What do a board-certified neurologist, a medicinal chemist, a physicist, a pharmacist, and an immunologist have in common? They have all gone beyond their original training to establish successful careers in the life science industry, and they shared their insight and experiences at an event series designed to help others make a similar transition.

The opening event of the 2012 Futures in Life Science Seminar Series, organized by MassBio, MassBioEd, and Propel Careers, held on January 17th, introduced an overflowing audience to science professionals in venture capital, consulting, health care, and biotech/pharma. Unlike subsequent events, which focus specifically on consulting, research, clinical/medical affairs, bioinformatics, commercialization, finance, legal, and operations, the panelists at this gathering had a wide range of technical backgrounds and professional responsibilities. The panelists included Kiran Reddy, Principal, Third Rock Ventures, Kevin Sprott, Senior Director, Chemistry, Verastem, Iya Khalil, Executive VP and Co-Founder, Via Science and GNS Healthcare, Dennis M. Meletiche, VP, Health Outcomes and Market Access, EMD Serono, and Katherine McLaughlin, Associate, Health Advances. John Hallinan, CFO, Cytel, moderated the panel.

A major topic of the evening's discussion centered on what skills and knowledge an academic needed to acquire to thrive in the corporate environment. Foremost on the panel's list was interpersonal skills. Beyond simply cooperating with your peers, panel members emphasized the importance of empathy, appreciating and embracing differing perspectives. Unlike academia where the "working unit" is the individual or small group, in industry the cost and scale of projects necessitates much larger teams cooperatively executing a common plan of action. The team will not only include scientists with differing expertise, but also business professionals with little formal scientific training. Productive face-to-face communication between scientists and business professionals is important to a project's success, and those that can bridge the two disparate cultures are often successful in the life science industry.

How does one refine or acquire these "soft" skills? Like any skill, practice as much as possible--networking events like the FILS series are ideal places to improve your interpersonal skills. Actively seek out and observe people that excel at relating to others. Implicit in teamwork is trust. You must have faith in your colleagues' judgment and skills, even if you disagree. In a large endeavor it is neither practical nor productive to do everything yourself, so you must assume that other team members are doing their parts with the same diligence that you are.

Another theme of the evening's discussion was the mutability of the modern professional's career path. Gone are the days of lifelong employment at a single company performing the same duties the entire period; the new paradigm is a constantly evolving series of positions and responsibilities. All of the panel members have positions for which they have no formal training--how did they acquire these skills? They availed themselves of all their resources--formal ones like business classes at their academic institution or seminars at professional organizations like MassBio--as well as from informal sources like networks and mentors. Panel members universally credited mentors as instrumental in their professional development, and each repaid the favor by mentoring others in similar fashion.

Throughout the course of the evening the importance of networks was reinforced. Panel members used contacts for everything from learning about entrepreneurship and writing business plans to looking for recommendations to fill job vacancies. LinkedIn is the networking tool of choice, not only for maintaining contacts, but also as a tool for identifying new contacts. A good approach to develop contacts in an industry you want to enter is to use LinkedIn to reach out to people who are in positions that you are interested in.

The next event in the 2012 Futures in Life Science Seminar Series, on Consulting Career Paths in the Life Science Industry, will be on February 21st at the Whitehead Institute at Kendall Square. To register for this event, or learn about the other events in the series, check our events calendar at http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/events/. To see pictures from the last event, click here: http://video214.com/play/NUqXkCVP0HqH8Hz4H9ooCw/s/dark.

About the Author: Ben Leung is currently a postdoctoral associate in the Neurobiology department at UMass Medical School.

On January 17th, 2012, we will kick off our 2012 Futures in Life Science Seminar Series at the MassBio Offices located at One Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142. The event will occur from 5:30-8:00pm. To Register: http://fils12012.eventbrite.com/

Meeting Agenda:

5:30pm-6:00pm – Registration and Open Networking

6:00pm-6:10pm – Introductions, Overview, and Recognition of Sponsors

6:10pm-7:30pm – Panel Discussion Moderator: John Hallinan, CFO, Cytel, Inc; Panelists: Kiran Reddy, MD, MBA, Principal, Third Rock Ventures; Kevin Sprott, PhD , Sr. Director, Chemistry, Verastem; Iya Khalil, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Co-Founder, GNS Healthcare; Dennis M. Meletiche, PharmD, Vice President, Health Outcomes & Market Access, EMD Serono, Inc; Katherine McLaughlin, Ph.D., Associate, Health Advances

7:30pm-8:00pm – Open Networking

Propel Careers, MassBio, and the MassBioEd have joined together to organize this series of networking and panel events to focus on raising awareness of career paths that exist in life sciences for individuals with advanced degrees. This Futures in Life Science program brings together experts across a wide range of disciplines and functional areas within the life science industry, who detail their roles and provide a rich context for the audience to gain a clear understanding of the skills, aptitudes, competencies, and personalities that thrive in their particular functions. Attendance for this program is open to current graduate students, post doctoral fellows, and medical residents who are interested in careers in the life sciences industry.

