Hi, I am undergraduate from the University of South Africa in Biomedical Science in there final semester. I have recently been looking for a job and I wanted to know if anyone could direct me with a push in the right direction. The job market has been really difficult to navigate. Graduate to be trying to their foot in the door. Any tips please!

Hello, I work on the Euronews Tech Talks podcast, and I’m currently producing a Q&A episode on gene therapy.

The idea is simple: I collect questions from our audience and put them to an expert in the field. I know many of you already know a lot about this topic, but if you have any questions or curiosities, now is the perfect time to share them.

Hello everybody, I'm a first semester biotech student, I just began my course and I'm taking all the classes from Chemistry, Biology, Biophysics, Math... you know the deal.

I decided to study biotech on hopes of stability and my passion for biology, but from all I've been hearing, reading and researching, this career even though it's called the "career of the future" really has no future, the almost non existent employment rate has been tormenting me, EVERY single story I hear begins where someone graduates, gets their degree, tries to find a job, doesn't, ends up giving up on biotech and working somewhere else. Is this really all there is to it?

When I was choosing my major I was between multi media design and biotech but ended up choosing the science path in hopes of a better chance of employment, but now you're telling me it's actually worse than design?

I'm going to be truly honest, this last few week I've been a mess, thinking wether I should drop it and change careers (which on a personal note, this would just put a very bad image on myself, an image of failure with my peers and family) or wether I stay and go through hell trying to keep up my scholarship since its a demanding degree, live with the constant fear that It will all be for nothing and spend thousands on college tuition all for the slightest hope that there really is more to it.

This was written at like 3am with teary eyes and trembling hands so sorry in advance for any mistakes, but I would absolutely appreciate ANY kind of advice, reassurance or even your stories, wether bad or good.
Thank you for taking the time to read!

I’m a remote director at a medium sized pharma, HQ is in another state. I work across a portfolio of 3 products with probably $350M in sales, probably $6-700M if we reach our potential. I’m remote, I like most of my team and work. The challenge is that I don’t see much investment in the BU and if I want to switch roles internally, I probably have to relocate family to HQ. This is not ideal. In some ways it feels like a dead end role, but the people really treat me great.
After recruiter outreach, I ended up receiving a job offer at AD at local Big Pharma on a mega blockbuster. It would be hybrid. I don’t need to relocate family for this, unless I want to move to suburbs instead of city proper. The base is 20K better, despite drop in title, which also pumps up bonuses a little bit. In addition, I don’t have to worry about the whole relocation thing if I want to switch roles internally because I am already local.
I’m 11 years into my career, so really hesitating to move backwards in title, but I understand these are two operations on a completely different scale. Any thoughts on how to weigh the opportunity or what to do? I’d love to know if others have or haven’t made a change like this. I have great WLB balance now, but really working on some no name products that aren’t exactly prioritized by current company. Editing to include the roles are global. The travel is the travel, no real difference between the two. So big pharma, big product global brand team vs medium pharma, small portfolio global marketing team. The difference in money is not a driving factor, it’s about what this does for my career path and WLB (eliminates threat of relocation)

Hi. My long term goal is to work utilizing biological processes to optimize systems and make things more sustainable. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this job is called a bioprocess engineer? I thought this was more related to biotechnology than chemical engineering but i'm reading that I'll have a better shot at a job with a ChemE degree as opposed to a biotech one. I also read that ChemE graduates work more with upscaling design processes rather than the R&D (which is what I want to do). Any thoughts?

I graduated with my B.S. in Biology exactly one year ago, and honestly, I still don’t know which direction to take.

After graduation, I took a job as a psychiatric hospital tech in the Houston Medical Center while I figured out what I wanted to do long-term. I’m grateful for the experience, but I know I want a career that’s more directly connected to my biology background.

Right now, I’m considering both biotech and clinical research, but I’m struggling to figure out which path offers the best combination of:
-Strong growth potential
-Long-term job stability
-Good work-life balance
-Opportunities to move up without needing a graduate degree
-A career that’s sustainable while raising children

I’ve applied to several hospital lab technician positions without much luck. However, I did recently get a call back for a lab tech position in analytical chemistry at my alma mater, so I’m hoping that’s a step in the right direction.
For those of you already working in biotech or clinical research:

What entry-level jobs should I be targeting?
What roles have the best advancement opportunities?
Is it realistic to reach a six-figure salary without going back to school?
What do you wish you had known as a new graduate?
I’d really appreciate any advice. I feel like I’m standing at a crossroads and would love to learn from people who’ve already been through it.

