials management , bioengineering, medical devices/diagnostics and website development and management.

President Obama’s promise to restore science to its rightful place, his reversal of the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and an unwavering commitment to alternate energy technologies suggest that the future may be very bright for bioscientists. For example, there are massive hiring initiatives at federal agencies like the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Unites States Department of Agriculture (UDSA) — as the Obama administration attempts to overall these agencies— and funding levels at the National Institutes of Health are on the rise (aided in part by a $200 million Challenge Grant stimulus program).

While the road to economic recovery may be a long one, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who are currently engaged in life sciences research should “stay the course and not jump ship just yet.” The life sciences industry is more recession proof than others and it will be one of the first to experience an economic turn around. And, when it does it is best to prepared to find a job!

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!

 

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There is a perception out there that cover letters are old school and that they are no longer necessary when applying for a job. I suspect that this is largely a result of the notion held by many online job applicants that software programs rather than humans evaluate the suitability of prospective job candidates. While this may be true, it never hurts to differentiate yourself from the thousands of others who applied for the same position and didn’t include a cover letter. Further, adding a cover letters allows you to pepper your job application with key words that you may not have been able to squeeze into your resume and may give you a leg up on the competition!

Writing in this Sunday’s New York Times, Phyllis Korkki offers insights and tips on writing cover letters that could mean the difference between employment and not. The take home message—cover letters are not expendable.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!

 

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In the wake of last week’s Pfizer-Wyeth M&A feeding frenzy, I suspect that most analysts were hoping that this week would be a little quieter. Unfortunately for many pharmaceutical company employees, this week may be shaping up to be almost as nerve-wracking as last week! 

 First, Sanofi-Aventis officially threw its hat into the ring and declared that it was on the hunt for a merger or acquisition partner. All of the usual suspects have been cited as possibilities. They include: Bristol Myers Squibb (Plavix, Erbitux, Orencia Abilify) , Amgen (EPO, Aranesp, Neupogen, Neulasta and Enbrel), Biogen-Idec (Avonex, Tsyabri and Rituxan) (Actavis (generics) Ratiopharm (generics) and Crucell (vaccines). The hands on favorite and most likely target would be Bristol Myers Squibb because the two companies co-market Plavix, their top selling drug that is due to lose patent protection in the next year or so. That said, in this environment anything can happen. 

In other news, GlaxoSmithKline announced that it will be cutting 6,000 jobs later this week when the company puts out financial results. The company began reorganizing itself in 2007 and will continue to do over the next few years to deal with generic encroachment on several of its top selling drugs. Glaxo employs about 100,000 people worldwide. Analysts suspect that many of the job cuts will occur in the UK and that sales rep may be hit the hardest in this latest round of layoffs.

Until next time…

 

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

 

 

 

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While the domino theory was incorrect when it came to the spread of communism during the Cold War, there may be a kernel of truth to it when it is applied to today’s pharmaceutical industry. On Tuesday, Pfizer announced that it would lay off 800 researchers. Not to be outdone by Pfizer, Roche announced today that it plans to lay off about 780 workers over the next two to three years because of “worsening economic conditions.”

After spending the last decade or so associated with the pharmaceutical industry, one thing that I have learned is that there isn’t a single company that I can think of that wants to be the first to do anything. However, when a pharma company makes a bold move, the others are very quick to follow because they “don’t want to be perceived as not being “cutting edge” or keeping pace with their competitors. To that end, the domino theory may warrant some further investigation when it comes to day-to-day operations of big pharma.

Until next time,

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!! 

 

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The recent spate of corporate layoffs has forced many people to reconsider what their next career move ought to be. While looking for another corporate job (similar to your old one) is the most obvious thing to do, the likelihood of quickly finding a new job in these economic times is remote. That said, now may be a good time to consider leaving confines of the corporate world and striking out on your own! Based on my own personal experiences, this can be a very frightening and overwhelming undertaking fraught with anxiety and uncertainty. But, not to worry! Sharon Jaffe, a self described “passionate digital marketing and media strategist and former corporate executive” has written a great blog post that offer some helpful tips and suggestions  for people who may be thinking about leaving the comforts of the corporate world and striking out on their own.

Sharon’s Tips and Suggestions About Starting Out on Your Own

1. Feel the fear and do it anyway. This is a great book by Susan Jeffers, and it's my main point, since 96% of people don't start a new busineness because of the fear of failure.  Don't expect to be fearless, but don't be paralysed by your fears. Help and seek help, especially where you need it – be it logistics, network, introductions etc.

2. "Do unto others..."- The Ethic of Reciprocity. Don't underestimate your own value and your ability to help others. Realise that others want to see you succeed and need your help too, so jump in the "informal economy" of networking, connecting, giving and asking for help. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for key people who gave me their time and guidance. In turn, I always make time for others since you never know when the favour will be returned. ;-)

3. Network isn't everything, it's the only thing! It's what you know AND who you know. The people who've worked with you and know what and how you do it are the key people to hire you, help you and recommend you on. Almost all my business has come from my own network where I have spent many years building a reputation and building my personal brand.

4. Be resilient! Be prepared to bark up a lot of wrong trees. When there's nothing up the trees, pick yourself up and move on to the next one. Set-backs and disappointment are par for the course. Protect your self-esteem and be positive. Matt Crabtree, from Positive Momentum, was instrumental in helping me with most of these tips as well as recognising the power of the right attitude and positivity.

5. Be your own guiding light. Trust your internal instincts when making decisions and be true to yourself. If you're asked to do something which doesn't feel right or by someone who doesn't feel right, it generally isn't right. Don't accept work which you don't feel good about i.e. is not the type of work you want to be doing (you'll be hating every minute of it). At the same time, be open-minded. I was asked to do training and figured, "why not?". It has since turned out to be my main source of business second to consulting.

6. Quality is key! Maintain your own professional quality standards. Invest in your brand and pay attention to everything from the way you dress to showing up on time. Now more than ever it's important to realise that you are your own business card.

7. Have a clear vision. Always hold clear the vision of where you see yourself in 1 or x year's time. Let that motivate you! Make sure you create some goals and milestones, be it a revenue target, or your first press interview. Remember to also reward yourself and congratulate yourself on your achievements along the way with rewards.

8. Think big but start small. Don't be arrogant or overconfident in what you charge. Be willing to do stuff for free to build experience, reputation and a solid track record. Trust me, the rest will follow.

9. Watch your costs. Don't splurge unnecessarily but don't skimp on the important things like a good laptop and a business card. It's not necessary to have a glamorous website to get started – one year on I still don't advertise what I do on the web and yet I've been fully booked.

10. Manage your work-life balance. It's easy to start working evenings and weekends and it's hard to give yourself a break. I think this is a key driver of entrepreneurs and a danger in the general unwillingness or inability to take time off. I think I'm still learning this one, which is why I put it last.

I hope these tips are helpful! Good luck!

You can follow Sharon on Twitter @sharonjaffe

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

 

1.  

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In a  previous post,  I suggested that more layoffs would occur at Bristol-Myers Squib (BMS) by December, 1, 2008. The Pharmalot Blog reported today that 800 more BMS employees ( including scientists) would lose their jobs before the end of 2008. Okay, so I was off by about two weeks.

A company spokesperson told the Pharmalot folks that “We are reducing the global Bristol-Myers Squibb workforce as part of our previously announced second wave of productivity initiatives designed to enhance our ability to address the significant challenges and uncertainties our company faces in the short- and long-term. Headcount reductions associated with the second wave of productivity initiatives will continue through 2010, with a goal of a 10 percent reduction in our global workforce. This [layoff of 800] is in addition to the 10 percent workforce reduction previously announced in December 2007.” 

Things are obviously not going well at BMS these days. Look for more layoffs in early 2009 and beyond. Who do you think is going to buy BMS?

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (Try Lilly I hear ImClone is looking for a few good men and women)

 

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I’ve blogged on this topic many times in the past. However, I came across a great blog post that summarizes at least five of mine into a concise, practical and resourceful guide to finding a new job.

Read it and keep on looking—there are still jobs out there for highly specialized individuals like scientists!

 

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!

 

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Over the past few weeks, the blogosphere was rife with rumors and speculation that Pfizer would be laying off additional R&D personnel in December. However, it seems that the layoffs have been postponed and nobody at Pfizer seems to know when they will take place. Conventional wisdom suggests that job cuts will likely take place sometime after the holidays, probably in mid -January, 09.

Rod MacKenzie, Pfizer’s worldwide head of discovery research told reporters “Given the complexity of the changes within research, I have concluded that we will not be able to provide that clarity [for the layoffs] or communicate them by the end of the year." I suspect that he knows who will be getting pink slips but is reluctant to make the announcement until early next year because it would look awful if Pfizer lets people go right before the holiday season. 

