Whether you’re an experienced professional in the field or just embarking on your new career, it’s time to look at your qualifications and career plans from an entirely different perspective.
Trying to find a new job in the biopharma world can be a tricky endeavor, especially if you live outside of one of the industry’s main Hotbed locations. But luckily, you have options. Rather than get discouraged and abandon your search entirely, there are a number of things that you can do in order to jumpstart your job search strategy. Whether you’re an experienced professional in the field or just embarking on your new career, it’s time to look at your qualifications and career plans from an entirely different perspective.
Here are a few simple tips to get your job search off to a fresh, new start.
Freshen Up: Update Your Resume
Sure, updating your resume seems like a given, especially since you’re on the hunt for a new job. However, we suggest going one step further and doing more than simply just adding on your most recent position and your daily tasks. Instead, it’s time to give that old resume a complete and total overhaul.
Begin with your most recent job and think about what you truly accomplished. What were you the proudest of? It’s time to highlight your most recognized accomplishments on your resume instead of just listing your standard daily tasks. Once you’re done with this portion on your most recent job, continue until you have an entirely new resume. Feel free to update the format as well. There are plenty of eye-appealing templates available on the web and giving your resume a facelift will give you a whole new outlook on what you bring to the table.
Start Talking: Networking is Where It’s At
Sometimes, it’s all about who you know. Whether you choose to join a club of biotech professionals or attend a conference, networking can definitely help kick a stagnant job search strategy into action. To get ahead, you’ll want to meet people employed for the companies that you’d like to work for. Getting to know them can help you quite a bit, especially if they are in HR or influential positions within the company. Plus, if you attend a conference, you’ll get to learn more about your field and those directly related to it by going to as many sessions as possible. Studying up on your current field and staying abreast of new innovations makes for impressive interview conversation.
Brush Up on Your Continuing Education: Take Some Related Classes
Learning a new skill or enhancing one that’s relevant to your current job and position can also help jumpstart your job search. Not only does this extra education make your resume stand out because you’ve taken the time to expand your skillset, but you also have the chance to meet some like-minded people who are challenging themselves as well.
Take the time to network with your professor and your classmates. You never know who works at which company or who has connections in the places you’re interested in. They might inform you of a newly created or recently available position before it has even been made public, and since you know someone who works there, you already have one foot in the door.
Push the Limits: Expand Your Search
Being flexible is key. What type of job are you looking for in the biotech field? What are some of the relevant keywords that these positions may be listed under? It’s common for one company to refer to a position by one name, only to have a business in the same field call it another. By limiting your search terms when going through online job boards, you are narrowing down the number of jobs that you qualify and apply for. You need to expand your search options, because the odds of getting a position go exponentially when you apply for numerous different jobs. This goes for location as well. If you’re in a position to move to a different city or state for work, make sure to look outside of your current geographical area, even if just to see what’s out there. It never hurts to look!
Venture Out of Your Comfort Zone: The Internet is Your Friend
Although searching for jobs online is routine, if you aren’t using the other areas of the internet to your advantage, you could be missing out on plenty of available and lucrative jobs. Join LinkedIn and take the time to fill out your professional profile accurately, then begin networking online. Some companies directly post open positions on this platform, making it easy to apply directly. Plus, there are a number of online publications that contain pertinent articles about your specific biotech field, as well as listings of possible jobs. Don’t get stuck in an internet rut – be willing to explore.
Jumpstarting your job search strategy requires a little grit, determination and the willingness to hustle. Scrolling through endless job boards simply isn’t going to get you where you want to go. But with a little hard work, some strategic resume revamping, and some stellar networking skills, you can take your job search to the next level and reel in that optimal biotech job you’ve been looking for.
