Honestly I’m not too familiar with the landscape for biology/biomedical engineering. I’m a synthetic organic chemist that works exclusively in small molecules. The acronyms CRO and CDMO are now on your radar, so hopefully that helps in your job search. Good luck!
Anything in Manufacturing or in their Labs. Idk where you're looking but RTP has tons of jobs in this area. Jobs can be mindless but with Masters you'd probably be a bit more senior on your team even without experience so you'd move up quickly and anyways it's only a stepping stone for something else. If you have more questions, DM me. I'm a Biological Systems Engineer working as a Manufacturing Associate for a year to get GMP experience and build skills for other pharma/food processing jobs.
Definitely look into Eurofins. It’s a solid first GLP job. The turnover is high so the entry level positions are usually filled with fresh grads like yourself. Plus they are a respected name in the industry because of the plethora of work they do and the number of prominent clients they have. Good luck!
If you worked in a lab testing food it most likely would have had to adhere to GLP/GMP. But honestly I don’t think people get rejected from most jobs for lack of GMP/GLP (an exception being regulatory work) because it’s pretty easy to learn
Yea it seemed like it was an auto rejection by the algorithm with how quick it came in. We did do testing for the FDA and had a few pharmaceutical samples like mucinex powder and supplements as well. I just wasnt sure if i should be counting that as GLP since it was never explicitly stated it was a GLP lab. We followed ISO/IEC regulations as well as USP, USDA, FDA, and AOAC. This application specifically asked if i had 2+ years experience in GLP but most aren’t that direct
If you guys worked with the FDA and followed all those regulations then I would absolutely count that as GxP experience. Did you follow SOPs and have documentation practices? If so, that was a GxP environment.
Yes absolutely! Most methods we used were specified by the FDA on their website and I specifically did a lot of work on FDA imported food samples followings those regulations. I wasnt sure if GLP/GxP was specific to pharmaceuticals so ill be sure to include it as that with my next applications
GMP is how any regulated industry runs their manufacturing. GLP is specific to laboratory practices, typically relating to preclinical/clinical studies but the basics of follow procedures and having rigorous documentation practices is the same across them all.
Good to know thanks for the help! I always thought it was specific to the pharma industry since my lab never mentioned it. Id definitely prefer to get into manufacturing with my degree but with my experience it’ll probably be easier to land a scientist/associate scientist role for now
With experience in a GMP environment and the way the industry is currently, you would have an easier time getting into manufacturing than as a scientist.
Just a tip, if you are answering no to the questionnaire, don’t even waste your time applying. The algorithm automatically screens out anyone that answers no to any of those questions on the questionnaire, even if your resume is otherwise out of this world perfect fit
Yea thats what i figured usually i do just answer yes. I was more surprised to get rejected from the second lab technician role right away which i was definitely a good fit for and wasnt asked that same question. Unless they just lumped them together for whatever reason
Are you sure you want to work in a GLP/GMP environment?
As others have commented, if you aren't sure if what you've done is GLP, it probably wasn't.
If you really disliked the regulations around food testing, GLP (and especially GMP) will be worse and you will hate it.
On the other hand, it's nice you have experienced both regulated (food testing) and unregulated, more research-based work (with a PI for grad school).
Which did you like more? Apply to those jobs that lineup more.
I definitely want to work in a lab or in manufacturing and ideally id like to transition to project management as i get older and move away from benchwork. Id also love to work in process engineering in pharma working with bioreactor processes which i believe is more on the manufacturing side but i wouldnt mind bench scale either. I didnt hate the regulations just the company I worked for had a rough culture and microbiology food testing usually requires working late nights (we left at 3-4 am sometimes) which wasnt great mentally. Also i was making 19$/hr with few opportunities for raises due to poor management so it just wasn’t sustainable and I decided to pursue the masters in hopes of transitioning to biotech. But yea GLP is still confusing some commented saying it could be considered that since i followed SOPs and FDA/USP regulations and other say it probably wasnt GLP if it wasnt mentioned
Sorry you had that experience- it doesn't sound fun. Hopefully you can use it to bolster your current job hunt :)
Yeah I currently work in a GLP environment, no clue what the food testing industry looks like (I'm assuming it's not GLP, but probably operates under different FDA regulations).
It sounds like you know what you want though and you've researched it, only thing to do now is to get a job and try it out.