Call me crazy, but I don’t think that publicizing lay offs (to be determined later) is good for employee productivity and morale. I have no doubt that rumors about the impending layoffs have been circulating at Pfizer for months. Unfortunately for Pfizer, one or more of its employees leaked the information and company executives are in damage control and spin modes. The inability of Pfizer executives to control internal information flow is just another example of why many industry analysts believe that Pfizer grew too quickly over the past decade. Nevertheless, hundreds and perhaps thousands of Pfizer employees will lose their jobs in the not so distant future.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (forget Groton, CT)

 

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I know this is kind of odd, but I have recently begun to wonder which life sciences companies have layed off the most employees this past year. Well, for those of you out there who were also wondering we don't have to wonder any longer because Ed Silverman over at the Pharmalot blog has conveniently compiled a list of the top offenders for us. For those of you who may be wondering which company was number one on the list, it’s name begins with a “P” and ends with an “r.”

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!
 

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Over the past few weeks, I have seen many posts on various career and job blogs offering people advice and tips on how to hold on to their current jobs. In my opinion, most of these posts didn’t offer any new or insight tips on this topics. Instead most of the suggestions were obvious and rather pedestrian. For example, be pleasant to your boss, show up on time, don’t leave before the official work day ends, volunteer to take on new projects yada, yada, yada.

While these suggestions may help to some extent, I think that the best way to keep a job is to think strategically and learn how to manage it to your maximum benefit regardless of prevailing economic conditions. In other words don’t wait until you are in a precarious situation to become a model employee. With this in mind, I came across an extremely insightful article on job retention in the business section of today’s NY Times.

The author, who has been a practicing psychologist for 22 years and a “boss” for the past couple of years, provides insights on job retention from both employee and managerial perspectives. I highly recommend that you read this article—even I learned a thing or two!!!

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (hang on to your current one if you can—its tough out there)!!!!

 

 

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Astra Zeneca announced today that it would cut 1400 jobs and close several manufacturing facilities worldwide. According to a post on the Pharmalot blog “about 600 full-time jobs will be lost in Sweden as packaging operations are expanded in Wuxi, China. The cuts will come on top of the 7,600 positions the drugmaker plans to eliminate by 2010. The plant closings will occur in Spain, Belgium and Sweden by 2013. Manufacturing jobs will also be trimmed in Sweden and the UK as production is shifted to lower-cost countries in emerging markets.”

On Tuesday Wyeth disclosed that it was eliminating 70 positions at its Pearl River, New York, facility (which employs 3,200 workers, 118 employees at its Rouses Point facility in upstate New York that employs 725 people work, and 124 jobs at its Sanford, North Carolina manufacturing facility. Ironically, as more and more US workers are laid off, many big pharma companies like Merck, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline are expanding operations at their research facilities in India. In fact, Merck is doubling its headcount from 800 to 1,600 employees at its research facility in India that was opened a little over a year ago.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Keep on Looking!!!!

 

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Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) made a presentation this morning at the Credit Suisse Healthcare Conference that showed the company plans on saving an additional $2.5 billion in “productivity initiatives.” According to its new CFO, the company plans to squeeze the savings out of “headcount and related costs” — which  likely means more downsizing and layoffs.  Rumors have it that these job cuts will take place by December 1, 2008 just prior to when employee bonuses are traditionally decided.

To make matters worse, the Pharmalot blog reported today  that "the drugmaker earlier this week sent a voicemail to employees saying a 2 percent cost of living increase will be given this year to those who are meeting or exceeding performance standards."  The announcement has lead to speculation among BMS employees whether or not the same ceiling will be applied to the bonuses and stock rewards handed to Bristol-Myers CEO Jim Cornelius and members of his executive team.

Heavy losses incurred  by its former CFO who "bet the store" on mortgage-backed securities coupled with the recent, highly publicized failure of Jim Cornelius to purchase ImClone (to gain complete control over the multi-billion dollar Erbitux franchise) suggests that the future of the company may be in serious jeopardy.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

 

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I think that it is safe to say that we are in a recession. Even though unemployment is rising to record levels, there are still jobs to be had. To be successful in tough economic times, job seekers must manage expectations and modify job search tactics. To that end, I came across an insightful article that provides jobseekers with a variety of suggestions and tips that may lead to employment during the current economic downturn.

Until next time….

 

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

 

 

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According to the WSJ Health Blog “Wyeth is overhauling its early-stage research by slashing in half the number of therapeutic areas and diseases for which it will pursue new medicines. The idea is to concentrate on more innovative products and get them to market faster.” Whenever large companies restructure or announce reorganization plans, job cuts are soon to follow. So, if you are a Wyeth employee I recommend updating that resume as soon as possible!

People close to the R&D restructuring (part of a larger plan, dubbed Project Impact) said the overall number of scientific jobs won’t change under the plan but some scientists will be cut because their skills aren’t transferable to other areas. Wyeth will eliminate discovery work in women’ health, reduce its therapeutic areas from 14 to 6 and continue to focus vaccines and biologics, where it has had great success with its pediatric pneumococcal vaccine, Prevnar, and the anti-inflammatory biologic Enbrel.

Wyeth joins several pharmaceutical companies, including Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer, which have already decided to narrow the focus of their development efforts and focus more on biotechnology products. Don’t be surprise if other pharmaceutical companies announce similar restructuring plans. I predict that within 10 years or so, pharma companies will no conduct basic discovery research and abandon their internal pipelines. Instead, they will become drug “clearing houses” that specialize in developing products that were either purchased or in-licensed from smaller biotechnology and specialty pharmaceutical companies.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

 

 

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It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but according to a recent survey of 3,000 job seekers conducted by the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas the time it takes to find a job is growing longer. For example, the median time for job searches conducted by those winning positions grew from 3.6 months in the second quarter to 4.4 months in the third quarter of 2008. Also, it found that 13.4% of job seekers relocated to take new positions in the third quarter of 2008. While this is up from a first quarter figure of 8.9%, it is still lower than the percentage of job seekers (15%-16%) who relocated in 2006 and part of 2007. 

As layoffs increase and the US economy worsens the percentage of people willing to relocate for new positions will likely increase even as home prices continue to fall. Unfortunately, some job seekers may find themselves trapped (despite a willingness to relocate) because of an inability to sell their homes. Put simply, this may be one of the toughest job markets in recent history.

However, as a well known recruiter once told me: “All too often, job seekers allow themselves to get mired in the doom and gloom of a failing job market. However, if they can remember to approach a job search with a mindset of “all I need is a single job offer” then they will undoubtedly be successful.” That said, while your next job may not be the one that you really wanted, simply having a job is what matters in uncertain financial times.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!!

 

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Pfizer announced earlier today that it was going to cut R&D jobs and abandon its research efforts in the areas of cardiovascular diseases, cholesterol management, osteoporosis, anemia and liver and muscle diseases. The company plans to refocus it drug development in five therapeutic areas including Alzheimer’s; diabetes; immune disorders and inflammation; cancer; pain; and mental illness, including schizophrenia. Also, the company will continue its work on anti-thrombotic agents to prevent blood clots.

The job cuts and refocusing are part of a previously announced plan to cut about $2 billion dollars from Pfizer’s operating budget. Over the past 15 years, Pfizer has gone on an unprecedented buying spree in an attempt to acquire blockbuster drugs and bolster its flagging internal drug development pipeline. Unfortunately, the gamble has not paid off and Pfizer must now attempt to reinvent itself to restore shareholder value and instill investor confidence. 

Unlike many of its competitors, Pfizer failed to invest in and capitalize on early opportunities in the biotechnology industry. The company has been trying to play catch up ever since. To that end, over the past year or so, Pfizer invested in or purchased several small biopharmaceutical companies to demonstrate its commitment to biotechnology.  It may be “too little too late!” Unfortunately, because of a lack of vision and foresight by company executives, many Pfizer employees will have to pay the ultimate price of losing their jobs as the US falls deeper into recession.

Hat tip to Pharmalot and the WSJ Health Blog.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!

 

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Online career sites like Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com and Yahoo Hot Jobs have gotten so big and over subscribed that they are no longer useful to most jobseekers. Many career development experts have discovered that the large career sites tend to overwhelm jobseekers because of the enormity of job possibilities that appear on them.  Unfortunately, this seemingly endless supply of job opportunities frequently induces jobseekers to spend too much time applying for online jobs and not enough time exploring non-internet based job possibilities. While applying for online jobs is facile and may be emotionally-gratifying, it usually doesn’t culminate in many face-to-face interviews or job offers for that matter. This is because most online job applications are screened by software programs looking for key words or phrases and, if your resume doesn’t contain them it will not be reviewed by a human. Further, many of the openings posted on job boards are actually placed there by recruiters and contract employment agencies—not actual companies seeking to fill positions. Often times, recruiters post expired or fictitious job descriptions on the boards to “pad” their candidate databases with qualified applicants who can be used for future job orders. Finally, sometimes unscrupulous people/companies place false or misleading ads on the big job boards. Unfortunately, these people have no qualms about taking financial advantage of job seekers who may be desperate or “down on their luck

The declining usefulness of the big online job boards has given rise to smaller career sites like Indeed.com and Simply Hired.com which are driven by powerful search engines and permit jobseekers to customize job searches based on industry, geography, salary and job availability. Other companies like BioInsights.com and OneScience.com have built niche job boards that specialize in industry-specific job listings (in this case pharma and biotech). While these new careers site are more focused, easier to navigate and frequently yield better results than the large job boards, they too can be exploited by recruiters and unscrupulous would-be employers. 

