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While Samsung is mostly know for flat screen televisions and other electronic appliances, one of South Korea’s largest companies has been quietly evaluating a play in the protein engineering and manufacturing space. For those of you who may not know, Korea possesses one of Asia’s most vibrant biotechnology industries. At present, there are over 600 Korean biotechnology companies in existence. In April 2011, Samsung created a business units called Samsung Biologics which specializes in biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Today, Samsung formally announced that it would create a joint venture with America’s Biogen/Idec to develop market and manufacture biosimilar molecules. Under the terms of the agreement, Samsung will invest $255 million and garner a 85% stake in the venture which will be located in South Korea. Biogen/Idec will invest $45 million for a 15% stake in the joint venture. Samsung will take a leading role in developing and marketing the joint venture’s products whereas Biogen/Idec will contribute expertise in protein engineering and biomanufacturing. The joint venture will not develop biosimilar versions of Biogen/Idec’s proprietary, branded protein-based drugs which include Avonex (MS), Rituxan (oncology) and Tysabri (MS).

Biogen/IDEC is the first “big biotech” company to jump on the biosimilar train. The company joins Merck BioVentures and Sandoz (Novartis) as major players in the biosimilar marketplace. Teva, which began looking at biosimilars about eight years ago, is also widely believed to be a biosimilar player. While the financial fate of biosimilars is still uncertain in the US, these molecules are generally perceived as having a much higher financial upside in large emerging markets such as China, Korea, Brazil and Russia which are susceptible to government pricing controls.

Until next time...

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

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I mistakenly received the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) rather than the NY Times today and while I think that the WSJ is a great example of unabashedly biased journalism, there was an article in the publication about today’s job market that contained some interesting statistics.

The article entitled “Gloom Widespread As College Grads Face New Math” offered the following:

• Unemployment among college graduates is 4.2% vs. 9.7% for high school grads
• Eighty percent of recently-polled white male college grads believe the economy is heading in the wrong direction
• Wages for employees with four-year college degrees fell 8.6% between 2000 and 2010
• The unemployment rate for recent college graduates is 10.7% as compared with an overall unemployment rate of approximately 9.1%
• More than 14% of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 (ca. 5.9 million) are living with their parent and nearly 25% of them have college degrees

These are pretty sobering facts about the job market in the one of the wealthiest nations in the world. Is it any wonder why the Occupy Wall Street movement is gaining traction among American college age youths?   As recommended by the article’s author it may be time for Americans to follow the advice of the actor Peter Finch (Howard Beale) in the satirical 1976 movie Network

"I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs... And go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out and yell, ‘I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!"

If you truly feel like doing this maybe you ought to find your way down to the Occupy Wall Street protest!!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

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For the past several years, I have been trying to convince anyone who would listen that the reason for the dismal job prospects for most PhD-trained scientists is a simple supply and demand issue. To wit, there are too many PhDs and too few jobs for them! 

While I intuitively understood that this was the case, nobody had ever substantiated the veracity of the claim and consequently I was beginning to think I was wrong. Imagine my joy after reading William Deresiewicz’s piece in this month’s edition of the The Nation magazine. In an article entitled “Faulty Towers: The Crisis in Higher Education,” Deresiewicz elegantly and aptly sums up the situation facing today’s newly minted PhDs:

"At Yale, we were overjoyed if half our graduating students found positions. That’s right—half........You’d think departments would respond to the Somme-like conditions they’re sending out their newly minted PhDs to face by cutting down the size of their graduate programs. If demand drops, supply should drop to meet it. In fact, many departments are doing the opposite, the job market be damned. More important is maintaining the flow of labor to their domestic sweatshops, the pipeline of graduate students who staff discussion sections and teach introductory and service courses like freshman composition and first-year calculus. (Professors also need dissertations to direct, or how would they justify their own existence?)

