Industry Transition Spotlight: Aaron Kellogg, PhD
What is your name, your full job title, and the full name of the company you work for?
Aaron Kellogg, Medical Science Liaison, Takeda.
What is your biggest or most satisfying career goal you’ve reached since transitioning into industry?
Passing my validation tests to be allowed into the field and starting to take a leadership role in some projects.
What’s been your biggest learning experience or Ah-Ha moment since transitioning into your new role?
The biggest learning experience so far has been the compliance training.
How is your current industry position different from your academic postdoc or experience as a graduate student?
There is a much more cooperative atmosphere in industry than in academia. There is also a much greater focus on concrete deliverables.
If you could go back in time, to before you received your job offer, and give yourself one piece of advice or encouragement, what would it be?
Don’t lose hope. It takes time to gain the connections and skills needed to make the transition to industry, especially when those skills were neglected or unknown during your graduate program and postdoc fellowship.
What was the most memorable moment for you (so far) as a Cheeky Scientist Associate?
All of the lessons about LinkedIn and the use of networking during my job search. When going on some of my interviews, one of the points that was consistently brought up was how effectively I was using LinkedIn to reach hiring managers.
What do you see as the next step in your career?
My next step is for a promotion to senior MSL. My long-term goals are to fill a regional and then a national team leader position.
How has the Association and the Association’s members helped you continue to achieve your career goals?
The best way that I see members helping me to continue to achieve goals at this stage is by providing encouragement to keep me pursuing my goals and, as time goes on, being able to interact with other associates that are on the same career path that I am on, and being able to compare strategies.
Now that you’ve spent some time working in industry, what is the biggest takeaway(s) you’d like to share with those who are still executing their job search?
Set your goals higher than you think you can achieve. You may be surprised at just how high you can actually reach. Realize the transition can take time, don’t lose hope, and keep working at it.
To learn more about how you can transition into an industry career like Aaron, including instant access to our exclusive training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, transition plan, and private online network, get on the wait list for the Cheeky Scientist Association.