The growing popularity of social networking sites represents an important paradigm shift for jobseekers and employers. Belonging to popular social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook or Plaxo allows job seekers to cast a wider net by taking advantage of the contacts or connections that their “friends” may have at various companies and organizations. Further, it is not uncommon for people within a network to pass on resumes or put in a good word to hiring managers on behalf of friends or contacts from their network who are seeking employment.  However, it is important to also point out that recruiters and contract employment agencies have also recognized the potential and power of social networks. Recruiters and HR specialists now routinely troll social networks (particularly Linked In and Facebook) for qualified candidates and don’t hesitate to contact “qualified candidates” whether or not they are actively looking for a job. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, hiring managers and recruiters are becoming increasingly reliant on social networks to screen and gather personal information about job candidates to assess their suitability for certain jobs. According to a 2006 study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, recruiters use social networking sites 23 per cent more than they did in 2006 to verify resumes, screen applicants and fill vacancies. Also, the study found that possible negative information posted on social network profiles—personal views, alcohol or drug use, sexually-oriented pictures or social commentaries— have a greater impact on hiring decisions than any positive information that may also appear on job seeker profiles.

The growing use of social networks by job seekers to find employment and employers and recruiters to screen job applicants has profound implications for people who belong to these networks. With this in mind, if you currently have profiles associated with your legal name on social networks like Face Book, MySpace or Linked In, I strongly recommend that are completely devoid of the following: 1) sexually suggestive or explicit photographs, 2) posts or photos depicting excessive alcohol or drug use, 3) any rants that you may have posted about your boss or a current place of employment and 4) personal information about your age, marital status, children or sexual orientation. Also, if you are actively involved in a job search, it is a good idea to upload a short bio or resume to your profile and to post any bonafide recommendations or career award and honors that you may have received. However, if you find the prospect of having to sanitize your MySpace and Facebook profiles unpalatable, then I suggest that you remove your name from your current profile(s) and replace it with an alias (your friends will still  know who you are) and build another profile with your real name for professional use only.   

We live in a highly competitive, constantly-changing world where even slightly negative perceptions about a person may mean the different between employment or not. Ironically, while the Internet allows greater freedom of expression, it also permits people with decision-making powers to more easily scrutinize our daily activities and gain greater insights into our personal lives. Consequently, the onus is on jobseekers to regulate or control what prospective employers may learn about them online. Put simply, the success or failure of your career may literally be in your own hands. That said, the next time that you update your Facebook or MySpace profiles take a moment (before you hit the “send button”) and ask yourself whether or not the new information “is going to help or hurt my career?”

Until next time…

 

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

 

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The Pharmalot Blog reported today that Schering Plough will eliminate 1,000sales jobs or 20% of its sales force by October. This latest round of layoffs is part of a reorganization plan that was announced last year to cut 10% of it workforce by 2012 (although must of the downsizing will occur by 2010). The reorganization was announced shortly after Schering purchased Organon Biosciences and the “wheels came off” of its Zetia/Vytorin anti-cholesterol medication franchise.

In other news, BioJobBlog heard through the grapevine that Merck has been quietly laying off workers (since Labor Day) in an attempt to reduce its workforce by 20% over the next few years. Many very talented people who have been with Merck for years are looking for new jobs.

Finally, Montvale, NJ-based Memory Pharmaceuticals announced that it was laying off 55 workers or roughly 50% of its workforce. The company, which went public in a much heralded IPO in 2004, focuses on developing treatments for cognitive disorders. Although the company has never been profitable, the person who ran the company for the past three years (first as president, then CEO and finally CFO) earned $876,807 last year. Not surprisingly, he will be leaving the company as part of the downsizing initiative.

The ongoing pharma slowdown coupled with this week’s Wall Street meltdown (many people who work on Wall Street live in New Jersey) should make New Jersey a very challenging and interesting place to live in the coming months.

Hat tip to Ed at Pharmalot.

Until next time….

 

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (I would avoid NJ)!!!!!!

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Astellas, a company formed in 2005 following the merger of Japanese-based pharmaceutical giants, Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, announced that it is hoping that 200 pharmaceutical workers in its production facility in Norman, OK will take early retirement to cut labor costs. The downsizing is in response to impending patent expiry of the company’s blockbuster urology product Flomax.

A company spokesperson said “The early retirement program seeks to reduce the workforce by about 30 percent, which would leave about 140 people at the Norman plant.” The loss of these jobs is likely to have a substantial economic impact on the small Oklahoma town many of whose residents have worked at the plant for over 20 years.

Astellas employees around 17,000 workers worldwide. When pharmaceutical jobs are cut in OK, you know the industry is in bad shape.

Hat tip to Ed at Pharmalot

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!

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After returning from a job interview, the most frequently asked question by your colleagues and friends is likely to be “So how did it go.” Unfortunately, in most cases, the answers that you provide are purely speculative because the only people who really know whether your interview was successful or not is the hiring manager who interviewed you. That said, are there any telltale signs that your interview went well and that a job offer may be in your future? Peggy McKee over at the Medical Sales Recruiter blog came across an informative post  that may provide some answers. 

FYI, in my experience as a professional recruiter, the best indicator that a job candidate’s face-to-face was a winner, was a rapid response (usually a telephone call) from the hiring manager. Since many of you will likely not be working with a recruiter, read and learn!

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

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Ed Silverman at the Pharmalot blog reported that Abbott disclosed in a Securities and Exchange filing that it will cut about 1,000 jobs in medical diagnostics over the next four years to cut costs and save about $150 million per year.

According to an Abbot spokesperson “The streamlining includes the closing of a clinical chemistry plant in South Pasadena, California and transferring production of some diagnostic products to plants in Europe that are closer to a big part of the company’s customer base.”

I guess this is good news for Abbott employees—the company could have eliminated all 1,000 positions in one fell swoop. The four year timeline gives current Abbott employees some time to beef up their resumes.

 

Until next time…

 

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

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 As expected, Genentech summarily rejected Roche’s offer to purchase it for $43.7 billion. Genentech executives claim that Roche’s offer is too low and it undervalues the actual worth of the company. Roche offered Genentech about $88 per share for remaining 44% of the outstanding shares of stock that it doesn’t already own. Many Wall Street analysts think that the actual value of Genentech stock is roughly $100 per share. As any business person knows (with or without an MBA), the first offer is usually not the last offered that is tendered in any deal.

 

Because Roche owns a majority controlling interest in Genentech, it is not clear whether Genentech can avoid actually being purchased by Roche. Genentech executives have publicly stated that earlier agreements between the two companies that guide the sale of Genentech may no longer be in effect and that they will not abide by them.  I suspect that only time (or perhaps the courts) will tell.

 

Roche has already indicated that if it acquires Genentech, there will likely be job cuts to its 10,700 member workforce (something that Genentech wants to prevent). I suspect that Genentech’s rejection of Roche’s offer is the first in a series designed to maximize shareholder value for Genentech (not to mention the large sums of money that company workers and executives who own stock options will make as a result of a sale).

 

I predict that Roche will ultimately buy Genentech. The only thing that remains to be determined is how much Roche will have to pay to acquire the biotech giant. Roche cannot afford to let this deal go south—a bright and successful future depends on it!

 

If I were a Genentech employee, I would be dusting off the old resume right about now.

 

Until next time….

 

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!

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Pfizer announced today that is it closing a manufacturing facility in Cork Ireland.  Approximately 180 people will lose their jobs. Pfizer tried to sell the plant but was unable to find a buyer. The Cork plant will officially be closed sometime in 2009.  Another of Pfizer’s five Irish manufacturing facilities located in Ringaskiddy is also on the block. That facility employs about 300 people. Pfizer cites the 2006 failure of torcetrapib, an experimental cholesterol drug as the reason for the plant closings.

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As much as I hate to admit it, I have been fired at least three times (usually for insubordination or rabble rousing) from jobs in my long and illustrious career. My guess is that anybody who has worked in the private sector has been fired at least once! Of course, nobody ever admits (unless asked) that they have been fired from a job. The point is that many people get fired and if you’re one of the unlucky people who get does fired; you will need to know how to deal with a “termination” on your resume. After all, once you are fired, you will likely need to look for a new job!