The event will focus on the various career options within life sciences and will set the stage for the next 7 events which are deep dives into the various areas of life science including business and commercial, consulting, research and development, clinical, bioinformatics and systems biology, reimbursement, pharmacoeconomics, patient advocacy, and finance, legal, and operations.

Lauren Celano, CEO, Propel Careers wrote this article for Bio Careers as part of her monthly contributions. To learn more about Bio Careers, see link: https://biocareers.com/

As you undergo the challenge of applying for jobs, setting yourself up for success is critical. A tailored cover letter makes a huge difference, but in order to write a good cover letter it is essential that you understand the following:

1. Why you are writing this letter. 2. Who is going to read it. 3. How you will ensure that it captures the attention of the reader to get you to the next review phase.

This process is not only about sending your materials in for a position, it is about showing why you are relevant for the position. This is your chance to shine. Below are a few tips to give you some understanding of how to respond to a job posting effectively. In many cases when people apply for jobs, it seems as if the sender just replaces the "To" and "Company" names, sending the same generic cover letter for many different listings. If your letter lacks the specifics of why your skills are relevant for each specific job, the chances of accomplishment (i.e. moving to the next phase in the review/interview process) are pretty low. When people send a generic resume and cover letter, they are relying on the recruiter's and/or the hiring manager's ability to determine that their skills match up. Relying on the potential for someone to guess that your skills are relevant certainly decreases the odds that you will be called for an interview, even if you are qualified.

When companies provide a job description, they are providing you with a listing of what they are looking for. Instead of just blindly sending in a resume and cover letter, take a little time to customize how you describe your background for the precise role to which you are applying. Just because you have a molecular biology degree does not mean that you have experience with yeast and e.coli, just like having a bioinformatics degree may not mean that you have experience with Perl, R and Python. By clearly highlighting your skills and experiences, and how they relate to the job description, you make it easier for the hiring manager and HR to see that you are relevant. Because companies get so many applicants for roles, most won't write back to you asking for more info if they are not sure that you fit. They will default to putting you in the "not a fit pile," meaning that you won't even be called to clarify your skills. This is a huge missed opportunity for you.

One important point to keep in mind through this process, though, is that even before you take the time to write a tailored cover letter and resume, you should reflect to make sure you are focusing your energy on the right positions for you. By doing an honest self-evaluation prior to your job search, you should have a good idea of what type of job you are qualified for, what size company you want to work for, and a realistic expectation of how far you are willing to move/travel for work. Making these decisions ahead of time can prove helpful for understanding whether a job posting is for a fit for you. For example, if we look at a job description, a few points are important to be aware of.

Company Description

This tells you a lot about the potential company. If the company says they are a start-up or entrepreneurial, they will (most likely) be looking for you to show an interest in entrepreneurship or experience with an entrepreneurial setting, be able to multi task, learn quickly, and assist with projects that may be outside of your job description.

Location

If the job is located in an area different from where you live, the company will be looking for a reason why you are (or have an interest in) moving to their area. With all of the things to worry about when onboarding a new hire, a company does not want to worry that you won't be a fit for the area to which you are moving.

Job Description

The company either wants to see previous experience with the type of job, or a reason why your skills are relevant for the job for which you are applying. Be explicit and use the space wisely as your share your information.

Job Requirements

This is where you have huge power to indicate your skills and show relevance to what the company is seeking. Don't be shy here! Indicate what you know/have experience in and how this relates to what the company is looking for. For cover letters, I recommend using a table format which can be as simple as this below:

Job Requirement My Experience.

Experience with PCR - List your experience with the technique

Experience with Yeast and E.coli - List your experience with these systems

Experience with transfection - List your experience with the technique

Experience with cloning - List your experience with the technique

Interest in working in an entrepreneurial environment - List your experience and reason for being a fit here

By thoroughly addressing each of these job description aspects within your cover letter, the person screening your resume can see why you are applying and that you are relevant to this role. If you don't have the full range of experiences for which the company is looking, then list why you think you could do a certain task or experiment. List your transferrable skills and/or interest in a particular area. When you customize your cover letter, make sure you are also customizing your resume as well. Many times, a cover letter is separated from the resume after the first evaluation of the cover letter and resume. It's important to also show these skills and experiences on your resume. Otherwise, when people are interviewing you (if they have a non-customized resume of yours), they may wonder why you are applying!