Further, he asserts:

“......the PhD glut works well for departments at both ends, since it gives them the whip hand when it comes to hiring new professors. Graduate programs occupy a highly unusual, and advantageous, market position: they are both the producers and the consumers of academic labor, but as producers, they have no financial stake in whether their product “sells”—that is, whether their graduates get jobs. Yes, a program’s prestige is related, in part, to its placement rate, but only in relative terms. In a normal industry, if no firm sells more than half of what it produces, then either everyone goes out of business or the industry consolidates. But in academia, if no one does better than 50 percent, then 50 percent is great. Programs have every incentive to keep prices low by maintaining the oversupply.”

Finally he concludes with an eye-opening but sadly accurate observation:

“How professors square their Jekyll-and-Hyde roles in the process—devoted teachers of individual students, co-managers of a system that exploits them as a group—I do not know. Denial, no doubt, along with the rationale that this is just the way it is, so what can you do?”

I am glad that somebody else perceives the problem the way that I do. At least, I now know that I am on the right track! Do any BioJobBlog readers have any suggestions, ideas or insights into how to fix this obviously broken system? 

Let me know!

Until next time...

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

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While India and China have been getting much of the attention and press over the past few years, Latin America is quietly become a market to watch for the life sciences industry.  According to industry analysts,the Brazilian pharmaceutical market has been growing at a rate of about 12 percent per year and is expected to be the world's fifth-largest pharmaceutical market by 2015.

A number of companies have been doing deal in Latin America mainly in Mexico and Brazil. Late last week, Amgen announced that it had purchased the privately-held Brazilian company Bergamo for about $215 million. As part of the transaction Amgen had reacquired marketing rights in the country to several Amgen products. Also, Amgen also agreed with Hypermarcas, a maker of personal hygiene products, to reacquire Brazilian rights to several products, including its Vectibix cancer drug.

Bergamo, which had $80 million in revenue last year, supplies medicines to the Brazilian hospital sector and has capabilities in oncology. Amgen, which is acting more and more like a pharmaceutical company rather than a biotechnology company, has clearly signaled its intention to take advantage of opportunities in emerging markets in BRIC (Brazil, China, India and China) counties.

Amgen has been struggling of late and its drug development pipeline, like many of its pharmaceutical rivals, has grown thin over the past decade.  Don't be surprised if Amgen is the next biotechnology company to be purchased by a big pharma company.  Merck's intention to enter into the biosimilar and biomanufacturing sectors suggest that Merck may be a likely suitor to gain control of the EPO and Neupogen franchises as well as Amgen's stake in the Enbrel market.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (try Brazil)

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Previously, BioJobBlog reported on the race between two groups led by the Mars and Hersey companies to sequence and decode the cacao (chocolate) tree genome. It should come as no surprise that the world’s two largest chocolate companies have pitted themselves against one another to decode the wonders of the cacao bean. After all, chocolate is big business and learning how to maximize yields, improve flavors and optimize the levels of cacao bean chemical components would be a boon to the company that was able to obtain the genetic information first!

Currently, most cacao farmers earn about $2 per day, but producers of fine cacao earn more. Increasing the productivity and ease of growing cacao can help to develop a sustainable cacao economy. The trees are now also seen as an environmentally beneficial crop because they grow best under forest shade, allowing for land rehabilitation and enriched biodiversity. Today, many growers prefer to grow hybrid cacao trees—rather than the original variety Theobroma cacao, Criollo)—that produce chocolate of lower quality but are more resistant to disease. Roughly five percent of the world’s current cocoa production is derived from Criollo cacao beans because of increased susceptibility to fungal diseases which results in higher costs and lower yields.

At the last installment of this ongoing saga, the Mars group, September 2010, released a statement that that they had beat the Hershey group and unraveled DNA sequence of the most common cacao bean variety that is used to manufacture most commercial chocolate.

The Mars researchers constructed a preliminary genomic map that covered over 70 per cent of the total cacao bean DNA sequence which is distributed over 10 chromosomes. These data were uploaded to The Cacao Genome Database which is publicly available as long as persons who access the data sign an agreement that stipulates that they “will not seek any intellectual property protection over the data, including gene sequences contained in the database. The Information Access Agreement allows any cacao breeders and other researchers to freely use the genome information to develop new cacao varieties.”