I came across a well- crafted post that provides ideas and insights about dealing with being fired and employment gaps when constructing a resume. Check it out—someday you may need to use some of the proffered tips.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

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Despite an increase in profits, BMS announced today that it will continue with its Productivity Transformation Initiative (PTI) that was instituted last fall. According to the PTI, BMS must save $1.0 billion over the next 2 years. Of course, the only way to accomplish this is by laying off employees whose jobs are not directly related to the process of transforming BMS into a “ next generation biopharma company” (Would somebody please write me and explain what that means)???? I suspect that BMS employees will be receiving “pink slips” after Labor Day.

This has been a devastating week for the NJ-based pharmaceutical industry. First, Teva announced last week that it will buy Montvale NJ-based Barr Pharmaceuticals and then earlier this week Roche issued a press release indicating that it will move its corporate headquarters from Nutley NJ to South San Francisco (Genentech’s headquarters) by 2010. The impending layoffs at BMS coupled with job freezes and downsizing at other NJ pharma companies like Schering Plough and Merck may signal the beginning of the end of New Jersey’s status as the “nation’s medicine chest.”

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (forget New Jersey)!

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Who doesn’t like to gossip? The intrigue…the drama….the sheer joy of it! But, can gossiping hurt your career?  Based on my experiences and numerous job losses, the answer to that question is a resounding yes!!! 

That said, others may feel otherwise about workplace gossip.  After all, doesn’t everybody gossip? And, why would a little gossip hurt one’s career? I found an interesting article on the effects of workplace gossiping and how to safely indulge and manage the impulse when it strikes you at work

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (a good friend of mine heard a rumor…..)!!!!!!!!

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On the heels of yesterday’s announcement that it wants to buy Genentech, Roche, in a surprise move, announced today that it will move its Nutley, NJ-based US corporate headquarters to California. According to a report, research and development activities in oncology and metabolism at the Nutley site will be expanded. However, the company will consolidate all Nutley-based finance and information-technology operations and close manufacturing facilities on the site by 2010. It is not clear how many of Roche’s 3,240 New Jersey employees will be affected by the proposed move to South San Francisco. Suffice it to say, more than a few Roche employees are likely to lose their jobs after the company’s headquarters heads west.

Once dubbed the”nation's medicine chest”, New Jersey has steadily been losing pharmaceutical jobs since 1990 when 20% of all US pharmaceutical jobs were in NJ—at present 13.7% of  American pharmaceutical jobs reside in NJ. It has been a long, slow burn for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology workforce in the Garden State.

The Roche announcement comes as several other New Jersey drug makers, including Schering-Plough and Johnson & Johnson's Ortho Biotech unit, have been laying off workers because of the economic downturn and tough times in the industry. It also comes several days after Barr Pharmaceuticals, headquartered in Montvale, announced that it is being acquired for $7.5 billion by Israeli generics giant Teva.  

The growing scarcity of pharmaceutical and biotechnology jobs coupled with the highest property taxes in the US may cause a mass migration from the state. Not that there is anything wrong with that!!!!!!

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

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Pfizer is at it again. The company announced today that it will cut 275 jobs from its manufacturing operations in Kalamazoo County before the end of the year. The cut will reduce the company’s total employee roster to about 2,500 at the Portage, MI site.

Pfizer has been steadily streamlining and downsizing operations in Michigan ever since it inherited several Michigan-based sites after it acquired Pharmacia in 2002.

Not surprisingly, a company spokesman said “We operate in a highly competitive and constantly changing environment, and we have to adapt to that.'' Easy for him to say—he still has a job. 

The announcement comes on the heels of a rumor circulating last week that some Pfizer employees at its Croton R&D facility may lose their jobs next fall.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (avoid Michigan)!!!!!!!!!!

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According to apost at Pharmalot, rumor has it that Pfizer will lay off a number of chemists at its main R&D facility in Groton, Connecticut as early as next Fall The rumor supposedly began at an R&D blog run by a former Pfizer employee (always a reliable source for inside information). 

M y colleague Ed Silverman who runs Pharmalot contacted Pfizer about the rumor and received this response “A leading R&D organization must evolve, continue to build on its strengths, capture competitive advantage wherever possible and be realistic about what it will take to return Pfizer to growth. What I can assure you is that if and when there are organizational changes, those decisions are never taken lightly. Our guiding principle is that colleagues hear about important Pfizer news from company leadership first and are treated with the utmost respect.” In other words, Pfizer will likely be laying off more employees in the very near future.

Hat tip to Ed!

Until next time…

Good Luck, Good Job Hunting and Happy 4^th of July!!!!!

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With the price of gas and travel skyrocketing, many companies are cutting back on the number of face-to-face job interviews that they conduct. Instead, companies are resorting to alternate interviewing strategies that include multiple phone interviews, videoconferencing interviews and yes, even virtual interviews (check out Second Life) —how cool is that!!!! 

This means that job candidates must adapt to these new format in order to remain competitive. I came across an article that discusses how to approach and successfully manage these new interviewing formats.

Just remember to keep those wings and halos to a minimum during your next virtual interview!!!!

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!

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Peggy McKee, the medical sales recruiter, offers some words of wisdom and advice on finding a job in today’s challenging job market. Read and learn….Hat tip to Peggy for the insights!

We’re in some tough economic times right now, and that can make it that much harder to find a job.  To help you out, Fortune magazine has 7 tips for job hunting in a tougher market.  They include:

1.  Request more face-to-face meetings.  Get your face in front of recruiters and your network instead of relying on e-mails and phone calls.  It will make more of an impression. 

2.  Step up your job-search activity.  This makes sense.  In many ways, a job search (like sales calls) is a numbers game.  Increase your odds by increasing your activity.

3.  Try to be as flexible as you can.  Consider contract work, part-time work, or starting at a lesser salary than you were hoping for.  It gets your foot in the door for other opportunities later.  Besides, less money is better than no money, right?

4.  Consider relocating.  Top jobs aren’t always where you are.  I love the idea of relocating and expanding your horizons…trying something new. 

5.  Scour the hidden job market.  Many jobs aren’t advertised.  Be proactive.  Use your network.  Or contact employers directly.  They might appreciate your initiative.

6.  Spend very little of your time on Internet job boards and help-wanted ads.  Look, but don’t focus.  Everyone’s looking here. 

7.  Take advantage of social networking sites.  Personally, I love LinkedIn.  But also, use MySpace or Facebook as part of your networking tactics.  Just be careful to keep it professional. 

Here are some more great tips to heat up your job search.  One last great idea (from the Sales Hub):   

You never know when or where you may meet a prospective employer. Memory sticks, flash-drives, or email versions of your resume on your Blackberry, Treo or iPhone are must-haves in today’s volatile employment market.

Until next time,

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!

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The Avandia debacle is still ravaging the employee ranks at GlaxoSmithKline especially at its Research Triangle Park, North Carolina and in Philadelphia locations. According to a post at Pharmalot, the UK-based drug manufacturer is cutting as many as 350 jobs (2.0% of its workforce) at both locations. This represents an almost 40% reduction in drug discovery and development activities that take place at both sites.

These cuts come after GSK closed a factory and drastically cut its sales force late last year. To make matters worse (particularly for those folks who lost their jobs) GSK purchased an early-stage drug discovery company called Sirtris Pharmaceuticals for about $720 million earlier this year. Clearly, company executives have more faith in external rather than internal drug discovery at GSK.

The saga continues……

Until next time

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (forget North Carolina)!!!!!

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Peggy McKee wrote an interesting piece on her Medical Sales Recruiter blog about personal branding and developing an online presence to find a job. For those of you who haven’t heard about personal branding, it is de rigueur and the hottest thing on the net these days. Put simply, you, the jobseeker, are the brand and to be successful (get a job), the brand must be vigorously promoted! Personal branding can be easily achieved by creating profiles on social networks like MySpace, Facebook or Linked In or creating your own promotional website using your name as the domain name.  However, there are a few things that you ought to consider before you embark on your personal branding campaign. Peggy offers a few pointers and recommendations when it comes to both personal branding and your online persona.

Employers and recruiters research prospective candidates online to get more information about them before an interview is scheduled or an offer is extended.  This can work against you if your MySpace page is filled with “party” pics (or worse), but it can work for you if you have an effective online persona. 

Web Worker Daily rounds up several tips for developing an effective online presence:

• Check your Google profile.  What comes up when your name gets typed in?  Know what’s out there so you don’t get suprised.

• Own your domain name.  Even if you don’t want to do something with it now, you might later.

• Develop your personal brand.  Set up a LinkedIn profile.  Write a blog.  Be a guest writer on blogs specific to your industry (maybe you could write a post for me - describing your job, etc).   If you’re not sure what personal branding is or how to do it, there’s a lot available out there.  Here’s 3 articles to get you started:

The 6 P’s of Personal Branding (Persona, Positioning, Packaging, Presentation, Promotion, and Passion)

Three Keys to Building a Strong Personal Brand.  “A good brand has 3 main features:  clarity, consistency, and constancy.”