By taking time to tailor what you are sending to companies and only applying to roles that are relevant to you, you increase the chances of being interviewed for a job, which increases your chances of being hired. Preparation on your side will go a long way. Good luck with the applications to find the right fit for you!

2012 Schedule of Events in the Futures in Life Science Seminar Series:

January 17th: Overview of the Life Sciences Landscape and Career Paths - http://fils12012.eventbrite.com/

February 21st: Consulting Career Paths in the Life Science Industry - http://fils22012.eventbrite.com

March 20th: Commercialization 1 (Marketing, Product Management, Business Development) Career Paths - http://fils32012.eventbrite.com/

April 17th: Research and Development Career Paths - http://fils42012.eventbrite.com/

May 22nd: Clinical Development/Medical Affairs Career Paths - http://fils52011.eventbrite.com/

September 11th: Bio-Informatics/Modeling Career Paths - http://fils62012.eventbrite.com/

October 16th: Commercialization 2 (Reimbursement, Pharmacoeconomics, and Market Access) Career Paths - http://fils72012.eventbrite.com/

November 20th: Finance, Legal, Operations Career Paths - http://fils82012.eventbrite.com/

Together, Propel Careers, MassBio, and MassBioEd are committed to fostering the next generation of industry leaders in the life sciences. We believe that the career paths that exist in the Massachusetts Life Science Industry are numerous, exciting, and rewarding and that it is imperative that students considering these careers be well informed regarding the areas that their education and training are relevant. We have identified a need to promote awareness of opportunities within life sciences companies, ranging from research and development to marketing and commercialization. Many students with science backgrounds pursue careers involving lab-based research, but we also want to ensure that other career paths are highlighted, that involve a high degree of technical and scientific knowledge, but that are not based in the lab.

With this in mind, we have organized a year-long program that will provide in-depth overviews of specific careers in the life science industry that often require advanced degrees. We have focused on covering the various functional areas in the life sciences sector including R&D, commercial, business development, finance, bioinformatics, reimbursement, and legal. Most graduate students and post-docs are well prepared to take numerous directions in their careers, and it is our intent to provide a comprehensive understanding of the aptitudes and work environments that are associated with specific career paths, so that the individuals who attend these events can make more informed career decisions. We are also big believers in the power of connections and networking, so each seminar will have specific time set aside to meet the presenters and the attendees and to develop relationships that will be an asset to those in attendance.

The program was launched in 2011 with an average attendance of 80 graduate students per event. Each event has a panel discussion comprised of industry leaders who provide an overview of the life sciences landscape and various career opportunities which exist in the industry. The first seminar of each series provides an overview with the next seven seminars providing deep dives focusing on specific functional areas. The individual seminars are scheduled to accommodate the academic school year with a focus on the technical or scientific expertise that is relevant to each area and the typical work environment associated with common roles.

About the Organizers

MassBio - MassBio, a not-for-profit organization that represents and provides services and support for the Massachusetts biotechnology industry, is the nation's oldest biotechnology trade association. Founded in 1985, MassBio is committed to advancing the development of critical new science, technology and medicines that benefit people worldwide. Representing over 600 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, research hospitals, and service organizations involved in life sciences and health care, MassBio works to advance policy and promote education, while providing member programs and events, industry information, and services. To learn more, visit: http://www.massbio.org

MassBioEd - The Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation, founded in 2001, is a non-profit charitable organization committed to supporting science and biotechnology education in Massachusetts through school programs, workforce training, and lifelong learning. MassBioEd is closely affiliated with the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and helps the Council in fulfilling its goals to nurture the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) pipeline in Massachusetts. To learn more, visit http://www.massbioed.org

Propel Careers - Propel Careers is a Boston based life sciences search and career development firm founded in 2009 to foster entrepreneurship and to cultivate leaders in the life sciences industry. Propel recognizes the importance of job creation and career development opportunities to the success of the industry as well as to next generation of industry leaders. The mission of Propel Careers is to make connections that fuel innovation, and we do this through placement, networking, coaching and mentorship. To learn more, visit http://www.propelcareers.com

Lauren Celano, CEO, Propel Careers wrote this article for Bio Careers as part of her monthly contributions. To learn more about Bio Careers, see link: https://biocareers.com/

Let's face it, job searching is a tough, emotionally stressful endeavor. There are long hours looking endlessly for roles, time spent researching companies, networking to find people who could have roles that are a fit for you, sending your resume out and rarely hearing back, and going on interviews only to not get the job. Staying positive and focused during a job search is critical for your success, and you are the only one who can make sure this happens. This is not an easy task, but this article will provide suggestions for you to proactively approach your search so that your true personality shows through.