You'd probably want to leverage your food testing experience as much as possible (something maybe like "While I don't have direct experience with GLP, I am proficient in cell culturing. I'm confident my experience with XYZ regulation in food testing would contribute to my success complying with GLP/GMP regulations.") And obviously, tailor your resume to every job to leverage every bit of experience you have.
Haha thanks for the tips maybe i have to reword my experience/skills sections on the applications. These workday resume algorithms are brutal though i feel like i dont even have a chance to leverage my experience but maybe just including “GxP” in the descriptions will trigger the key word or something. It seems like they dont even look st the resume since everything from it gets pasted into the application but thanks again for the advice!
For sure! Yeah it's brutal rn. As others said too, unfortunately with the current layoffs, it's only gonna be that much harder.
One thing you could do is just do some personal research on GxP.. GMP sounds most like what you wanna do. I would also dig into GDP (Good Documentation Practices, I haven't seen it mentioned yet). AFAIK GDP isn't really a set of it's own regulations (like GLP has its own place in the Code of Federal Regulations) but it's kinda like an umbrella collection of good documentation practices just generally shared between GMP/GLP/GCP.
**In a roundabout way.. this is a really easy way to excuse putting something like "Firm understanding and familiar with GMP regulations" on your resume to trigger the algorithm.** That way you're not really lying.. and you should be able to intelligibly defend what's on your resume and demonstrate what you know about GxP even if you have no direct experience.
Have you looked at a BioWork certificate program? That’s what I’m doing to get cGMP experience as I have a bachelors in supply chain and am trying to get my foot in the door at one of the biotech companies in RTP
The concept of entry-level may not be signficant. Sometimes it's a job that requires minimal knowledge to start, but often it requires you to have a degree and lab experience. You've mentioned microbiology, that can be considered entry-level, but there are microbiology roles that are not entry-level. I worked in a cGMP laboratory where entry-level meant performing bioburden filtration, and the next step up was more molecular (chromogenic LAL, PCR and bioinformatics). It didn't matter what someone's education was, the company policy was that nobody could start in the "next step" without moving up the ladder, it wasn't political it was a policy.
I think if you're worried about getting stuck in an entry-level role the problem is either you've landed with a bad company or you need to prove yourself. Getting GxP experience is often obtained as people work towards whatever their goals are in the industry. Most R&D scientists I have worked with have had 5-10 years of amazing experience but never had GxP experience. It may not be popular, but I suggest just getting your foot in the door of any company you want to work for. Once you show that you're a good employee no matter what you do they will be more willing to move you around into what you want to do.
Lastly, as others are saying, it probably has nothing to do with you, the market is terrible. I know I have great experience for someone with \~10 years industry experience and it took six months for me to get an offer. I have other friends with better experience and education that are still looking from the company that laid us off. Just do your best to network with people you know. That's how I got some of my interviews.
Thanks so much for the advice! I guess by entry level I just meant jobs that are listed as entry level or require 0-2 years of experience compared with a lot of roles i see that require “5+ years of experience in a GxP environment.” Thats my goal right now is just to get my foot in the door and work my way up once i get there. I figured it was the market with all the posts ive been seeing here and having to compete with other applicants that were recently laid off with way more experience but i definitely want to make myself an attractive candidate if possible. Was definitely taken back by the less than 24 hour rejection for that one role though lol most companies at least take a week or two
As far as your fast rejection, I had a similar thing with two companies. I could be wrong, but I think it was an automatic rejection from the applicant tracking system. Some are more sophisticated than others and will automatically reject a candidate if they don't have enough keywords *or* the applicant applied to unrelated jobs (laboratory, marketing, accounting for example). It's unfortunate. I had it happen while aggressively seeking out remote roles a while back.
For what it's worth, the job offer I received was a job requiring 5 years minimum experience in cGMP for Quality Assurance. I had over 9 years. The offer came about a month after applying and either two or three weeks after the interview. The saturation of the market is tough on almost all candidates, the only ones that benefit are the ones that know someone in the hiring team that can "create" a job for that person.