While the Mars group may have beat the Hersey group to the popular press, their research has not yet appeared in an academic journal for scientific scrutiny. Interestingly, the Hersey group yesterday announced that their version of the cacao genome was published in the most recent edition of Nature Genetics. According to the authors,

We sequenced and assembled the draft genome of Theobroma cacao (Criollo), an economically important tropical-fruit tree crop that is the source of chocolate. This assembly corresponds to 76% of the estimated genome size and contains almost all previously described genes, with 82% of these genes anchored on the 10 T. cacao chromosomes.

Analysis of this sequence information highlighted specific expansion of some gene families during evolution, for example, flavonoid-related genes. It also provides a major source of candidate genes for T. cacao improvement.

While Theobroma is often used to manufacture gourmet chocolates that particular variety of cacao tree often remains vulnerable to disease. Information gleaned from this study could be used to breed bioresistant varieties of Theobroma.

Further the authors noted:

Our analysis of the Criollo genome has uncovered the genetic basis of pathways leading to the most important quality traits of chocolate--oil, flavonoids and terpene biosynthesis […] It has also led to the discovery of hundreds of genes potentially involved in pathogen resistance, all of which can be used to accelerate the development of elite varieties of cacao in the future.”

Other genes that were identified include those for the production of cocoa butter, natural antioxidants, hormones, pigments, and aromas. BTW, for those of you who may be interested, cocoa was thought to be domesticated about 3,000 years ago in Central America; making it one of the world’s oldest domesticated tree crops.

It isn’t clear yet how the cacao genomes deciphered by the Mars and Hersey groups match up against one another. Regardless, the big winners here are chocolate lovers. What to you think the world stance will be on genetically engineered chocolate? 

Oy!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Eating!!!!!

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While a report released today indicated that the pharmaceutical market is expected to grow to about $800 billion by 2011—a 5 to 7 percent increase—pharmaceutical companies shed another 6,069 jobs in September according to the outsourcing firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. This is compared to only 200 pharmaceutical employees who were given pink slips in August. Despite a lull this summer, it appears that pharma companies are ramping up again to layoff large numbers of employees by year’s end.

Previously, industry analysts were predicting that job losses in the pharmaceutical sector would be less than last year when 58,583 employees were shown the door. However, at the current pace—43,334 jobs lost so far—the total number of pharma jobs lost in 2010 may match or surpass the losses in 2009. This is because pharma budgets for the upcoming fiscal year are prepared in the fall and the real bottom lines are not known until the holiday season is upon us. Consequently, pharma has a nasty habit of announcing layoffs during the holiday season (nice huh?)

To date, Abbott Laboratories, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Lundbeck, Lonza, and Johnson & Johnson have all announced plans to reorganize and downsize. It is anyone’s guess which companies may follow suit.

Unfortunately, it is tough to be in the life sciences business these days; unless of course you live in China, India, Eastern Europe and Latin America! Alternatively, it may not be a bad idea to relocate!

Until next time...

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

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The Pharmalot Blog reported today that a survey conducted by the outsourcing firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas shows that only 200 pharmaceutical employees lost jobs in August. This compared with the 2,023 jobs lost in July, 830 in June and the 6,943 in May. According to the post, this year’s job loss tally is 37,265 as compared with 53,004 in 2009.  Since 2007, it has been estimated that over 180,000 life sciences employees have lost their jobs.

While the slowing layoffs are encouraging, there are no signs that companies are going to be hiring in 2011 (unless you are willing to relocate to Asia). Further, while layoffs are slowing a big pharma companies, the number of scientists losing their jobs at biotechnology companies because of insufficient capital or merger and acquisition activities remains steady and will likely increase if Sanofi-Aventis purchases Genzyme and other biotechnology companies are purchased. For example, Pfizer announced today that it was purchasing FoldRx for an undisclosed amount. FoldRx’s pipeline contains preclinical and clinical candidates for investigational new drugs that treat diseases caused by protein misfolding. The acquisition is consistent with Pfizer’s intention to move into the orphan drug market.

