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Industry Transition Spotlight: Anand Devasthanam, Ph.D.

An interview with Anand Devasthanam, Ph.D.

What is your name, your full job title, and the full name of the company you work for?

Anand Devasthanam, Medical Writer II, PAREXEL Informatics – a subsidiary of PAREXEL International.

Can you describe what a typical day at your job looks like?

  1. Coffee!
  2. Meet with the internal team comprising of physicians, scientists, and a project manager to discuss a client-specific work assignment as it pertains to overall objectives, endpoints, deliverables, and timelines.
  3. Research any relevant literature and follow FDA guidance, as well as internal operating procedures, to draft deliverables expected of the Medical Writer while communicating with team members, keeping the client’s requirements in mind and demonstrating a sense of ownership.
  4. Meet with my line manager and senior Medical Writers, as needed, to discuss any potential regulatory hot spots, quality issues, and operational considerations.
  5. Deliver work on time
  6. Go home and have a beer.

What is your biggest or most satisfying career goal you’ve reached since transitioning into industry?

Earning trust and credibility as a Medical Writer has been the most satisfying career goal since transitioning into industry.

What’s been your biggest learning experience or Ah-Ha moment since transitioning into your new role?

I have come to realize that companies hire the person, not the resume. Having realized this, I have shifted my perspective from, ‘”I must diversify my portfolio and improve my resume” to “I must become the approachable go-to person for anything Medical Writing related”.

How is your current industry position different from your academic postdoc or experience as a graduate student?

Industry treats me like a person.

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?

I would give myself the very same advice that Rocky Balboa gave his son:

“It’s not about how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”

What was the most memorable moment for you (so far) as a Cheeky Scientist Associate?

Moment 1: realizing that I was responding positively to the “tough love” CSA approach.

Moment 2: sharing my transition story on the CSA Facebook page.

What do you see as the next step in your career?

This is my first large-scale client-facing role within industry. My goal this year is to develop efficiencies in this area and work toward becoming a valuable, service-oriented, Medical Writing representative.

How can the Association and the Association’s members help you continue to achieve your career goals?

To achieve my career goals, I will need to see and understand the industry landscape through the varied perspectives of different individuals. Stories add perspective and provide a glimpse of the road ahead. CSA provides a platform for people to candidly share their transition stories and experiences through Facebook posts, Cheeky Spotlights, Expert Webinars, and Isaiah’s much welcomed academia-bashing blogs.

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?

Exude positivity because vibrant people get the job; grouchy people don’t.

To learn more about how you can transition into an industry career like Anand, 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.

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ABOUT ISAIAH HANKEL, PHD

CEO, CHEEKY SCIENTIST & CAREER SUCCESS MENTOR

Dr. Isaiah Hankel is the Founder and CEO of Cheeky Scientist. His articles, podcasts and trainings are consumed annually by millions of PhDs and other professionals in hundreds of different countries. He has helped professionals transition into top companies like Pfizer, Tesla, Amazon, Pearson, Google, Apple, Intel, Dow Chemical, BASF, Merck, Genentech, Home Depot, Nestle, Hilton, SpaceX, Syngenta, the CDC, UN and Ford Foundation.

Dr. Hankel has published 3X bestselling books and his latest book, The Power of a PhD, debuted on the Barnes & Noble bestseller list. His methods for getting PhDs hired have been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Nature, Forbes, The Guardian, Fast Company, Entrepreneur Magazine and Success Magazine.

Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Here's What Others Are Saying

"New offer - went ahead and signed contract today - - excited and thank you for the confidence booster - grateful for investing in Cheeky Scientist."

Wael Bahnan

Wael Bahnan

Senior Scientist

at Minervx ApS

"I am thrilled to be starting my position as a Scientist at bioMeriuex! I will be joining the device validation team to bring #invitrodiagnostics to the market!"

Alec Vallota-Eastman

Alec Vallota-Eastman

Scientist

at bioMeriuex

"I'm happy to share that I will be starting a new position as MSL at Sanofi! I want to thank everyone that took the time to speak with me about their MSL experience and to help me land this position!"

John Crawford

John Crawford

MSL-Vaccines

at Sanofi

"Good news...I've secured a job! Thank you for your support during the job search process and for giving me the courage to transition from academia to industry."

Marlyn Brookins

Marlyn Brookins

Regulatory Submissions Coordinator

"Thank you for your advice, Isaiah! I’m super excited and grateful! I would never negotiate the salary and the other details of the offer if it weren’t for Cheeky Scientist. Thank you again"

Marta Silva

Marta Silva

Policy Analyst

at Health Canada

"I aced the interview, I signed yesterday and begin next month!"

Sinduri Vuppala

Sinduri Vuppala

Field Application Specialist

at Bruker Daltonics

"I want to notify you I have gotten an industry position...Thank you and Cheeky Scientist for the lessons which made my job search strategy and CV more competitive."

Michael Dioha

Michael Dioha

Senior Energy System Analyst

at Clean Air Task Force

"I’m happy to share that I started a new position as Medical Science Liaison at Ashfield this January, part of UDG Healthcare (now Inizio) supporting Avita Medical. Thank you to all my mentors, colleagues, and friends who have been incremental in making this dream possible for me.....It is an exciting space/time and I can’t wait for the future."

Mimi Borrelli

Mimi Borrelli

Medical Science Liaison

at Inizio

"I am happy to share I am starting a new position!"

Kamrul Hansen

Kamrul Hansen

Principal Scientist - Analytical Technology

at Servier Pharmaceuticals

"Thank you for your support. I greatly benefited from your DD talks on the importance of networking on LinkedIn and resume-building tips. Your team member Meera was very helpful in building my LinkedIn Profile and resume. Thank you!"

 Taranum Sultana

Taranum Sultana

Research Administration

"I am happy to share I started a new job as a senior research scientist in medicinal chemistry at x-chem Montreal."

Nicolas Wlodarczyk

Nicolas Wlodarczyk

Nicolas Wlodarczyk Senior Research Scientist

at X-Chem

"I accepted my job offer today. I was able to get 5k more + the exact PTO package I wanted. I am very happy and very thankful for everything that I learned through the event. I plan to stay involved with Cheeky Scientist as I love what y'all are doing and I'm still learning."

Tracy Gardner, PhD

Tracy Gardner, PhD

at Pearson

"BIG NEWS!! Lufthansa offered me the gig!!"

Marco Milesi

Marco Milesi

at Lufthansa

"I attended the Transition CHALLENGE and VIP Modality and, as a result, in less than 2 months I have participated in 8 interesting interviews and been offered a wonderful job full of opportunities! Thank you so much for all the great and necessary work you do!"

Veronica Pascual

Veronica Pascual

Research Projects Coordinator

at SEMERGEN

"Going with Nyxoah! Thank you for all your help Isaiah!"

Pratik Chhatbar

Pratik Chhatbar

Senior Clinical Research Scientist

at Nxyoah

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