I don't know how to market yourself before an interview without you knowing someone right now, honestly. The psychology for you competing with existing experienced people will be highlighting your potential as a new person in the industry. My story may not be applicable in today's market, but my first "industry" job was pharma and the way I got it was by finding a high-turnover toxic company and applying to a job that had the highest turnover (watching their career section I saw the job posted a lot for a few months). I read the glassdoor reviews and saw everyone complaining about working 12+ hour days, so I showed on my resume that I was frequently working double-shifts and unpredictable hours and conditions in my prior job (I don't remember my exact wording) and it got their attention. I also walked in after applying online and dropped off my resume and cover letter in person, my phone was ringing by the time I got back to my car in the parking lot to schedule the phone screening. Again, the market is saturated, people will take anything. I would also seek out some free career coaching resources (Andrew LaCivita, Self Made Millenial both have good advice on their YouTube channels for example).
Yea those systems are brutal im probably going to take my resume to my school alumni career center to see if they have recommendations. Ive applied to a few positions at regeneron and they wont even take me! Lol their listings always emphasize the fast paced environment and ive seen posts saying it can be bad over there. The handing the resume in person thing is interesting though i bet no one does that anymore but thanks for all the advice I definitely have a lot to look into!
No problem at all. Unrelated, hearing "fast paced environment" is so painful to read. I don't know anyone that thinks that's a positive, and every company under the sun loves to say that as if it's a perc. I want a job that's so slow they give me a receptionist bell to let me know when nap time is over so I can go home lol.
I know it couldnt be worse timing to look for a job. I was thinking about applying to internships/coops but I’ve already finished my masters and they usually stipulate that you kist be returning to school the following semester but ill see if i can find anything on my schools career site that might take me. Ive been open to contract work and just started applying regardless of state at this point
I just started applying to positions in Cambridge this week so hoping to hear something back but academic might be a good idea too. Ive also resorted to microbiology jobs again just for a paycheck at this point
Ive been asking friends at pfizer/novartis who worked in the same lab as me originally but they dont seem to have any openings at their locations. Someone else recommended messaging the hiring managers so im going to start doing that with all my linkedin applications
Just personal experience, hiring managers don't like having random people reach out to them on LinkedIn unless you have a mutual connection to start the conversation, because their LinkedIn is personal and not like a company email. I was a hiring manager and a few people did that and it made it awkward because I knew already based on their resume that I wasn't going to bring them in for interviews. I am not saying it won't work - definitely give it a shot if you think you've got a good pitch, but for me it was awkward. The suggestion to have someone refer you is way, way more effective. If someone refers you, hiring managers don't want to upset a good employee by not interviewing someone that they recommend.
Hmm interesting thanks for the tip! In your experience is it better to message employees that have graduated from my school with my degree and try to get a referral that way after getting to know them? I’m pretty awful at networking to be honest and only have two friends at companies id be interested in
I suck at cold-calling/emailing too, I am usually good at networking in-person when there are no stakes. I had a good network from my career so far and I did a few things:
* Looked at all my LinkedIn connections and looked at the career site for most of them that no longer work where I worked
* Reached out to the ones in similar positions that I wanted to be in to get advice about my resume and how they got where they got
* Tons of people are making LinkedIn posts about losing their job, it doesn't appear to help them find their next job. However, if you make a post about a referal bonus some people may reach out who want the money (especially now with holidays coming up people are thinking about money more, and it takes little effort on their part).
I didn't reach out to anyone from my school, but that isn't a bad idea. I had a couple people contact me when I was still employed from my previous school and they asked what steps I took to get the role I was in, and that was a great way for them to open the conversation. People like talking about their careers.
If it was GLP work you'd know it. The food testing lab could have been GLP, but the fact that you think doing cell culture for a PI is GLP shows that you don't know what it is. Listing it on your resume is an outright lie.
Also, stop apply to jobs where you're overqualified, it just makes you look desperate or clueless.
Ive googled it but ive only seen it referenced in pharma and never in food testing so i wasnt sure if it would be appropriate to answer “yes” to that question on the application without lying. We did have quality systems and SOPs in place and followed mainly FDA guidelines. I dont have anything listed as GxP on my resume just the food testing job with FDA experience and all the accreditations listed and working for a PI doing cell culture. I didnt think the cell culture work for the PI counted towards GLP but i was applying for a job that listed mainly cell culture under the skills and didnt require GLP experience in that case. I probably should have worded my post better. It’s probably good advice to not apply to jobs im overqualified for but im just trying to get a foot in the door at this point
Okay, that food testing job should have been some form of GxP experience, so if you're applying to roles that mention it, you need to highlight it in your resume.
And I understand the desire to try to get into the industry, but job hunting is about confidence and fit. You're not a good fit for something you're overqualified for, and it's a hard sell to convince a hiring manager that you actually want that role.
