Articles Written By Nikolett Biel, PhD

Your technical skills will not be the deciding factor when it comes to getting an industry job. Hiring managers will look for candidates with not only the scientific acumen, but also the business skills and motivation that is needed for industry. Build this credibility by breaking free from the lab bench and honing these transferable skills. Get to know what employers want. Work on effectively communicating your work in various mediums, start collaborations with scientists outside of your lab and build a network of industry professionals. Diversify your resume and show that you are more than your degree. Here are…

The recruiting process is an important part of transitioning into industry and should not be ignored. Doing your homework on the company and position you’re interested in is not enough to secure a non-academic job. You also need to do your homework on the recruiting agency that will best fit your needs. You need to build relationships with these agencies and, more importantly, with individual recruiters. The key is that most recruiters are NOT going to seek you out. You must seek them out. You must send emails, cold call, and follow up over and over until you’ve built a…

Phone and video interviews are growing in popularity among biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies, but they remain very unpopular with PhD interviewees. Very few people feel completely comfortable getting on the phone with a total stranger. Most of us feel awkward and can’t wait to get it over with. As if this wasn’t enough, add on the stress of trying to get your first industry job. Now, not only are you anxious about talking to a stranger, you’re also stressed about trying to impress the stranger enough to get hired. As the interviewee, you have to be able to quickly assess,…