Dan Schwabel’s podcast, Top Social Media Tools for Turning Your E-Brand into a Powerhouse.  Let Dan show you how to choose what to use.

 Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (personal branding can’t hurt)!!!!!!!

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As a self-anointed career development professional, I frequently read blogs and online articles dealing with jobs and career development advice. That said,  I happened upon a piece in Yahoo Education entitled “Risky Business: Finding Job Security in Tough Times”. The article featured careers that may provide greater than average job security to employees. Everything was going great until I read the no. 4 career on the list–Medical Scientist– I kid you not. This is what the author had to say about medical/life scientists:

 “With increases in funding for treating cancer, AIDS, mental illness, and other diseases, corporate pharmaceutical, biotech, and university research labs need more people to develop vaccines and treatment drugs. Depending on your medical specialty, you'll typically need a master's degree or PhD. Often M.D.-holders choose research work over medical practice. You can begin traveling this path by earning a bachelor's degree in a biological science, and focusing on chemistry, biology, statistics, and research methods. Salaries in private sector biotech firms are typically higher than those offered at the college research level. There are also jobs with government medical-research agencies. Median salary range: $44,830 to $88,130.”

I ‘m not sure where the author has been or what she has been smoking but it seems to me that she is not in sync with industry trends. Maybe I ought to write to her and ask her to send me a list of companies that are currently hiring. I guess you really can’t believe everything that you read!

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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When the job market gets tough, it is the “little things” that can make the difference between a job offer and a rejection letter. As you all know by now, face-to-face interviews are the “make or break” event in any job search. To that end, any edge that you can get may make the difference between being employed or receiving unemployment benefits in today’s job market. Although I am not a big fan of quizzes or surveys, it may be worth the time to take an ‘interview preparedness’ quiz that I found on Monster.com. I want to state upfront that I didn’t take the quiz nor can I vouch for its accuracy. That said, remember; it is the little things that frequently determine your fate at job interviews. 

Let me know how you fared!

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

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Roche Diagnostics plans to transfer about 300 jobs from its Indianapolis facility to Germany over the next three years as part of a consolidation plan.

A Roche spokesperson announced yesterday that transfers will start in October and most will be completed by 2011. A limited number of employees will be offered transfers to Germany, but most will be laid off.

Most of the positions are in research and development of reagents, which are chemicals used in test kits for HIV, West Nile virus and other diseases. The company says about 85 percent of production for the unit affected by the transfers is already in Germany. Roche has about 2,800 employees in Indianapolis.

Like other sectors of the US economy, the pharmaceutical sector is getting whacked.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting??????

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The key to successful negotiations of any kind is realizing that you ARE NOT going to get everything that you want or expect. Likewise, this means that the person(s) sitting on the other side of the proverbial table is not going to get everything that he/she wants either. Simply put, you have to “give-to-get” during negotiations to reach an agreement that is mutually acceptable to all parties.  Please note that I used the word “acceptable” rather than “satisfied” when referring to a negotiated agreement. In my experience, neither party is ever COMPLETELY satisfied with a negotiated agreement. Rather, the respective parties each received enough of what they initially wanted/expected to consider the deal ‘acceptable.”

When working as a professional recruiter, I determined, early on, that job offers are generally extended to “right-fit” candidates within several days after an interview. That said, if you haven’t heard back from a company within a week or so after your interview, it is likely that you are not their first choice for the position.  Nevertheless, when you receive a job offer, the most important thing to remember is that  ALL offers are negotiable. Based on my own personal and professional experiences, a company’s first offer is usually neither their best nor final offer.

Frequently, inexperienced job candidates are reluctant to negotiate an initial offer because they are afraid that the company might retract it if they appear “too greedy.” This is simply not the case. Because companies/organizations typically offer jobs to only those individuals who they want to work for them ,their primary objective is to do whatever is “reasonable” to induce the candidate to join their organization. Of course, companies sometimes have limited resources or flexibility regarding  what they can offer a candidate to accomplish this! That said, job candidates are obliged to test the limits of corporate flexibility to negotiate the best compensation package they can before they are required to make a decision of whether or not to join a company/organization. Simply put, most nonprofit organizations and corporate entities expect some back and forth negotiations before a candidate makes his/her decision to accept or reject a job offer.

In my experiences, there are certain things that can and can’t be negotiated after an offer has been extended. Things that  can be negotiated include:

• Starting salary
• Stock options
• Relocation costs
• Signing bonuses
• Start dates

In contrast, items that are rarely or cannot be negotiated are:

• Health benefits
• Rank/title
• Vacation time
• Performance bonuses

Although most employers expect candidates to negotiate job offers, the way in which the negotiations are handled and conducted are extremely important. Candidates must remember to be cordial and professional at all times and to never give a prospective employer an ultimatum–e.g., “If I don’t get this salary, I will not take the job”. Ultimatums are the “kiss of death” for any prospective employee because it signals that the individual is demanding, inflexible and likely to not be a team player. 

Another thing to remember is to not become emotionally invested in the negotiations taking place between the company and you. When a candidate becomes overly emotional or demanding during negotiations, exchanges between a company and candidate may become acrimonious and unpleasant. To increase the likelihood of success i.e. to get what you want, it is best to be as dispassionate and business-like when negotiating a job offer.  Nobody likes to negotiate with an overly emotional or unreasonable individual (take it from me–I know!).

When it comes to negotiating a job offer, the best case scenario is to allow a recruiter to negotiate the offer on your behalf.  Because a recruiter usually has a preexisting  relationship with the hiring manager, he/she can do all of the so called “heavy lifting” to help a candidate get what they can from a company. To that end, the recruiter generally knows before entering into negotiations with a prospective employer exactly what his/her candidate’s “needs” are and how far he/she can push the client to help a candidate secure the best offer. Needless to say, this option is only available to those candidates who used a recruiter to interview at the company/organization in the first place.

Negotiations become unnecessarily “nasty” or belligerent may come back to haunt you if you accept an offer and work at a particular company. To that end, you may find yourself working for or with the person(s) who you negotiated with!  And, if bad feelings were generated during the negotiation process, it may take some work to overcome the negative impression you created for yourself. For those of you who may not know, organizational/corporate memory has a long shelf life!

In my next post, I will discuss some strategic approaches and tactics that candidates can use to optimize a job offer from a prospective employer.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

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Eli Lilly & Co. announced today that it will eliminate 500 jobs at its manufacturing facility in Indianapolis, IN. The cuts will affect sites that manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients for Lilly’s insulin products Humalog® and Humulin® and its osteoporosis medicine Forteo®.

Lilly is offering incentive packages for those employees who voluntarily leave the company. The company has already reduced its global headcount by twelve percent or about 5,500 people since 2004.

Times are tough and getting tougher each day in pharma land. Buckle up–its going to be a rough ride for jobseekers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (avoid Indianapolis, who wants to be a Hoosier anyway?)

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According to a post on the Wall Street Journal Health blog, Wyeth announced today that it is laying off about 1,200 marketing and sales representatives who helped support Protonix, its blockbuster heartburn and acid reflux medication. The job cuts are part of a previously announced “asset reallocation plan” that is designed to reduce the size of the company’s workforce by about 5% this year, and by 10% over the next three years.

The company employees about 50,000 people worldwide with roughly half of them in the U.S.  Like some of its competitors, Wyeth is facing stiff generic competition for several products that are slated to lose patent protection over the next couple of years and recently has had trouble getting many of its new drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!!

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I happened upon a Sunday morning talk show yesterday where one of the guests was discussing strategies that employees ought to adopt to keep their jobs in a recessionary economy. For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, the US economy lost 63,000 jobs last month; another bit of evidence that we are sliding into an unavoidable recession. 

The talk show guest posited that only those employees who were able to quickly adapt to rapidly changing corporate/business environments would keep their jobs; the other less adaptable employees would find themselves jobless. Call me crazy, but his analysis sounded eerily similar to Darwin’s principle of natural selection or “survival of the fittest”–only those members of a population who were able to adapt (through mutations in Darwin’s case)  to changing environmental conditions will survive; the other less adaptable members will perish. Imagine that, using a recessionary economy to illustrate one of the fundamental principles of Darwin’s theory of evolution–how cool is that?

Here are some insights into how to keep your job during a recession when many companies are unstable and in flux. First, employees who work at financially-troubled companies must embrace the changes frequently instituted by management whether or not they agree with them. Invariably, there will be a cadre of employees who openly and publicly criticize the “new corporate policies”–these will likely be the employees who are demoted or “right-sized” out of the company.  In Darwinian terms, these employees are unable to adapt to change and they will either be eliminated or their standing in the population (company) will be diminished.  On the other hand, the employees who are able to embrace change will not lose their jobs and will likely be able to maintain or improve their standing in the population (company).  In other words, adaptable employees have a selective, competitive advantage over unadaptable ones which will allow them to survive and flourish in their new environment. Second, it is probably not wise during periods of corporate upheaval, for mid-level managers or employees to tout their past accomplishments or remind management about their worth to the company. In times of change, management embraces individuals with forward-looking ideas (to facilitate change) not those who are rooted in the past and are invested in antiquated corporate policies and practices. Again, only those employees who adapt will be able to survive and compete in their new corporate environment.  Finally, as a science educator, it is always exhilarating and exciting to find new ways to teach Darwin’s Theory (sic) of Evolution so that it makes sense to lay audiences. Maybe watching Sunday morning talk shows isn’t a waste of time after all!!!!