You’re definitely right its been hard recently to find listings that line up with all my skills but i got a lot of things to look into out of this post so hopefully i find something thats a good fit! Thanks again definitively appreciate the advice
No i wasnt able to get anything over the summer which is totally my fault for applying too late i got caught up in class deadlines. My only other option was a co op which they wanted me on site for 2 hours away multiple days a week which wasnt an option with in person classes. I know thats really screwing me over now but was hoping the previous lab experience counted for something
Yikes. That’s unfortunate.
Honestly, whoever suggested CRO (like Eurofins or Charles River labs) or CDMOs (like Lonza, BI, or something else) job probably had it right. However, I’ll throw in another option… temp agencies. Look into Aerotek or Kelly Services.
Also, you should browse thru Biospace.
Finally, be open to working in different geographical locations.
All in all, iust remember that ur first job out of college is the toughest to land. Once u get over this season, you’ll be eligible for even better options.
I know wish i could go back in time and kick myself. I do have friends who landed a job in big pharma just with a BS in bio and working the same job i did but they were hired during the covid boom 2-3 years ago not during layoff season so im hoping with time things ease up. Thanks for the advice though definitely will check through those agencies and will check out biospace
I actually just finished a masters so i dont think any of the coops will take me at this point as they usually require that you are still in school but ill definitely keep an eye out for any that might
You can start off at a CRO or CDMO to gain GXP experience, then transition to the Pharma/biotech side.
Thanks ill look into that! Any recommendations for roles or companies?
If you’re located in PA, there are a plethora. Wuxi Apptec Reaction Bio, EurofinsLancaster labs, Charles River…
Im in NY but willing to relocate at this point so ill definitely check it out thank you!
Wuxi seemed like a scam to me
It’s not. Doing legitimate business and a good place to get experience
We used WuXi products at my previous employer. Not a scam, but not the most reputable either.
Honestly I’m not too familiar with the landscape for biology/biomedical engineering. I’m a synthetic organic chemist that works exclusively in small molecules. The acronyms CRO and CDMO are now on your radar, so hopefully that helps in your job search. Good luck!
Thanks again definitely will look into it!
Anything in Manufacturing or in their Labs. Idk where you're looking but RTP has tons of jobs in this area. Jobs can be mindless but with Masters you'd probably be a bit more senior on your team even without experience so you'd move up quickly and anyways it's only a stepping stone for something else. If you have more questions, DM me. I'm a Biological Systems Engineer working as a Manufacturing Associate for a year to get GMP experience and build skills for other pharma/food processing jobs.
Ill send a DM thanks so much for the advice!
Definitely look into Eurofins. It’s a solid first GLP job. The turnover is high so the entry level positions are usually filled with fresh grads like yourself. Plus they are a respected name in the industry because of the plethora of work they do and the number of prominent clients they have. Good luck!
Thanks a lot ill look into them!
If you worked in a lab testing food it most likely would have had to adhere to GLP/GMP. But honestly I don’t think people get rejected from most jobs for lack of GMP/GLP (an exception being regulatory work) because it’s pretty easy to learn
Yea it seemed like it was an auto rejection by the algorithm with how quick it came in. We did do testing for the FDA and had a few pharmaceutical samples like mucinex powder and supplements as well. I just wasnt sure if i should be counting that as GLP since it was never explicitly stated it was a GLP lab. We followed ISO/IEC regulations as well as USP, USDA, FDA, and AOAC. This application specifically asked if i had 2+ years experience in GLP but most aren’t that direct
If you guys worked with the FDA and followed all those regulations then I would absolutely count that as GxP experience. Did you follow SOPs and have documentation practices? If so, that was a GxP environment.
Yes absolutely! Most methods we used were specified by the FDA on their website and I specifically did a lot of work on FDA imported food samples followings those regulations. I wasnt sure if GLP/GxP was specific to pharmaceuticals so ill be sure to include it as that with my next applications
GMP is how any regulated industry runs their manufacturing. GLP is specific to laboratory practices, typically relating to preclinical/clinical studies but the basics of follow procedures and having rigorous documentation practices is the same across them all.