Use the job searching process as a time of self exploration Many people don't think of a job search as a positive or fun experience, especially if you are forced to search due to a layoff, downsizing, or lack of funding in your lab. However, you could look at the search as a chance to learn, find or rediscover your passion, network, and even build new skills. Looking for a job can actually be a fun experience if approached in the right way.

A search can be an opportunity to learn what you want to do, where you want to be, and who you want to work with. As you talk with people in industry about their careers, career paths, day to day responsibilities, companies, and culture, you may find that you like certain aspects of what you hear and don't like other aspects. These are great discoveries, as they will help you refine what you are looking for. The more you can focus on what you want, the easier it will be for employers to see your enthusiasm and realize that you are a fit for their role.

Be as focused as possible and stay open minded about your search. During each job search, companies see hundreds of applicants (or more) for a given job. They are looking for those people who show passion, drive, and motivation for the job being applied for. The more you can build your skills and network to show relevance to the role you are interested in, the more likely you are to be interviewed for the role. Your focus should help you standout from the crowd. One way to keep focused is to set goals for yourself and keep track of your progress. Below are a few goals that I recommend to individuals looking for a role.

Goal Option 1: Learn about companies of interest to you

One goal could be to learn about 5 new companies in your area of interest each week. Maybe this is biotech companies focusing on oncology research, or boutique consulting firms focusing in the life sciences area. Whatever the interest is, set a goal. You could research companies by reading through news sources like Xconomy (http://www.xconomy.com), or state biotech associations like MassBio (http://www.massbio.org) or conferences like AACR (http://www.aacr.org). You could use RSS feeds from google reader to keep track of companis/areas of interest. There are so many ways to learn about companies which may be relevant for you – you just have to start taking initiative and begin the process.

Goal Option 2: Learn about people in the industry of interest to you and talk with them.

If you don't know where you start to look for companies, then your goal could be to talk with 5 new people each week who work in your areas of interest. The goal here is to learn more about the industry, what these people do, what skills are necessary for them to succeed, and which firms they know of that could be a fit for you. It's important to remember that these people do not necessarily need to be scientists (if you are interested in science). They could be architects who build life sciences buildings, financial analysts who cover life sciences companies, accountants or lawyers who work with life sciences firms. All of these individuals have industry insights and connections that they could share with you. The goal is to start connecting with people who can get you closer to individuals who have the career paths that you are interested in. Over time, as you do this, you will suddenly realize that you are learning a lot and also meeting great people – some of whom you will develop a long term relationship with. Use the data collection to motivate you to keep going, making notes of what you are learning. It will be exciting to look back to those notes in the future.

Goal Option 3: Attend a networking event or a few

Another goal could be to attend 2 networking events per month in an area relevant to your interest. For example, if you are interested in oncology, perhaps you attend a local chapter meeting of AACR to meet with people who are in the oncology space. Many of the people at this meeting will be in industry, so it's a great way to start to build connections with people who can help guide you in your search and who may even know of roles in industry relevant to you. If you are interested in life sciences, and if you are a woman, perhaps you attend a local chapter of the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (http://www.hbanet.org/home.aspx). Attending these events will not only give you something to do, but they will help you build relationships with people who could help you find a role. You may even find that you like learning about different parts of the industry and the people in it. Who knows, you may even develop a few new friends!

After the process of exploration of the various opportunities by meeting and talking with people, try to use the connections you have built to gain a referral for a position. Hopefully, as you begin to apply for roles, you apply for positions that you want and are qualified for based on your experiences and transferrable skills.

Keep in mind that you are not the only one applying for a particular role and do not to take rejection personally. This is one of the hardest parts of the job search. Many of us take things personally because we feel programmed this way. However, companies are looking for the best fit for their firm, just as you are looking for the best fit for you. Companies can be incredibly selective since their goal is to find the right person for their needs to grow their business. In addition to hard skill fit (i.e. lab techniques you can do or relevant experience you have), companies often determine who they will hire based upon softer skills – culture fit, personality, and management fit. I know it's hard for people who have "on paper" a perfect fit, to not get a job, but many times, it's the "softer side" which makes a difference.

If you are fortunate enough to get personal feedback about why you were not a fit for a particular job, take this information to heart and use it to improve for the next time you interview.