Until next time… 

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (adapt)!!!!!!!!!

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As some of you may know, I worked as a professional recruiter for about 3 years in the late 1990s. What surprised me the most during my recruiting sojourn was the undeserved disdain that people have for recruiters (or “headhunters” as they are known in the vernacular) and how little they understood about the inner workings of the recruiting industry. Like it or not, professional recruiting is an accepted part of corporate life!

Contrary to popular belief, recruiters don’t work for the people who are looking for jobs–they work for and are paid by the companies that engage them! Generally speaking, there are three types of recruiters. Retained recruiters are usually hired by corporate clients to fill senior level corporate positions and are paid a predetermined and agreed upon placement fee whether or not they fill a position. In other words, these recruiters are “on retainer” and work for companies on an “as needed basis.” Contingency recruiters, as the name implies, only get paid when a client company hires a job candidate that was brought to them by a recruiter. As you might imagine, contingency recruiting is a very fast paced, highly competitive and often stressful job–I was a contingency recruiter. Finally, the third type of recruiter, an exclusive contingency recruiter, is an amalgamation of executive and contingency recruiting. In this case, a recruiter receives a portion of his/her placement fee in advance and only receives the remainder when the position is filled with a candidate recommended by the recruiter.

Recruiters are expensive and they cost the companies that use them substantial sums of money. Placement fees usually range from 20% to as high as 45% of a new hires’s first year total compensation package. With this in mind, hiring managers use recruiters only when they need to find candidates for critical or difficult-to-fill positions. In general, companies rarely use recruiters to find entry level employees. However, most bioscience companies use recruiters and they typically have a stable of contingency recruiters that work with on a regular basis.

How Recruiters Work

Recruiters use a variety of tactics ranging from referrals to cold calling to get job orders from their corporate clients. Once a recruiter receives a job order, he/she develops a profile for right-fit candidates largely based on the job description, the salary range for the job, the company’s benefits, bonus and relocation packages and its corporate culture. Recruiters find prospective candidates by searching job candidate databases (compiled by the recruiter or the company the recruiter is working for), getting referrals from colleagues, industry professionals and other recruiters and by placing ads in specialty and trade magazines, or listing ads on web-based job boards (e.g. like Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, Linked-In,  etc).  

Once a qualified candidate(s) has been identified, a recruiter will contact the candidate(s) to review and discuss the job opportunity with them. During the conversation, the recruiter will likely ask you about your background, years of experience, skill sets that you have mastered salary requirements and whether or not you are willing to relocate for the opportunity. When a recruiter determines that you may be a “right-fit candidate”i.e., you meet many, if not all, of the job specifications outlined in the job description, he/she will ask for a copy of your most recent resume/CV. Sometimes, after reviewing a resume/CV, a recruiter might ask a candidate to modify or rearrange it before he/she submits it to a client for consideration. Some recruiters will even do it for you–I can’t count the number of resumes that I modified or rewrote before I submitted them to my clients for review. For those of you who are interested in learning how to write a proper resume click here.

Typically, you will hear back from a recruiter within two or three days if a company is interested in moving forward with your candidacy. However, if you don’t hear back from a recruiter within a week, it is unlikely that you are being considered for the position. That said, it is not unreasonable to call or e-mail the recruiter if you don’t hear from him/her after several days.

Working with Recruiters

Because recruiters are expensive, most companies don’t use them to hire entry-level employees. Consequently, if you are a first-time or entry level job seeker, I wouldn’t spend a lot of time fielding calls from recruiters–it is unlikely that they will be able to help you in your job search. People who benefit the most from working with recruiters are individuals who have several years of work experience and are seeking new career opportunities.  

Based on my experiences as both a recruiter and jobseeker, I offer a few suggestions on how to work with professional recruiters.  First, you MUST tell the recruiter that he/she is NOT ALLOWED to send your resume/CV to a client without first discussing the opportunity with you and getting your permission to submit it. If left to their own devices, many contingency recruiters will submit your resume/CV to any jobs that vaguely resemble your background and skill sets. Because the life sciences industry is rather small, recruiters who blast your resume to multiple employers can jeopardize a candidate job at his/her current place of employment. Nobody wants their boss to know that they are looking for a new job! 

Second, it is a good idea to limit the number of recruiters who you worth with. There are a limited number of job orders in the bioscience recruiting universe and it is not uncommon for different recruiters to submit the same resume to multiple clients. While this does not hurt the recruiter’s reputation or business, it may signal to a prospective employer that a candidate is desperate to find a new job–something that may hinder your negotiating power if a job offer is proffered.

Third, work only with recruiters who you think are competent and have a proven track record of placing candidates into jobs. There are a lot of bonehead recruiters out there. Fourth, it is important to remember that you are probably not the only candidate whose resume he/she has submitted to a client company. Most recruiters try to submit at least three candidates per job order–it increases the likelihood and probability that he/she will make a placement (and actually get paid for their hard work). Finally, it is a good idea to stay in touch with recruiters who contact you to discuss possible job opportunities. I almost always return phones from recruiters who call me whether or not I am looking for a job. It never hurts to hear about the types of jobs that are out there especially with the current economy. Also, you may need a recruiter some day to find a new job!

Conclusions

Recruiters are a fact of life in the corporate world. That said, the next time you receive a call from a headhunter, I highly recommend that you be polite, carefully listen to the job opportunities that they are pitching, get their contact information into your e-mail/cell phone address book and don’t hesitate to contact them if you find yourself out of work!

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Germany’s GPC Biotech announced another round of job cuts as it tries to regroup after its failure to win US approval of its experimental prostate cancer drug satraplatin.

The company said that this latest restructuring will sharpen its focus on oncology clinical development efforts and further reduce costs to extend its cash reserves to cover three years of operating expenses. The restructuring is mainly focused on GPC’s early-stage research activities in Munich and will result in 38 job losses. The remaining work force will be 14 in Munich and 49 in Princeton, New Jersey. These latest cuts come after an announcement in November that the firm was slashing its workforce by over 100.

A GPC Biotech spokesperson also announced that the company is discontinuing internal development of the 1D09C3 monoclonal antibody, which is in Phase I clinical trials for relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphomas. However, RGB-286638, a broad-spectrum cell cycle kinase inhibitor, is expected to enter the clinic within the next six months. 

Things are looking pretty dicey at GPC Biotech.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!

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Astra Zeneca and Sanofi-Aventis announced job cuts today that will take place in the UK and Germany.

AstraZeneca says it plans to cut more than 300 jobs at its research and development hub at Alderley Park near Wilmslow England, 60 more than unions had feared.

The company, one of the biggest employers in Cheshire, said last week that it was examining its global R&D structure, prompting trade unions to claim that 244 jobs were likely to go at Alderley Park - its largest site for research - which employs more than 3,500. The majority of those affected at Alderley Park work on R&D into respiratory conditions, while there will be a smaller number of job losses from the cardio-vascular team.

Sanofi Aventis plans to eliminate 380 sales and marketing jobs in Germany, one-fifth of the total, because of difficult market conditions, a company spokesperson said. Sanofi Aventis currently employs 1,900 sales and marketing personnel in Germany. The company has 10,000 employees in the country.

The cuts will be made through a voluntary departure plan and retirements, the spokesperson said, citing difficulties in obtaining reimbursements, competition from generic drugs, and falling prices as reasons for the cuts.

The spokesman declined to comment on German press reports which said Sanofi Aventis's sales in Germany fell 8 per cent last year.

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I wanted to follow up my post last week–Part 2: Ask the Recruiter--Job Searching –with a short post about writing cover letters.  As I mentioned in my post last week, the purpose of a cover letter is to summarize your background and skill sets so that a hiring manager (who reads the letter) can quickly determine whether you are qualified for the job for which you applied. In addition to mentioning your background and skill sets, it is vital that cover letters be customized to include buzz words and job qualifications found in the ad that induced you to apply for the job. By showing the hiring manager that you meet all the job requirements and possess the requisite skills listed in the job ad, it makes its easier to determine whether you are qualified for the job. Writing a strong, customized cover letter rather then sending out a form cover letter can make the difference between getting a job interview or not.

Rather then try and describe how to craft a  strong cover letter, I  highly recommend that you take a look at the following cover letter example that came to me by way of the Monster Career Newsletter.  Although most of the articles in the newsletter are geared for Monster users, this is  that provided insight into crafting a winning cover letter.