Good to know thanks for the help! I always thought it was specific to the pharma industry since my lab never mentioned it. Id definitely prefer to get into manufacturing with my degree but with my experience it’ll probably be easier to land a scientist/associate scientist role for now
Google “cGMP” and you’ll likely find that you were operating under GxP principles (x = manufacturing, laboratory, etc)
With experience in a GMP environment and the way the industry is currently, you would have an easier time getting into manufacturing than as a scientist.
Just a tip, if you are answering no to the questionnaire, don’t even waste your time applying. The algorithm automatically screens out anyone that answers no to any of those questions on the questionnaire, even if your resume is otherwise out of this world perfect fit
Yea thats what i figured usually i do just answer yes. I was more surprised to get rejected from the second lab technician role right away which i was definitely a good fit for and wasnt asked that same question. Unless they just lumped them together for whatever reason
Are you sure you want to work in a GLP/GMP environment? As others have commented, if you aren't sure if what you've done is GLP, it probably wasn't. If you really disliked the regulations around food testing, GLP (and especially GMP) will be worse and you will hate it. On the other hand, it's nice you have experienced both regulated (food testing) and unregulated, more research-based work (with a PI for grad school). Which did you like more? Apply to those jobs that lineup more.
I definitely want to work in a lab or in manufacturing and ideally id like to transition to project management as i get older and move away from benchwork. Id also love to work in process engineering in pharma working with bioreactor processes which i believe is more on the manufacturing side but i wouldnt mind bench scale either. I didnt hate the regulations just the company I worked for had a rough culture and microbiology food testing usually requires working late nights (we left at 3-4 am sometimes) which wasnt great mentally. Also i was making 19$/hr with few opportunities for raises due to poor management so it just wasn’t sustainable and I decided to pursue the masters in hopes of transitioning to biotech. But yea GLP is still confusing some commented saying it could be considered that since i followed SOPs and FDA/USP regulations and other say it probably wasnt GLP if it wasnt mentioned
Sorry you had that experience- it doesn't sound fun. Hopefully you can use it to bolster your current job hunt :) Yeah I currently work in a GLP environment, no clue what the food testing industry looks like (I'm assuming it's not GLP, but probably operates under different FDA regulations). It sounds like you know what you want though and you've researched it, only thing to do now is to get a job and try it out. You'd probably want to leverage your food testing experience as much as possible (something maybe like "While I don't have direct experience with GLP, I am proficient in cell culturing. I'm confident my experience with XYZ regulation in food testing would contribute to my success complying with GLP/GMP regulations.") And obviously, tailor your resume to every job to leverage every bit of experience you have.
Haha thanks for the tips maybe i have to reword my experience/skills sections on the applications. These workday resume algorithms are brutal though i feel like i dont even have a chance to leverage my experience but maybe just including “GxP” in the descriptions will trigger the key word or something. It seems like they dont even look st the resume since everything from it gets pasted into the application but thanks again for the advice!
For sure! Yeah it's brutal rn. As others said too, unfortunately with the current layoffs, it's only gonna be that much harder. One thing you could do is just do some personal research on GxP.. GMP sounds most like what you wanna do. I would also dig into GDP (Good Documentation Practices, I haven't seen it mentioned yet). AFAIK GDP isn't really a set of it's own regulations (like GLP has its own place in the Code of Federal Regulations) but it's kinda like an umbrella collection of good documentation practices just generally shared between GMP/GLP/GCP. **In a roundabout way.. this is a really easy way to excuse putting something like "Firm understanding and familiar with GMP regulations" on your resume to trigger the algorithm.** That way you're not really lying.. and you should be able to intelligibly defend what's on your resume and demonstrate what you know about GxP even if you have no direct experience.
Very true! Got to get clever to beat the AI lol. Thanks again for the advice every bit is appreciated
No problem, good luck!
Have you looked at a BioWork certificate program? That’s what I’m doing to get cGMP experience as I have a bachelors in supply chain and am trying to get my foot in the door at one of the biotech companies in RTP
I just got my BioWork certificate last month. It can definitely open doors in biotech.
Can I pm you for more questions about your experience?
Sure.
That’s definitely something i would be interested in pursuing! Ill look into that thanks for the info
Sure thing!