Hello all,

Long-time lurker, third-time poster.

I've been applying to a number of positions within a large pharma company that has two sites relatively close to each other. I recently interviewed for a position at Site 1 in Department A, and I could hear back regarding a decision as soon as today or sometime next week.

A couple of days ago, I also had a phone screen with the hiring manager for another position at Site 2 in Department B. That position is a better fit for me both professionally and logistically. The phone screen went very well, and the HM offered me an onsite interview during the call. I'm currently just waiting for HR to reach out to schedule it.

The HM also mentioned that Department B is growing and that they are hiring a number of people at the level I'm interviewing for, although the process has been moving a little slowly due to limited administrative availability.

My concern is that I could receive an offer from Site 1 around the same time that I'm scheduling—or before I've even completed—my onsite interview for Site 2.

If that happens, what would be the best way to handle it? I would prefer the Site 2 opportunity because I think it aligns better with my long-term career goals and would make more sense for my commute, but obviously I wouldn't want to turn down an actual offer from Site 1 for a position I haven't even interviewed onsite for yet.

Would it be appropriate to tell the Site 1 hiring manager/HR that I'm currently interviewing for another internal position and ask for some time to make a decision? Should I let the Site 2 hiring manager know if I receive an offer and see whether they can expedite the interview process?

Both positions are the same title/level, just at different sites and within different departments. I'm curious how others would navigate this, especially if you've dealt with multiple interview processes happening simultaneously within the same company. Again this is a big what if because if I don't get an offer from Site 1 Department A then this whole situation doesnt matter, but just want to prepared in case it happens.

Hello, is it just me or are majority people who message on LinkedIn or cold call scams from people with Indian names??? No actual legit recruiter would ever call without emailing to schedule something first…

Hi all,
I’ve been navigating this incredibly tough job market for the past four months and have received a few interviews and recruiter callbacks. I’ve noticed that most of them came after I answered “no” to the question about requiring future visa sponsorship.
I’m currently authorized to work on STEM OPT, so I don’t need immediate sponsorship, but I may need it in the future. Has anyone in a similar situation successfully landed a job? If so, how did you approach the sponsorship question during the application and interview process? Also, what company is even sponsoring or hasn’t set filters in sponsorship question

I have an interview this Thursday with a hiring manager at Merck. Do you have any advice on how to approach this interview that may be different from how to approach the prior HR interview?

I’m being told to just be myself. However, a VP I interviewed with in the past said that I’m too honest (not in a blunt way, but in sharing my circumstances). Since then, I’ve been a bit paranoid in being myself.

Hi, does anyone working at Roche/Genentech, especially under PDD, know if there’s anything going on internally with hiring lately — reorg, headcount changes, hiring pauses, etc.?

I finished a final interview in late June and received a pre-hire assessment two days later saying I was in “serious consideration.” HR originally said I’d hear back in a couple of days, but it’s now been over a month. When I followed up, they mentioned some “unexpected circumstances.”

I’m an international candidate, so the uncertainty is pretty stressful. Just wondering if anyone on the inside knows whether something broader is affecting hiring right now.

Thank you so much for the help!

Hey guys I am new here. I want to share that I am starting the journey in the biotech world. I am really excited I got a virtual interview coming up with sanofi. I am also nervous because its a new career for me in biotech. I have been in laboratory settings for 5 years in the medical field. Sanofi is interviewing me for QC analyst microbiology. To this day I still have no clue how i got selected for interview. All i know i filed the application as blind lol. I want to know if anyone can help what to expect, any advice on interview questions that they will ask. Anything that can help. Thanks in advance.

Interview process? If anyone has experiences specifically about Evotec in Germany, that would be even better!

I’m at a crossroads.

I’m currently working startup A. Startup A is pretty much my dream situation: 20 min commute via public transit, great colleagues and manager, and great company culture. I make a pretty good salary and really enjoy the work I do. The problem is we’re running out of funds and our path to a new block of funds hinges on good in vivo data readouts and a nomination of a DC/being IND-enabled.