From an historical perspective, the early 2000s was the golden age for life sciences employees in most Western countries. Unfortunately, the golden age has ended for Western employees and it appears that a new era for pharmaceutical and biotechnology employees is beginning in the Asia, South America and Africa!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting

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We are now three years into one of the worst economic downturns in the history of the US. While the job market will eventually recover, don’t expect things to be the “way they were” before the recession. In other words, the job market has undergone a paradigm shift and new job seeking rules have replaced the old ones.

To that end, I recently found an article written by Liz Wogemuth of US News and World report entitled “5 Strategies for Surviving the ‘New Normal’ Job Market.” The post is well crafted and offer fresh insights into the new rules and behaviors that ought to help guide job seekers for the foreseeable future.

They are: 

1.  Be patient

These days, companies are slower to invest and slower to hire. Even rockstar employees will have to work harder to convince companies to bankroll ambitious projects. "For those people who do have the big idea, [return on investment] is going to be absolutely critical," says Brad Karsh, president of JB Training Solutions, a management and business skills training firm. Given their extreme uncertainty about the near future, companies will likely be more amenable to making an investment that pays off in seven months than one that pays off in seven years.

Most companies are also no longer doling out annual raises or annual promotions, which mean workers, need to be patient about advancement in earnings and position. One thing that's slowing down the process: Upper executives aren't moving around as much as they used to. "It used to be you'd lose 25 percent of your [vice presidents] every year, let's say, because they'd go to other companies or start their own," Karsh says. "Well, more people are like, 'I don't want to leave.'" Even top employees are turning down offers from outside companies because they fear taking a risk on a new employer in such an uncertain economy, Karsh says.

Workers who are on the market should be prepared for a longer interview process. Companies are increasingly asking candidates to interview with multiple people at the company and asking them to return for multiple rounds of interviews. "One thing I tell people is, 'don’t take this personally,'" Karsh says. "It's just a function of the economy." Even though the process can be grueling and frustrating, it's critical that job seekers stay fresh and enthusiastic--still smiling and prepared with questions at the eighth interview. Some may be frustrated with companies that can't make a decision, perhaps feeling that the company is giving them the runaround. Employers need to be forthright with candidates about their plans, capabilities, and timetable, Karsh says.

2.  In your job search, take the time to tailor

Some job seekers are applying to hundreds of jobs, but if inundated hiring managers can't easily spot the relevance of your experience to the position they're filling, they'll breeze right past. Career expert Ellen Gordon Reeves often speaks to groups of job seekers and says she is still finding that many people are not presenting themselves well--making no effort to tailor their resumes and cover letters to the jobs they are applying to. "Everybody fears rejection, so they don't really pitch themselves," Reeves says. Her advice: Put yourself in the hiring manager's shoes. Imagine what you would think of your resume if you were hiring for this position. Would the job experience listed look relevant to you? If not, spend some time recasting your work history and your skills. "Write for the job you want, not the jobs you've had," Reeves says. If you're doing this well, with your resume and cover letter, it should take at least a day (if not more) to apply for a single position. But it's so much more effective than blindly submitting your resume that it's worth the time it takes.

3.  Leverage your relationships to find openings 

Unfortunately, many job openings are impossible to find with your computer. Companies are skipping posting openings online so they can fill positions without scavenging through the onslaught of (often ill-matched) resumes. A new survey from ExecuNet found that companies and executive search firms are posting fewer executive position openings online this year. Firms said that only 22 percent of positions paying $200,000 or more are being posted on job boards or websites, compared with 30 percent in 2008 and 24 percent last year. In a different survey of recruiters, 92 percent reported that they believe in a "hidden market" for executive positions. Recruiters are relying more on their networks, as well as searching internal databases and doing their own research.

4.  Look to add value constantly 

As an employee, whether you're bringing in new money or you're saving money, you need to be adding value monetarily, Karsh says. "If you work in sales and you can say, 'I increased my client list by 25 percent, I increased my sales by 50 percent,' that's the sort of thing that employers are looking for right now--anything that can affect the bottom line," Karsh says. "If you're not in sales, you can affect it by saving the company money." Find savings opportunities by refining a process, or even suggesting a cheaper way to, say, buy or use office supplies. One tip: Put your suggestions in an E-mail so you are sure to get credit for them. 