One point to keep in mind is that to be successful in a job, both the employer and employee need to be the right fit. If you get hired into a job just to have one, instead of having the right one, you will not be most fulfilled, and this could hasten your search for a new job causing you to unfortunately repeat the job search process again. I know the job search can be a daunting, stressful experience, but with a little focus and initiative on your part, you could increase the chances of a successful outcome. Remember, you have control over your life with your actions, and your initiative will go a long way.

Lauren Celano, CEO, Propel Careers wrote this article for Bio Careers as part of her monthly contributions. To learn more about Bio Careers, see link: https://biocareers.com/

I wrote this article to provide thoughts on how to gain industry relevant experiences while still in the academic setting. Everyone knows that companies want "relevant industry experience," but how do you get it if you are a student, postdoctoral fellow, or otherwise in the academic world? People often ask me for advice on what would appear to be a catch 22. Never fear, there are actually many ways for one to gain experience that industry finds valuable, once you think outside of just your lab area. Below are a few thoughts to develop skills, gain experience, and make yourself more marketable. It's important to remember that if you are looking for a certain type of role (especially if you are new to industry), companies will want to see that you have invested in your own development and taken steps to figure out why a certain type of role/company is a good fit for you. Companies will ask you interview questions like, "why do you think this is a good fit for you?" or "what skills do you bring to the role?" A little time and effort on your end. to figure these answers out and provide concrete examples to share with the company, will prove invaluable in differentiating yourself and providing the right context for why the company should hire you.

Write for your school paper or industry conference - If you are looking to go into a communication career post academia, such as marketing, scientific/medical writing, PR/investor relations, honing your writing skills by writing for your school paper, school clubs, industry associations, or conferences can provide you with great experience. This allows you to develop and prove your writing skills outside of just your papers and grant applications, while also providing you additional insights into industry.

Blog on a topic pertaining to science to gain thought leadership Thought leadership is important for showing expertise in a certain area. Your online presence can be enhanced greatly via blogging, and you may even get individuals reading your blog who are in industry and perhaps looking for someone with your background. Blogging also helps develop your communication and writing skills, and your overall awareness of technical areas that could be relevant to industry.

Take on a leadership role at a school group or life sciences networking group - Companies want to hire leaders and always look to make the company stronger. By taking on leadership roles within your school or university, or outside organizations, you can demonstrate that you are an individual who wants to be involved and make the group better because you are there. Doing this specifically within industry associations also allows you to build relationships with people who are in industry. This network can be a valuable resource in your career search.

Volunteer to work at a Life Science Networking Group/Organization - Networking is critical to finding opportunities. In addition to building your network, volunteering at networking events can provide you the opportunity to develop leadership, communication, and team work skills, which are very much valued in industry. Companies want to hire leaders, now just followers and, many times, they want to hire individuals who are referred in for roles.

Take a business course or a few - Many academic institutions have business schools or relationships with business schools where you can take courses in relative areas of business/science. Courses such as intellectual property, business entrepreneurship, financial management can provide critical insight into these areas. MPH programs may also have courses that are relevant to individuals looking to work in industry.

Join your school's consulting club - If you are interested in consulting, the consulting companies that you apply to will want to see that you have consulting experience or, at minimum, an understanding of what they do. I can't tell you how many people inform me they want to be a consultant, but cannot articulate why or more importantly what a consultant actually does. Many schools have consulting clubs either for MBA's or Ph.D./postdocs, and these clubs perform consulting projects for startups, other entrepreneurs, more established companies, and academic researchers. Not only do you develop skills which are valued by consulting firms, you gain a new network of individuals who could assist you in your career search.

Volunteer/Intern at your institution's tech transfer office (TTO) - If you are interested in technology commercialization, intellectual property, or startups, you could volunteer at your institution's tech transfer office. These offices typically evaluate hundreds of technologies each year. Projects can range from technology due diligence, commercial potential evaluation, market assessment and competitive landscape evaluations. Also, you can find yourself building marketing and pitch decks, if a technology is at an advanced stage, so that the Intellectual Property (IP) can be licensed or spun out into a company.

Many of these technologies are highly scientific/technical, therefore the TTO might greatly benefit from your knowledge of a specific area. Working with the TTO can also expose you to technologies outside of your specific research focus, making you more marketable if you are looking for roles that may extend beyond your comfort level/research focus. Many consulting firms, for example, like to see that their hires can think and learn outside of their area of expertise since in most cases client's projects are not in their technology area.

Volunteer/Intern at a startup - Startups are always looking for help to advance their technologies and move the company forward. If you are looking to gain experience about what it is like to work in a company and/or to develop your skills, this can be a great opportunity to gain relevant experience, while you build your skills at the same time. If you have a specific technical background, you could use this to help the company evaluate their technology and or the competitive landscape to see how to position their technology. You could also gain valuable business experience working in a startup via exposure to different aspects of the business and wearing many hats. This could include marketing, business development, financial modeling, making slide decks, updating the website, etc.