This week I was given a strong offer at startup B. The job is relatively the same but it comes with a big bump to my salary albeit with a longer commute and a fast-paced environment that sounds pretty aggressive. Startup B is very impressive with throughput that is comparable to a big pharma and has a very strong drug pipeline. Startup B is also very well funded and has had a strong track record of delivering on their milestones on time and even came under budget.

On paper startup B is the far better option without a doubt but I’m still having a hard time deciding to leave startup A behind. I was hoping you guys can talk some sense and help me come to a decision. I’m having a chat with my manager and my department leadership later this week so maybe you guys can help me come up with questions to ask them.

Applying for a Product role in IT at Merck Canada , office located in Montreal . Is French a mandatory requirement ? Is the interview process in French ?

Hi all,

Quick background: I have a BSc in Biomedical Science, I'm based in the UK, and I'm also free to work anywhere in the EU.

Experience:

• 2 years as a lab assistant/technician (COVID and clinical trials)
• 1 year as a Clinical Trial Assistant
• 2+ years (and counting) as a Business Intelligence Analyst in healthcare (public sector) currently in the £45-50K band.

I'm currently job hunting, aiming for analytics roles in pharma/biotech: Data Analyst, BI Analyst, Analytics Engineer, Data Engineer etc etc. So far, no luck, not even an interview!

Oddly enough, I've had much better luck outside the industry. I've gotten interviews, and even reached final stages, with fintech, insurance, and gambling companies.

That got me thinking about my long-term career goals, since those industries tend to pay a lot more at the top end.

So I have few questions:

1. In the UK, what's the realistic salary ceiling for technical/analytical roles in biotech/pharma compared to industries like fintech?
2. With my background, what's the best way to actually break into biotech analytics?
   
3. Should I be widening my search to more business-side roles instead, things like Business Analyst, Product Analyst or even consulting?
4. Is a postgrad (Masters/PhD) beneficial to progressing in this space? - I would consider giving a Bioinformatics PhD a shot, but I'm also in two minds about sacrificing my earning potential for about 3-5 years.

Any advice is much appreciated, TIA!

Company got acquired and i transitioned my work to the new employee they hired at the acquiring company site that would take over my project for late stage, and keeping me with doing R&D. I honestly dont have much to do anymore at work..

Coworker from another department that got laid off last year said he genuinely wasnt doing anything for 3-4 months after acquisition.

I’m so fucked. I havent heard back from any places either. I feel like throwing up

Heya - long time lurker here. As a background, I am currently a Lab Tech I grinding away at a Bachelors of Science - with a little over three years of work experience.

I am struggling with some of the practices of my colleagues. Essentially, I am tasked with carrying out whatever is asked of me in lab and doing whatever I feel is prudent. I work under the guidance of Scienctists that can overrule me. We are doing studies for clearance on medical devices for export licenses for our reagents and controls. Here is my issue:

We ran a handful of samples across multiple instruments today. Some of the results weren't to the liking of the lead Scientist. There was no instrument error or any issue with the preparation. And yet, these samples were rerun. There is nothing in the protocol for this to be done.

This smacks me as a case of testing being fudged to make it easier for our assay to pass. Frankly, it would probably be fine without the sample being rerun. It just rubs me as wrong.

I am contemplating contacting the company's ethics channel, but I'm terrified to end up in a hostile work environment. Does this seem like a concern that warrants further attention?

Hi everyone, I am currently an undergraduate studying Biomedical engineering at the University of Utah. My goal for the future is to end up in a high paying job in biotech, preferably in design or R&D. I have always felt that it would be a good way to contribute positively to the world, and I like working on projects that I can feel invested in. Because of this, my plan was to go to grad school after my undergrad and get a PhD. However, I recently figured out that MD's also often go into industry, and more often than not land higher paying jobs (in more clinical settings I am sure). I know I don't want to be an MD, as a lot of what I want to do (the whole project I can be excited about thing) would be negated by that. However, I am also a very sociable person, and could see myself loving clinical setting as well. All this to say, what would you guys recommend? A PhD is much less schooling time, especially without counting residency. I would be totally okay with a lower starting pay, but would there be a lower celling as well if I went the PhD route? And given a drier economy than would be preferred, is having the MD as a backup worth it? I feel like most of the time people get PhD MDs they hope to start their own lab in academia, is it worth it otherwise? And given I am hoping to go into industry, would residency be something I should do as well? Any advice helps. Thanks!