5.  Find fresh advice 

There are a lot of people in the world offering career advice better suited for the job market of the previous decade. In this markedly different economy, old advice may very well cause damage. Sometimes the changes are minor, but they can make you look out of touch. For example, adding the line "References available upon request" can make your resume or cover letter look out of date. "It goes without saying that your references are available upon request," says management consultant and U.S. News contributor Alison Green. "It would be really odd if they were not."

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!

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Most working people are taught at an early age that the only worthwhile types of employment are permanent jobs. Temporary or part-time jobs are viewed as stop gap measures or a way to make some extra cash en route to a professional career. While this may be true when the job market is good, it isn’t necessarily the cases when looking for a job during recessionary times. 

Like most of you, I knew nothing about the contract, freelance or temporary job market until I found myself unemployed and needing cash to put food on the table. I entered the temporary job market about five or six years ago and I have never left! With this in mind, Phyllis Korrki who writes the Career Corner for the New York Times Sunday Business section wrote a great article on the temporary job market entitled "Finding a Bridge Over the Void.”

It is well written piece and worth a read if you cannot find work in your intended career but need a job. I highly recommend that those of you with five or more years of postdoctoral experience (and no end in sight) read this! It will help to ease some of your stress and emotional issues around not be able to find a permanent position!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

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Merck & Co today announced that is reached an agreement with Sinopharm Group Co Ltd one of China’s largest biopharmaceutical companies to market its cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil and other protein-based products in China. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, it is Merck’s first attempt to expand its vaccine and biotechnology business in the rapidly emerging Chinese biopharmaceutical market. Merck, like many other American pharmaceutical companies, now recognize that a Chinese marketing and distribution partner is required to successfully penetrate and compete in China.

Like other big pharma companies, Merck recognizes that its future growth lies in making inroads into emerging markets like Asia, Africa and South America.  Merck executives project that more than 25 percent of the companies pharmaceutical and vaccine sales will come from emerging markets by 2013 (currently 17 percent of revenues are derived from emerging markets). Last May, Merck indicated that it already had 3,000 sales representatives in China which represents a 90 percent increase since 2007.

Cancer is a major problem in China and it is putting a lot of financial pressure on the Chinese government. Moreover, the cervical cancer rate is inordinately high in China mainly because there is no formal screening program similar to those found in the US and Europe. 

Interestingly, the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) types that cause cervical and other cancers in China are somewhat different than those that cause disease in Western countries. For example in addition to HPV 16 and HPV 18, HPV 58, 52 and 33 have also been associated with a high incidence of cervical cancer in China. This suggests that Merck will have to reformulate Gardasil (which contains HPV 6, 11, 16 and 18) to be effective for the Chinese market.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!! (try China)

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I want to state at the onset of this post that I am an ardent supporter of online patient communities because I believe that the exchange of information between people who suffer from the same or similar medical conditions is vital to their health and well being. Further, I believe that social media will force physicians, the medical community and the US healthcare system to become more transparent, open and interactive. That being said, in this past Sunday’s New York Times, Natasha Singer wrote an extremely revealing article about some possible, unforeseen “side effects” associated with membership in online patient communities.

The reason why these online communities exist is for patients to commiserate with one another and exchange personal stories and medical information. While personal stories may be emotionally satisfying for patients, it is their medical information and demographic data that is extremely valuable to drug makers. To that end, many online patient communities inform their members that they reserve the right to share information and data for research purposes. And many of them do!

To be clear, I am not suggesting that the people who create or manage online patient communities have avaricious, nefarious or otherwise unsavory ulterior motives for the medical and patient demographic data that they collect. However, these communities need to generate revenue in order to stay in business and drug makers are willing to pay for access to it.