Scientists who also work in startups, especially those with experienced CEO's and management teams get to learn from experienced entrepreneurs, not to mention making contacts with potential investors, clients, etc. This could be wonderful for your network, allowing you to build relationships with individuals who can help you in your career search. Not only would you gain new skills, you might identify what you like and, more importantly, what you don't like, which will help focus your career search.

Volunteer/Intern at a venture firm/investment bank - Many venture firms have internship opportunities for individuals with scientific backgrounds (Ph.D, MD) as well as MBAs. Many of them value scientific backgrounds since you could evaluate their investment opportunities from the technical side and help them analyze the competitive landscape. If you are an excel guru, you could also assist with financial models and various scenario projections. The knowledge you gain, and more importantly the networking you build through such an opportunity, will prove invaluable to your future career.

The details listed above are just a few examples of ways that you can gain relevant skills to industry even though you are in an academic setting. The goal here is to get involved, be proactive, and keep developing new skills. The effort will go a long way, and you may even find that you learn much more than you realize throughout the journey. Good luck cracking this code, it is a tremendous rewarding experience, you won't regret.

Lauren Celano, CEO, Propel Careers wrote this article for Bio Careers as part of her monthly contributions. To learn more about Bio Careers, see link: https://biocareers.com/

The years of academic research, perfecting your techniques, long hours, and design of novel experiments provides you with so much more than just a strong scientific foundation. As you perform your research, analyze results, and prepare your publications, grants, and presentations, you are using and building many other non-scientific skills which will benefit you as you grow in your career. Whether you pursue an academic path or an industry one, these skills are important to realize and cultivate to ensure a successful career

As individuals engage on a career search, it is important to reflect and differentiate yourself from the rest of the job seekers on the quest to find the perfect job for you. As you think about differentiation, one way is to focus on the transferrable skills that you have. These make you unique and also provide tremendous value to your employer. You can view these skills as your personal "tool kit" that you can transfer to the workplace. These include both the "hard skills" such as specific assay techniques and experimental design knowledge, and the "soft skills", such as being a team player and a good communicator.

The market place is quite competitive. Many individuals with advanced scientific degrees are looking for the same type of opportunities. Many have similar scientific experiences, publication records, and exemplary reference letters. The question then becomes, why would an employer choose you, over another seemingly equally qualified candidate (on paper)?

When transitioning from academia to industry, highlighting one's scientific skills and accomplishments is important, since industry is certainly looking for individuals with a solid foundation, expertise with specific techniques, and relevance to their research/therapeutic focus areas.

However, a solid scientific foundation is not enough. Industry wants more than just a stellar scientist. They want a stellar scientist who can be a strong part of the team, who can work across disciplines, who can communicate, grow and develop, so that they add significant value to the firm with their efforts. In many cases, these "non-scientific" transferrable skills, the ones that are often not as visible in academic settings, are the ones that make the difference between a person being hired, or not, in industry.

To succeed in industry, individuals should be organized, demonstrate attention to detail, be able to manage projects and people, have good communication skills (written and verbal), networking and relationship building ability, leadership qualities, and a strong work ethic. Fortunately, many scientists have these skills. Many just don't realize it or, more importantly, showcase them in the career search and interview process. The more individuals can highlight their skills, the easier it will be for industry to realize their relevance to the open jobs.

Depending upon the type of career path interested in, you will want to highlight different skills. For example, in business development roles, scientific knowledge with a commercial perspective is valued as is financial skills. Networking and relationship building is also extremely important in these types of roles. Marketing roles value writing ability, creative skills, and branding insight/experience. Product and project management roles value organizational skills, the ability to work with many different types of people, attention to detail and strong communication skills. Strategy consulting roles value analytical and logic skills, scientific knowledge (in many cases), the ability to evaluate trends and see the larger view of how research, development, and commercialization fit together. Strong presentation, written, and verbal skills are also highly valued. Research and development roles in industry value strong scientific foundations, adaptability, interest in working cross functionally, and commercial focus on the research that you are performing. Research and development in industry is not just an academic exercise. Rather it is performed to develop a novel technology which will be used, bought, sold, or acquired, with the overall effect of impacting human health.

