Pfizer Taketh and Perrigo Giveth Jobs (sort of) in Michigan
Yesterday Pfizer announced that it would layoff 275 employees at its manufacturing facility in Kalamazoo County in Michigan. Not to be out done by big pharma, generics manufacturer Perrigo Co. said today that it is going to create 400 new jobs in the western Michigan town of Allegan. According to published reports, Perrigo plans to invest $10.5 million in its Allegan, MI headquarters and manufacturing facility in an expansion that is projected to generate 99 new jobs within a year and 400 others over five years. A Michigan Economic Development Corp’s analysis suggests that the Perrigo expansion could generate up to 1,039 jobs in Michigan by 2020
A Perrigo spokesperson said that as it has done with past jobs cuts in Kalamazoo, the company will recruit the Pfizer personnel losing their jobs. This is good news for the folks who were laid off by Pfizer yesterday. However, when you do the math (275-99), the will be a net loss of 176 pharmaceutical jobs in Western Michigan by year’s end. Although Perrigo said that another 300 jobs will be created over the next five years, I wouldn’t count on many jobs being added until the US economy finds its way out of its current recession.
Hat tip to Pharmalot for the heads up!
Until next ….
Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (Michigan may be better than I thought)!!!!!
ecruiter blog 
When I was working as a recruiter, I always called my candidates a day before a scheduled face-to-face job interview. I did this to reassure them, build confidence and provide them with any insights that I may have had regarding the hiring manager or the job. But, more importantly, I called to insure that they were adequately prepared to go on the interview. I typically talked with them about dress, interview etiquette, cell phone usage, body language etc. Sometimes, when I was concerned about particular candidates, I even sent (via fax or e-mail) an interview preparation checklist. 
Much has been said (and written) about the impact and power of a firm handshake in business settings. Are the urban legends and "old wives tales" really true? Peggy McKee 
Who hasn’t heard the old adages “Beauty is only skin deep” or “It’s not what’s on the outside but what’s on the inside that counts?” While these sayings may be apt when looking for a soul mate, they are absolutely not true when it comes to networking or job interviews. I know this may seem shallow and superficial, but the stark reality is that appearance does count when making a first impression or finding a job. There is nothing wrong in adopting a “superficial” persona when it comes to job interviews or networking. I know; we scientists work hard to avoid being superficial and shallow, but let’s face it, sometime you just gotta do what you gotta do to get or job or advance your career!.jpg)
I came across an interesting article in Forbes Magazine that .jpg)
During the course of my 25 years or so of participating in job interviews, I have come across a variety of questions that interviewers seem to routinely ask interviewees. While some of the questions may seem silly or ridiculous, according to interviewing etiquette and protocol (and how much you want the job) you are required to answer them. The intent of many of these questions is not to be flippant or intrusive but to determine whether a candidate can think quickly on his/her feet or field difficult questions that they may encounter as an employee. 
I just returned from my career development sojourn at this year’s FASEB meeting in San Diego, CA. Not surprisingly, all of my sessions were well attended. In fact, attendance at many of the presentations was standing room only. Again, this was not terribly surprising because the job market for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for the last 5 years has been dismal. However, in contrast with past years, there was a noticeable and palpable difference in the attitudes of many of the students and postdocs who attended the sessions. In previous years, many career development participants seemed resigned to the possibility of a “jobless future”. However, this year there was a small but vocal group of participants who openly expressed their anger and resentment at the possibility of not finding a job after completing their training. I think that many graduate students and postdoctoral fellows have begun to realize that they are being exploited by a fundamentally flawed academic system and that they are “not going to take it anymore.”
I am sitting in Newark Airport waiting for my flight to San Diego which, not surprisingly, has been delayed for about 2 hours. As you might have guessed from the title of this post, I am on my way to the 2008 FASEB Career Development Symposium which is run every year at the annual FASEB meeting. 
Like it or not, writing a carefully-constructed resume or curriculum vitae (as resumes are known in scientific circles) is a vital part of any successful job search. Inexperienced job seekers tend to hastily craft resumes without paying much attention to format, style or content and then wonder why they can’t land job interviews. The best way to approach resume writing is to think of a resume as a work of art–something that requires a lot of thought, creativity and attention to detail. As one well-known professional recruiter and job search expert put it”Trying to find a job without a smart, well-crafted resume is like showing up for dinner at a fancy restaurant in a T-shirt and cutoffs. They won’t let you in.” 
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..jpg)
downward turn. Even the recession-proof pharmaceutical industry has taken a huge beating over the past year or so– and things seem to be getting worse! The biotechnology industry, which is highly dependent upon venture capital and private equity to remain healthy, is also trending downward and will be hit hard if the economy slides into recession. To make matters worse, the US Department of Labor recently released figures which showed projected growth (for 2006 to 2016) for the fastest-growing occupations in America (see below). Not surprisingly, scientists–industrial or academic– did not make the top 20 list..jpg)
If you are contemplating a career move, check out the new list from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that projects the fastest-growing jobs from 2006 to 2016..gif)