According to Singer, the popular PatientsLikeMe community admits that it sells health and medical data gathered from member profiles (but with certain identifying information removed) to pharmaceutical companies and others for scientific and marketing research purposes. Further, a large number of unbranded “disease awareness” pages have recently begun to appear on Facebook and YouTube. In her article, Singer contends that “drug companies may pay people to moderate patient forums [in the community] or give testimonials but might not prominently display that fact to participants. Other sites collect consumer health data to help drug makers’ aim at specific kinds of consumers, using psychological cues.” At a medical communications meeting that I attended several years ago, a MySpace sales rep freely admitted to me that it allow pharmaceutical companies to mine profile data in order to develop targeted marketing campaigns. Is Facebook next?

Finally, while the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) restricts the way health care providers use and disseminate patients’ information, consumer health websites and online patient communities aren’t subject to its privacy provisions. In other words, there are no regulations guiding the privacy and use of medical information and data collected using social media tools! Essentially, this means that the persons who run online patient communities can do pretty much whatever they like with the medical and personal information that they collect!

As I stated at the beginning of the post, I am a social media enthusiast who subscribes to the notion that if used correctly, social media can help to better inform and improve the lives of people suffering from various disease. That said, I also believe that people who choose to participate in online communities MUST be fully informed about the potential uses of the personal information and data that they contribute. Until the Food and Drug Administration provides some regulatory guidance on the use social media to collect and disseminate medical information patients will be at the mercy of the entities that run online patient communities. Let’s hope that they see fit to “do the right thing.”

Until next time...

Good Luck and Be Careful What You Say Out There!!!!!!!!!

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It goes without saying that the competition for jobs in the life sciences industry is extremely fierce. This means that job candidates must use whatever means possible to differentiate themselves from the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of others applying for the same job!

While I have written numerous posts on how job candidates can stand out from their peers, I discovered an insightful article that summarizes my advice in a single post. Like I said, there are no revelations here; just a convenient way to jog your memory as the job search slogs on!

Click here to read the post.

Until next time...

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

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Pfizer today announced that it’s looking to increase its sales force in China to 3,200 by the end of next year, up from about 2,300. The company expects to have sales representatives in about 250 Chinese cities by the end of 2011. It presently has a sales presence in about 185 cities. Previously, Pfizer it will cut nearly 20,000 jobs as part of the Wyeth merger. Over the pass several years more than 50,000 US pharma sales reps have lost their jobs.

Eli Lilly said last fall that it would continue to hire in China, even as it cuts jobs in the U.S. and other developed markets. Novartis is also making a big push into China, hiring hundreds of workers and spending $1 billion to expand a research center in Shanghai.

With business tough in developed markets, drug makers are counting on the developing world for growth and are expanding into biotechnology and generic drug manufacturing.

Like it or not, the emerging markets in China, India, Brazil and elsewhere represent a substantial upside whereas markets in the developing world are becoming less profitable. Drug companies, like most other large multinational companies, always will follow the profit stream not matter where it takes them or at what cost to the folks at home.

Until next time...

 Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (Try China, I hear they are looking for sales reps)

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I previously posted several articles on interviewing tips. This presupposes that many of my readers have made the first cut and have been invited to participate in a phone or face-to-face onsite job interview. Unfortunately, this isn’t any easy thing to do in today’s current employment market. Nevertheless, there are a variety of things that job seekers can do to help their application standout from the hundreds (thousands) of other applications submitted by others competing for the same position. To that end, I found an article that first appeared on the JobsJournal.com website that offers basic tips on how to design a resume (and accompanying cover letter) to distinguish individual jobseekers from their competition.

While the information contained in the article isn’t “game changing” it does offer fresh insights into how job candidates must position themselves to be noticed in today’s fierce and highly competitive job market.

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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Yesterday, Sanofi-aventis (S-A) agreed to acquire a controlling stake in Indian vaccine maker, Shantha Biotechnics, for an undisclosed amount. And, recently, Abbott announced a definitive agreement to acquire the nutrition businesses of Wockhardt Limited, Carol Info Services Limited, and certain Wockhardt subsidiaries and group companies for consideration totaling approximately US$130 million in cash.