Evaluating and deciding your career path, will certainly take self reflection and time, but the exercise of deciding what interests you, what you are passionate about, and what skills you can offer, is well worth it in the end. This will lead to you being more focused and sure of what you are looking for and where you want to be. This clarity will help you identify with relevant employers and clearly articulate why you are relevant for the open job. To start this process, you can read a book like "What Color is Your Parachute" to assist in defining the qualities and transferrable aspects of your career and life which could be relevant to your career path. As you begin this process, remember that graduate school teaches you many foundational qualities which are valued in industry careers. These include specific scientific abilities and research skills, strong quantitative data analysis skills, the ability to synthesize complex information and learn new areas, the ability to ask questions, a foundation built upon writing (abstracts, papers, grants), a work ethic and drive, decision making, perseverance, and the ability to work independently and to be accountable. The key is, to clearly articulate what you have learned, and why your skills are relevant to the role(s) being applied for. This makes all the difference.

Lauren Celano, CEO, Propel Careers wrote this article for Bio Careers as part of her monthly contributions. To learn more about Bio Careers, see link: https://biocareers.com/

In today's job market, there are estimates that more than 30% of jobs are currently filled by finding candidates through online job boards and sites like LinkedIn. This estimate is astonishing and very important to keep in mind if you are a job seeker. Times are changing. Never before have job seekers been able to so clearly highlight and promote their knowledge, their experiences, and their interests. I have often wondered though, why, so few people seem to realize the full potential to utilize their online presence to drive awareness and focus in their career search.

Building a detailed and clear online presence can be a key differentiator in your ability to be recognized by external recruiters and internal human resources professionals as they search for candidates that are relevant for jobs that they are working to fill. A number of people tell me that they have been looking for a job for a while, but they are not having luck. Surprisingly, when I ask them if they have spent time on their online profile, they say, "Why? People should be able to tell that if I am a molecular biology postdoc, I know all of the necessary skills/assays to excel in molecular biology. My PI is well known, so that should speak for itself."

Unfortunately, this thought process is not the way to approach your search. Assuming that a potential hiring manager can infer what you know from your title or position can lead you to miss exciting job opportunities. If you have no details listed in your online profile, the likelihood of coming up as a match when someone searches for skill sets, assay experience, or other terms, is almost zero. If you are serious about your career, you will have a profile on LinkedIn as well as other targeted sites such as BioCareers. These sources are tremendous resources for both job seekers and individuals looking to fill positions. These sites allow job seekers to add detail to compliment their resume and allow them to extensively build out their profile to increase the chances of being "found".

Many HR professionals, when looking to identify candidates, will perform searches on these sites to identify individuals with the experiences they are looking for such as a molecular biologist with specific assay experience or a neurobiologist with a particular therapeutic experience. Key word searches could be as simple as "ELISA" or as detailed as TDP-43 animal models. Hiring mangers or other interviewers will also look on LinkedIn and other sites to see your background before they interview you. If they cannot find you, it raises some suspicion.

As you think about your online profile on LinkedIn specifically, there are important areas where you can list information about yourself. These include the Summary, Experience, and Groups.

In the Summary, this is your chance to list a few bullet points about yourself. For example, Postdoctoral Fellow with >5 years of experience in oncology research studying the mechanism of ovarian cancer development. Research highlights include >20 publications, including three first author publications, and numerous presentations at international conferences. Upon completion of my postdoctoral work in 2012, I aim to enter industry to focus on translational research.

What does the above show about you? Well, you are translational/commercially focused, which is important to industry. You also have a strong scientific foundation, and you have highlighted your therapeutic relevance (oncology). This would appeal to the oncology focused companies.

In your experience section, much like how you build an industry focused resume, you can list your research focus, assays/techniques that you have used, presentations and publications, and anything else which you feel can highlight your skills. This is your chance to show the depth of knowledge that you have so that the person reading your profile can see what you have done and why you could be relevant to them.

As you search groups, you may be surprised to encounter so many various ones which meet your specific interests. This is your chance to start to get tied into the industry and learn about people who share similar paths and experiences. Join groups so that you can be up to speed on what they are talking about and relevant news related to the areas of interest.

In addition to highlighting what to do, I also want to highlight a few things to be careful to avoid. Keep in mind that your online avatar meets the hiring manager before you do and online material lives forever. Have you ever typed your name into Google to see what pops up? This could be a good way to see what others view when they search for you. You may be surprised by what you find.

Most people don't pay enough attention to their profile photo. However, this is extremely important. For both LinkedIn and Facebook, do not have a silly or unprofessional profile photo, since this may hurt you more than you realize. When using Facebook, be careful about being tagged in pictures. These can be searchable and, if inappropriate, can lead to you not getting an interview or a job. Pay attention to your activities and interests and make sure that these are "professional." Do not list things that could be taken as negative like "enjoys wasting time or too many cocktails." Last, but not least, you should not synchronize LinkedIn with Facebook or Twitter. Status updates for LinkedIn should be professional, not about what you ate at lunch.