Please let me know whether you found the article useful or helpful!

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Allergan Inc., the maker of Botox, will close a plant in Ireland, eliminating 300 jobs, and transfer production to a factory in Costa Rica.

Ireland has lost about 10 percent of its manufacturing jobs over the last six years, as labor costs climb. As many of you may know, many US pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies set up production facilities in Ireland over the past 10 years or so because of its well trained workforce and lower labor costs.  However, because the Irish economy has grown so quickly and its middle has prospered, labor costs have been rising and manufacturers are now looking elsewhere to control costs. Unfortunately, this is likely to be harbinger of things to come for markets that were once sources of cheap, skilled labor.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting Lasses and Laddies!!!!!!!!

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Overview

Once a job search has been organized and you have identified: 1) what you are qualified to do; 2) where you want to live and 3) how much money you want to make, it is time to begin looking for that dream job. However, as many of you know, looking for a job is very time consuming; requires a great deal of attention and can be extremely stressful and frustrating at times. Don’t expect it to be easy and certainly do not wait until the less minute to start your search. Finding a new job in today’s economy can take as long as 6 months to a year or more.

Unfortunately, many inexperienced jobseekers tend to conduct job searches employing a method that I call the “shotgun” approach. Much like a shotgun blast, which is imprecise but hits many targets, these jobseekers mindlessly apply to any and all jobs that they find appealing–usually oblivious to job qualifications or requirements. More often than not, shotgun jobseekers are disappointed and, often, downcast because they rarely find jobs. Based on a lack of employer responsiveness, shotgun jobseekers usually conclude that they are “simply unemployable”. While this may be a possibility, it is more likely that they lacked the qualifications to win the jobs that they applied for. To avoid the pitfalls, anxiety and emotional anguish of the shotgun approach, I heartily recommend that jobseekers utilize a job search strategy that I call the “cruise missile” approach. Like cruise missiles, these job searches are well crafted, very targeted and executed with pinpoint accuracy. This approach requires the jobseeker to be highly organized, extremely disciplined and to insure that he/she is qualified for a job before submitting a job application. While this approach will result in fewer actual job applications as compared with the shotgun method, the success rate will be much higher.

The Job Search Process

The first step in a job search is to find out who is hiring. These days, the best places to look for job ads are:

• Company websites (Amgen, Genentech, Genzyme, Merck, BMS)
• Specialty life sciences websites and job board (Onescience.com, Biospace.com)
• Professional societies and science organization websites (Science Careers, American Society of Microbiology, FASEB Careers, MDBio)
• Commercial job boards (Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, Craig’s List)
• Print ads in science journals (Science, Nature)

After identifying possible jobs that interest you, the next step is to determine whether you are QUALIFIED for them. This means that you must carefully read the job description and determine whether:

• You meet the job requirements (area of expertise, years of experience, etc)
• Are willing to live in the community where the job is located
• The salary range is commensurate with your lifestyle and personal needs
• The job is consistent with your career goals and objectives

You may have to compromise on some of these items but if you meet most of the job specifications and requirements, the next step is to apply for the job(s). However, before you do this, it is imperative that have previously prepared 2 important documents:

• A properly constructed and up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV)/resume (look for Part 3 of Ask the Recruiter series) and
• A list of references (who have previously agreed to provide letters on your behalf).

One note of caution–it is not prudent to add the name of a reference to your list until you have talked with them to insure that they will write a “good letter” on your behalf. A bad letter of reference is the “kiss of death” for any job that you may apply for!  Finally, never send the names of your references to prospective employers unless they have specifically asked for them–it is a small world and you never know who is saying what about whom! 

Applying for a Job

I highly recommend that you include a cover letter when apply for a job in response to

either a print or online job ad. The cover letter should clearly express your interest in the position, provide a brief description of your academic credentials and scientific background and MUST emphasize that you possess the qualifications that the employer spelled out in the ad.  For example, if the job requires a PhD and one or more years of industrial experience you MUST point that out to the employer in your cover letter. A reason why this is important is because cover letters and resumes are initially reviewed by individuals who don’t necessarily have scientific backgrounds–they have been trained or instructed to look for keywords and phrases in job applications/CVs to identify qualified job candidates.

After constructing a cover letter, and carefully reviewing your CV for the 100^th time (to insure that it is the most up-to-date version and devoid of any typos or spelling errors), your application is ready to be submitted.  If you are responding to a print ad, and must mail your application, I strongly recommend that you print the cover letter and CV on good quality, white bond paper and to not fold them so that they can fit in a standard-sized (4 x 9 in) white envelopes. This is one of those times when it is worth spending extra money on 9 x 12 envelopes (and paying the extra postage) to insure that your job application materials are in pristine condition when they are evaluated.

 In the old days, job applicants typically received a postcard from prospective employers after they had received a candidate’s job application. Unfortunately, times have changed and this is no longer standard practice. In fact, most companies and organizations no longer interact with or contact job applicants unless they are interested in them as prospective employees. Therefore, it is a good idea to keep a log or list of the names and dates of the placed where you submitted job applications. If you don’t hear from prospective employers within 2 weeks, it is perfectly reasonable to contact the employer by phone or e-mail to inquire about the progress of your job application. Also, it may provide some insight into the employer’s level of interest in you as a job candidate and to determine exactly where the employer may be in the job search process.

If you are applying for a job online, you do several things before you hit the “SEND” button. These include: 1) insuring that all of the required fields on the application form are filled out correctly, 2) making sure that your resume and cover letter have been attached to the document (or pasted in the appropriate boxes) and 3) carefully reviewing the application for accuracy, spelling errors and typos. Remember once you hit the send button the document is in the ether and irretrievable.  Once you have submitted the online application, you will likely receive a message thanking you for applying for the job. You may also receive an identification number or tracking number to check on the progress of you application. I highly recommend that you print all of these “thank you messages” and keep them in a file in a safe and secure place. This should help to keep your online job search organized and allow you to easily keep track the various jobs that you applied for.

Conclusions

I cannot guarantee that if you follow my recommendations that you will be able to land yourself that dream job. On the other hand, I think that my advice may help to reduce your stress and possibly make yourself more successful!

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!

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 that 660 jobs will be lost at a Pfizer manufacturing facility in Terre Haute, Ind., a result of Pfizer Inc.'s decision to stop production of its inhaled insulin product Exubera.

Nat Ricciardi, president of Pfizer Global Manufacturing, announced Pfizer's decision to cut staff in Terra Haute because the company did not have another use for the specialized Indiana-based production facility.

Facility workers were told of the decision on Monday morning and that told layoffs would begin in March. The production facility employs about 800 workers in total and a majority of the affected employees are those hired within the last five years to produce Exubera. The remaining 140 workers will support the company's sterile manufacturing operation that included antibiotic production.

When the company announced plans in October to discontinue Exubera, it also said about 60 jobs would be lost at its manufacturing plant in Portage, Ind. They are among a total off 200 jobs the company has said will be cut here before the end of this year.

A Pfizer spokesperson said the company is "committed to providing whatever assistance our colleagues need, including internal job postings, job search tools, career and retirement counseling and severance benefits for those who leave the company." It appears that the Midwest is starting to feel pain associated with contraction of the pharmaceutical industry.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (forget the Midwest)!!!!!!!!!!

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Well, it had to happen sooner or later.  Wyeth said on Friday it is considering cost cuts that could eliminate 10 percent of its work force over a three-year period.

Wyeth, whose earnings prospects have been hurt by delays last year in approvals of new medicines and the recent launch of a generic form of its blockbuster Protonix ulcer medicine, currently has 50,000 employees worldwide.

A company spokesperson said "It is premature to even begin to discuss which positions will be affected or how (job cuts) will be achieved. We are evaluating our business and trying to find ways to be more efficient, and part of that is to keep costs under control". He noted that details of the initiative will be presented to employees toward the end of March.

Stay tuned for more details!!!!!!

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (avoid Collegeville, PA)!!!!!!!!!

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Many people think that organizing a job search requires little more than quickly throwing together a resume, applying for online jobs or answering print ads and then kicking back to wait for responses from prospective employers. While this scenario may have been accurate 10 years ago– when jobs were abundant and the economy was humming– it is no longer the case. In fact, the current science job market may be one of the most challenging in the past 20 years or so. This is likely due to shrinking government research spending, contraction of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and the possibility that the American economy is slipping into recession. Nevertheless, there are still available jobs out there. But, in contrast with the past few years, getting them will require a carefully planned and well orchestrated job search.

The initial steps of any job search require answers to several key questions. These include:

1. What do you think you want to do?
2. What type of job are you likely to get (i.e. what jobs are you really
   qualified for)?
3. What are your long-term career goals and aspirations?
4. Where do you want/ need to live?
5. What are your salary requirements? 