While these two recent acquisitions don’t appear to be particularly noteworthy, they speak volumes about growing Indian influence in biologics and, perhaps more importantly, in biosimilars. India, long known for its expertise in generic drug development and its ability to work with US-based companies, has expanded beyond generic pharmaceuticals into generic biologics aka biosimilars. Biosimilars have been on the Indian market for over a decade and by all accounts several Indian companies, most notably BioCon, might be able to steal biosimilar market share in Asia from the likes of Sandoz, Merck and Teva—companies expected to be major players in the emerging biosimilar market.

Both Shantha and Wockhardt possess substantial experience in biosimilar development and commercialization. To that end, Sanofi-aventis has publicly announced its desire to get into biotechnology and Abbot must expand its biotechnology pipeline beyond Humira to remain competitive. These acquisitions likely represent Sanofi’s and Abbott’s attempt to gain a foothold in the emerging Asian markets. Also, it gives both companies access to lower cost biologics R&D and manufacturing capabilities.

It will be interesting to see how things unfold over the next year or so!

Until next time...

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

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From time to time, I come across some interesting facts and statistics that are worth noting. This month’s issue of Pharmaceutical Technology Europe offered several things that were blog-worthy. Here they are: 

• IMS Health has readjusted the growth of the pharmaceutical industry in 2009 from 4.5-5.5% to 2.5-3.6% with sales expected to exceed $820 billion
• The size of the US pharmaceutical market is expected to contract by 1-2% in 2009
• Emerging markets like China, India and Brazil are expected to contribute to more than half of the global market growth in 2009 and sustain an average growth rate of 40% by 2013
• The size of the Middle East pharmaceutical market is predicted to exceed $18 billion by 2014

As one industry analyst put it “This high level of growth in emerging markets, combined with the contraction of the US market and ongoing low single-digit growth in other developed markets, is driving the pharmaceutical market to a new world order.” If I had money, I would be investing in generic pharmaceutical companies and follow-on biologic manufacturers!

Until next time...

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

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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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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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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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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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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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Daiichi Sankyo will buy a controlling interest (50.1%) of Ranbaxy, India’s third largest generic manufacturer.  Daiichi will pay as much as $4.6 billion for the opportunity.

The deal will put Daiichi Sankyo into ninth place in the $120 billion generic-drug market behind leaders Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Novartis AG's Sandoz unit. According to the report “Daiichi Sankyo is mimicking strategies pursued by Novartis and Johnson & Johnson to weather turbulence in the branded-drug industry by diversifying into other markets. The acquisition also gives the Japanese company more reach in emerging regions including India, China and Eastern Europe. “

I think after this deal, that other pharmaceutical companies may consider buying profitable generics businesses. I am not sure why it has taken innovator companies so long to realize that it is much easier to join (buy??) rather than compete with generic manufacturers. It just seems so obvious to me—and I don’t even have an MBA!  Maybe there is some truth to the age-old aphorism “missing the forest for the trees.”

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

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About five years ago, a friend of mine and I had an idea to form a non-profit dedicated to providing consumers with information regarding the safety of marketed pharmaceutical and biotechnology medicines.  At the time, we observed that consumers were repeatedly being misinformed about the safety and efficacy of many products, most notably follow-on biologics aka biogenerics. Unfortunately, we could not garner enough interest or financial support to get the organization off the ground. I guess that  we had a good idea, but, as usual, were a little ahead of our time. A new organization called The Coalition for a Competitive Pharmaceutical Market has recently set up shop with the same concept in mind.

Members of the coalition include insurance companies (Aetna, Humana, United Health Care and Blue Cross Blue Shield), pharmacies and drug distributors (CVS, Medco, Express Scripts, Rite Aid and Wallgreens), generic manufacturers (Barr Laboratories, Hospira, Teva, Mylan Laboratories and Watson Pharmaceuticals) and a large roster of Fortune 500 companies including General Motors, Ford, Caterpillar, Chrysler, Dow and Eastman Kodak. Think of the lobbying power–how cool is that?

I guess the time has come for rational drug pricing for the US. Big pharma and biotech beware–a nationalized healthcare system may not be far behind!

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!

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