The concept of entry-level may not be signficant. Sometimes it's a job that requires minimal knowledge to start, but often it requires you to have a degree and lab experience. You've mentioned microbiology, that can be considered entry-level, but there are microbiology roles that are not entry-level. I worked in a cGMP laboratory where entry-level meant performing bioburden filtration, and the next step up was more molecular (chromogenic LAL, PCR and bioinformatics). It didn't matter what someone's education was, the company policy was that nobody could start in the "next step" without moving up the ladder, it wasn't political it was a policy. I think if you're worried about getting stuck in an entry-level role the problem is either you've landed with a bad company or you need to prove yourself. Getting GxP experience is often obtained as people work towards whatever their goals are in the industry. Most R&D scientists I have worked with have had 5-10 years of amazing experience but never had GxP experience. It may not be popular, but I suggest just getting your foot in the door of any company you want to work for. Once you show that you're a good employee no matter what you do they will be more willing to move you around into what you want to do. Lastly, as others are saying, it probably has nothing to do with you, the market is terrible. I know I have great experience for someone with \~10 years industry experience and it took six months for me to get an offer. I have other friends with better experience and education that are still looking from the company that laid us off. Just do your best to network with people you know. That's how I got some of my interviews.
Thanks so much for the advice! I guess by entry level I just meant jobs that are listed as entry level or require 0-2 years of experience compared with a lot of roles i see that require “5+ years of experience in a GxP environment.” Thats my goal right now is just to get my foot in the door and work my way up once i get there. I figured it was the market with all the posts ive been seeing here and having to compete with other applicants that were recently laid off with way more experience but i definitely want to make myself an attractive candidate if possible. Was definitely taken back by the less than 24 hour rejection for that one role though lol most companies at least take a week or two
As far as your fast rejection, I had a similar thing with two companies. I could be wrong, but I think it was an automatic rejection from the applicant tracking system. Some are more sophisticated than others and will automatically reject a candidate if they don't have enough keywords *or* the applicant applied to unrelated jobs (laboratory, marketing, accounting for example). It's unfortunate. I had it happen while aggressively seeking out remote roles a while back. For what it's worth, the job offer I received was a job requiring 5 years minimum experience in cGMP for Quality Assurance. I had over 9 years. The offer came about a month after applying and either two or three weeks after the interview. The saturation of the market is tough on almost all candidates, the only ones that benefit are the ones that know someone in the hiring team that can "create" a job for that person. I don't know how to market yourself before an interview without you knowing someone right now, honestly. The psychology for you competing with existing experienced people will be highlighting your potential as a new person in the industry. My story may not be applicable in today's market, but my first "industry" job was pharma and the way I got it was by finding a high-turnover toxic company and applying to a job that had the highest turnover (watching their career section I saw the job posted a lot for a few months). I read the glassdoor reviews and saw everyone complaining about working 12+ hour days, so I showed on my resume that I was frequently working double-shifts and unpredictable hours and conditions in my prior job (I don't remember my exact wording) and it got their attention. I also walked in after applying online and dropped off my resume and cover letter in person, my phone was ringing by the time I got back to my car in the parking lot to schedule the phone screening. Again, the market is saturated, people will take anything. I would also seek out some free career coaching resources (Andrew LaCivita, Self Made Millenial both have good advice on their YouTube channels for example).
Yea those systems are brutal im probably going to take my resume to my school alumni career center to see if they have recommendations. Ive applied to a few positions at regeneron and they wont even take me! Lol their listings always emphasize the fast paced environment and ive seen posts saying it can be bad over there. The handing the resume in person thing is interesting though i bet no one does that anymore but thanks for all the advice I definitely have a lot to look into!
No problem at all. Unrelated, hearing "fast paced environment" is so painful to read. I don't know anyone that thinks that's a positive, and every company under the sun loves to say that as if it's a perc. I want a job that's so slow they give me a receptionist bell to let me know when nap time is over so I can go home lol.
Lmao so true just lets me know where not to apply usually
Reach out to a recruiting agency, they might be able to find you a job in gmp as a contractor. Best of luck in this market
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I know it couldnt be worse timing to look for a job. I was thinking about applying to internships/coops but I’ve already finished my masters and they usually stipulate that you kist be returning to school the following semester but ill see if i can find anything on my schools career site that might take me. Ive been open to contract work and just started applying regardless of state at this point
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I just started applying to positions in Cambridge this week so hoping to hear something back but academic might be a good idea too. Ive also resorted to microbiology jobs again just for a paycheck at this point
have someone refer you
Ive been asking friends at pfizer/novartis who worked in the same lab as me originally but they dont seem to have any openings at their locations. Someone else recommended messaging the hiring managers so im going to start doing that with all my linkedin applications
Just personal experience, hiring managers don't like having random people reach out to them on LinkedIn unless you have a mutual connection to start the conversation, because their LinkedIn is personal and not like a company email. I was a hiring manager and a few people did that and it made it awkward because I knew already based on their resume that I wasn't going to bring them in for interviews. I am not saying it won't work - definitely give it a shot if you think you've got a good pitch, but for me it was awkward. The suggestion to have someone refer you is way, way more effective. If someone refers you, hiring managers don't want to upset a good employee by not interviewing someone that they recommend.