Although answers to these questions may, on the surface appear easy, I can assure you that they are NOT and require a great deal of thought!  First, not everyone knows what they truly want to do after completing 6 or more years of graduate and postdoctoral training. More importantly, many people are convinced that they know what they want to do (largely based on discussions with mentors and advisors) but are ill- informed or have little idea about the actual day-to-day responsibilities and specific duties of certain types of jobs. Therefore, before you apply for a particular job, you must critically assess whether you possess the requisite skill sets or experience to successfully compete for the job. For example, if you are protein biochemist and have no industry experience, it wouldn’t be prudent to apply for business development jobs that require a year or more of industrial experience. No matter what lab you trained in or how many publications you have, I guarantee that you will not get the job. Therefore, it is vitally important that you understand the requirements, qualifications and types of jobs that you will be able to compete for.  If you don’t understand these parameters, you are in for a long, frustrating and unsuccessful job search.

Second, it is important to have a clear understanding of the career path that must be traveled to achieve individual long-term career goals. If, for example, you are a PhD with postdoctoral training and are interested in a business development career –but lack a business background–it may be advisable to first attempt to get an entry level job as a research scientist at a large pharmaceutical or biotechnology company. After all, you were trained and have the qualifications for this type of job. Once you have your proverbial foot-in-the-door and, hopefully, picked up some business buzz words you can begin to apply for internally-posted business development jobs. The good news is that internal candidates always have a substantial edge over external candidates for these job openings. Sometimes you might not be able to exactly follow the career roadmap that you created for yourself. Not to worry, if you have a carefully crafted career plan it can easily be modified or amended to get back on track and ultimately achieve your career objectives and goals!

Because  most scientists subscribe to the notion that “no sacrifice is too great for science”, we frequently are willing to take jobs (because of a possible scientific upside) in geographical locations that are not commensurate with our personal needs or lifestyle. Taking a job solely based on the “no sacrifice is too great” adage is often misguided and, in my own experience, a BIG mistake. After receiving my PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I decided to take a postdoctoral position in Portland, Oregon– a decision that was made almost exclusively on the prospect of upward scientific mobility. After arriving in Portland in early January, and experiencing my first Oregon rainy season (which really lasts until July no matter what the natives say) I realized that I had made a bad geographical decision. Nevertheless, I worked hard in the lab and published two or three papers in reputable journals. Unfortunately, I was miserable most of the time and lived in Portland for almost two more years. I subsequently secured a second postdoctoral position at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University and had the time of my life– both inside and outside of the lab. After three more years of hard, painstaking and enjoyable postdoctoral work, I was able to secure a tenure track position at the University Of Miami School Of Medicine. I attribute my success to being happier (both socially and professionally) in Manhattan than I was in Portland.  To that end, I highly recommend that you identify, early in your job search, places where you won’t or cannot live. And, no matter how scientifically or financially enticing a job may sound, don’t even bother to apply if the location of the job is not right for you or your family.

Finally, it is essential before you begin a job search to determine what your minimum salary requirements are. Salary requirements can vary depending upon your family situation, the location of the job and your personal lifestyle requirements. For example, if you determine that $50,000 per year is sufficient to accommodate your needs, then it makes no sense to apply for jobs that advertise salaries less than $50 K per year. No matter how talents or skilled you are, you will not be able to get a company to pay you $50K per year if the job was advertised at a lower salary.  Also, it is never wise to accept a job when the salary that is offered is less than the salary that you expected to receive–you will always feel underpaid or undervalued and you will not be able to do your best work (because you will always be looking for a higher paying job).

I hope that you find the comments in the first installment of the Ask the Recruiter series insightful and helpful. In my next installment, I will attempt to provide some ideas about  how to conduct a highly- focused and targeted job search.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!

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Bristol-Myers Squibb announced today that it will close a 37-year-old pill manufacturing plant in the city of Barceloneta in Puerto Rico. The company plans to shut down operations at the facility over the next 12 months, eliminating about 225 jobs. The reasons for the closing were slowing demand for drugs manufactured at the facility, including two AIDS treatments and an antibiotic and a general need to cut corporate manufacturing costs. As you may recall, Bristol-Myers recently announced a restructuring to eliminate 4,300 jobs and save $1.5 billion.

This is the second time in the past few months that Bristol-Myers has announced plans to close a Puerto Rican production plant.  Last October, BMS announced that it intended to close a manufacturing facility in Mayaguez that made Pravachol (cholesterol-lowering), the Abilify (schizophrenia) and Glucophage (diabetes) that cost 400 employees their jobs. Not to worry–the company said it will continue to operate two other plants in the Puerto Rican cities of Humacao and Manati. About 3,000 high-paying pharmaceutical manufacturing jobs have been lost in Puerto Rico over the past year–given this growing trend, I think that the Puerto Rican government ought to begin to worry about its economic future.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (try China, India and Singapore)

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Ed Silverman at Pharmalot alerted me to this tidbit. Daniel Vasella, CEO of the Swiss drug maker Novartis AG, mentioned in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that he is planning a companywide restructuring aimed at reducing “layers of management and bureaucracy—following through on reorganization comments he made several months ago.

Novartis, plans to disclose more about its restructuring plans by mid-month and elaborate further in February, adding that the restructuring will involve some job cuts, but Vasella declined to say how many. In an October briefing for analysts, Novartis executives said there would be 240 jobs cut in US headquarter functions Hanover, NJ) and 510 sales reps and 510 contracted rep positions eliminated, for savings of $230 million.

Novartis is one of several big drugmakers to cutback - AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Glaxo and Johnson & Johnson have all announced layoffs in the past year. And Merck and Wyeth continue to trim selectively as part of ongoing savings programs.

According to the Journal, the changes at Novartis will follow recent management changes and comes after a tough year for Novartis. The drugmaker, faced generic competition on some of its

biggest drugs and failed to gain FDA approval for two new products–including the anti-diabetes drug Galvus (vildagliptin) which was predicted to be a blockbuster. Earlier this year, it also was forced to withdraw from the US and Swiss markets its drug for irritable-bowel syndrome, Zelnorm, after safety concerns.

One new rule Vasella has set: There should be no more than six layers of employees in any Novartis division, from the lowest-ranking person up to the division head. Novartis has four divisions: pharmaceuticals, generics (Sandoz), vaccines and diagnostics, and consumer health, which includes over-the-counter medicines.

Vasella says he realized the pharma division, in particular, was bogged down with bureaucracy after he had recent lunch with a group of its employees. The reorganization will also cut costs from Novartis’s procurement activities. One area that will come under particular scrutiny: the use of third-party CROs to oversee Novartis’s clinical trials which has been extremely costly for the Company.

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (China and India?)!!!!!!

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Johnson & Johnson announced a “series of organizational changes, including the creation of a new strategy and growth organization to sharpen its focus on opportunities outside its traditional areas of interest and in the growing intersections of health care and the creation of two new business operating groups.”

Scott Hensley over at the WSJ Health Blog wrote “It’s no secret that the diversified health-products giant faces some gargantuan challenges. Sales of anemia drugs, for years the company’s biggest franchise, have been under intense pressure. Stents, another J&J hallmark, are hurting”.

J&J announced a plan last July to cut 3% to 4% of its roughly 122,000-person work force or approximately 4,820 jobs. According to my colleagues at J & J, job cuts have been taking place since the announcement and will continue into 2008.

Times are certainly tough for the life sciences industry. Is this a harbinger of things to come for other sectors of the US economy? I hope not…..

Until next time….

Good luck and Good Job Hunting!

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Ed Silverman who runs the  Pharmalot blog reported that Novartis is slated to cut about 1,200 jobs to save the company about $230 million a year.  According to the post at Pharmalot, Novartis will let 240 employees go at its US- based headquartersin Hanover, New Jersey and eliminate over 1,000 full time and contract sales representatives from its workforce.  Also reported was that Novartis is planning to create a biologics division within the company.  I find this extremely interesting because Novartis already has a strong footprint in the biologics biz  via its wholly-owned subsidiary Sandoz, which is one of the market leaders in the follow-on biologics aka biosimilar sector.

I guess having a biologics division is de rigueur these days if you are a big pharma company.  I am still wondering why it took so long for all of these high paid pharmaceutical executives to figure out that biotechnology was the next  big thing?  You would think that after 30 years, they would get the hint.  But then gain these are some of the same people who brought us Vioxx, Avandia, Exubera and ...go ahead ....pick your favorite.

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

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Monster Worldwide, the company that runs the largest job board site Monster.com, quietly announced three weeks ago that is was laying off about 800 workers or approximately 15% of its workforce.

Monster Worldwide Inc. said mounting legal expenses associated with defending a growing U.S. government probe of its stock options grants practices were the reason for the job cuts.

The layoffs will mostly be in non-sales jobs in North America, Monster said.

The company also plans to streamline functions such as human resources and finance, Monster said.

It is not a harbinger of good things to come when the largest site on the web dedicated to helping individuals find employment downsizes its workforce to cut costs!

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting

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