Industry Transition Spotlight: Yara Pujol, PhD
An interview with Yara Pujol, Ph.D.
What is your name, your full job title, and the full name of the company you work for?
Yara Pujol López, Clinical Research Associate, Medpace.
Can you describe what a typical day at your job looks like?
I have 2 kinds of typical days in my job:
1. In the office: attending meetings and trainings, writing reports, contacting the hospitals, preparing visits, scheduling visits, etc.
2. In the hospital: talking to the doctors and nurses, monitoring patient data.
What is your biggest or most satisfying career goal you’ve reached since transitioning into industry?
I got promoted and I asked for a relocation and the company facilitated it.
What’s been your biggest learning experience or Ah-Ha moment since transitioning into your new role?
That the way you need to reach or deal with people may differ depending on the person and his/her position.
How is your current industry position different from your academic postdoc or experience as a graduate student?
I don’t have any more monthly contracts, which gives me security, and I am doing something applicable, which brings some real benefit to people.
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?
Negotiate.
What was the most memorable moment for you (so far) as a Cheeky Scientist Associate?
The fact of tailoring your resume for a position in industry.
What do you see as the next step in your career?
For the next step in my career, I am hoping to get in a junior project manager position.
How can the Association and the Association’s members help you continue to achieve your career goals?
Continue to provide all the different tools, such as webinars, discussions in FB group, feedback, and facilitating connections and networking in LinkedIn.
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?
Don’t be afraid of change. Some associates think that they are not qualified to work in industry, but they can definitely use all the skills that they learn in academia in industry, too.
To learn more about how you can transition into an industry career like Yara, 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.