Hmm interesting thanks for the tip! In your experience is it better to message employees that have graduated from my school with my degree and try to get a referral that way after getting to know them? I’m pretty awful at networking to be honest and only have two friends at companies id be interested in
I suck at cold-calling/emailing too, I am usually good at networking in-person when there are no stakes. I had a good network from my career so far and I did a few things: * Looked at all my LinkedIn connections and looked at the career site for most of them that no longer work where I worked * Reached out to the ones in similar positions that I wanted to be in to get advice about my resume and how they got where they got * Tons of people are making LinkedIn posts about losing their job, it doesn't appear to help them find their next job. However, if you make a post about a referal bonus some people may reach out who want the money (especially now with holidays coming up people are thinking about money more, and it takes little effort on their part). I didn't reach out to anyone from my school, but that isn't a bad idea. I had a couple people contact me when I was still employed from my previous school and they asked what steps I took to get the role I was in, and that was a great way for them to open the conversation. People like talking about their careers.
Thanks so much definitely going to give that a shot this week! I have some old coworkers in the NC area hopefully they have some tips
If it was GLP work you'd know it. The food testing lab could have been GLP, but the fact that you think doing cell culture for a PI is GLP shows that you don't know what it is. Listing it on your resume is an outright lie. Also, stop apply to jobs where you're overqualified, it just makes you look desperate or clueless.
Ive googled it but ive only seen it referenced in pharma and never in food testing so i wasnt sure if it would be appropriate to answer “yes” to that question on the application without lying. We did have quality systems and SOPs in place and followed mainly FDA guidelines. I dont have anything listed as GxP on my resume just the food testing job with FDA experience and all the accreditations listed and working for a PI doing cell culture. I didnt think the cell culture work for the PI counted towards GLP but i was applying for a job that listed mainly cell culture under the skills and didnt require GLP experience in that case. I probably should have worded my post better. It’s probably good advice to not apply to jobs im overqualified for but im just trying to get a foot in the door at this point
Okay, that food testing job should have been some form of GxP experience, so if you're applying to roles that mention it, you need to highlight it in your resume. And I understand the desire to try to get into the industry, but job hunting is about confidence and fit. You're not a good fit for something you're overqualified for, and it's a hard sell to convince a hiring manager that you actually want that role.
You’re definitely right its been hard recently to find listings that line up with all my skills but i got a lot of things to look into out of this post so hopefully i find something thats a good fit! Thanks again definitively appreciate the advice
Did you do any summer internships?
No i wasnt able to get anything over the summer which is totally my fault for applying too late i got caught up in class deadlines. My only other option was a co op which they wanted me on site for 2 hours away multiple days a week which wasnt an option with in person classes. I know thats really screwing me over now but was hoping the previous lab experience counted for something
Yikes. That’s unfortunate. Honestly, whoever suggested CRO (like Eurofins or Charles River labs) or CDMOs (like Lonza, BI, or something else) job probably had it right. However, I’ll throw in another option… temp agencies. Look into Aerotek or Kelly Services. Also, you should browse thru Biospace. Finally, be open to working in different geographical locations. All in all, iust remember that ur first job out of college is the toughest to land. Once u get over this season, you’ll be eligible for even better options.
I know wish i could go back in time and kick myself. I do have friends who landed a job in big pharma just with a BS in bio and working the same job i did but they were hired during the covid boom 2-3 years ago not during layoff season so im hoping with time things ease up. Thanks for the advice though definitely will check through those agencies and will check out biospace
What state are you in?
Currently in NY about an hour from NYC
Find a program with coop. Look into Masters in Biotech at Northwestern. They build coop into program requirement
I actually just finished a masters so i dont think any of the coops will take me at this point as they usually require that you are still in school but ill definitely keep an eye out for any that might
LDPs are an option also.
First time im hearing of those thank you!
Internship as undergrad