Blogs, can be a tremendous way to show your thought leadership in specific areas. When done right, Blogs can provide you with a proactive way to develop and enhance your online presence, giving you the ability to channel your energy and focus. The key is to find the Gap in information and be responsible to fill the space.

Finally, think about who is reading this information, and keep in mind that a potential employer could make an impression about you before you even realize it. When used correctly, an online presence can differentiate you and make you standout from the rest. This is what you want and the goal of spending time building out your profile. Also remember, that your online presence should be continually updated – as you publish new papers, talk at new conferences, and learn new skills, add these to your profile. Like a lot of things in life, it takes nurturing, but the effort will pay off in the end.

Good luck on building up your online presence. I look forward to meet your online avatar.

The capstone event of the 2011 Future in Life Sciences Series, held on November 15th, 2011, focused on careers in the finance, legal, and operations sectors. To see pictures from the evening, see link: http://video214.com/play/flKNIxfg7EsNjYQ7VXXCYg/s/dark

Throughout 2011, Propel Careers and MassBio/MassBioEd partnered to expose individuals with advanced degrees to the variety of career paths available in the life sciences. Earlier events covered careers paths in Business Development, Commercialization, Marketing, Clinical Research, Regulatory Issues, Research and Development, Project Management, Bioinformatics, System Biology, Pharmacoeconomics, Patient Advocacy, and Reimbursement.

Over 80 attendees spent a lively evening learning about the professional experiences of Boston area executives, lawyers, venture capitalists, and consultants in the life sciences industry. The distinguished panel included Kevin Bitterman, Principal at Polaris Venture Partners, Irena Melnikova, Director, Prospective and Strategic Initiatives, at sanofi-aventis, Sandra Glucksmann, Senior Vice-President of Research & Business Operations at Cerulean Pharmaceuticals, Marc Recht, Partner, Cooley LLP, and Denise Aronson, President, Safety Partners, Inc. Daniel Young, Patent Agent, Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks P.C moderated the panel.

Similar to many of the attendees, the panel members started their life science careers in academic research labs before moving on to the private sector. While their career paths, functions, and responsibilities in the life science industry differed, they all shared a desire to maximize their contribution to the industry and a willingness to step outside their comfort zone to take advantage of new opportunities. This professional flexibility not only allowed them to survive in a constantly changing industry, it also challenged them to grow and evolve. Now they enjoy the unexpected directions their careers may take.

While operations, finance, and legal specialists have distinct knowledge bases and skill sets unique to their profession, a few commonalities emerged from the panel discussion. First and foremost, all the panelists emphasized the importance of people skills to their professional success and growth. Performance in any business environment is about good teamwork rather than individual glory. In client-driven businesses such as the legal profession and consulting, ensuring customer satisfaction by spotting issues and solving them in an expedient manner is paramount. Everyone stressed the importance of networking for professional success. While serendipity gave some of the panelists their first job in their fields, subsequent opportunities often came through interacting with business contacts and their own networking activities.

Scientists hoping to enter into the business side of life sciences shouldn't worry about their lack of financial acumen--an appreciation of the drug development process is more useful. In the world of finance and venture capital, the most important skill is "pattern recognition," seeing the larger overall picture and knowing where and when value is added in a business plan.

For those looking to move from research into law, the most common route is by becoming a patent technical specialist at a law firm. The firm trains you to utilize your scientific background to help write patents and in some cases, pays for you to attend law school at night. Once you become a practicing lawyer you can become involved in other business transactions handled by law firms.

The panelists also cited networking as an important tool for those attempting to enter into new professional realms. The life sciences industry has matured to a level that companies are less inclined to hire individuals without the right experience, but business contacts advocating on your behalf can help you partially overcome this barrier. To differentiate yourself from other entry-level candidates, substantiate your interest in your new field by taking relevant courses or doing an internship.

Propel Careers, MassBio, and MassBioEd are planning the 2012 Futures in Life Science Event Series and details will be available shortly. In 2012, we will build upon the success of the 2011 series and continue to provide graduate students, post docs, and medical residents insights into the various career paths and opportunities to develop and grow in the life sciences industry. To be updated on the 2012 series, join our mailing list on our contact us page: http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/about-us/contact-us/ or check our events calendar towards the end of December 2011, http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/events/ We look forward to strengthening the Life Sciences Ecosystem through the insight we share through these events!

About the Author: Ben Leung is currently a postdoctoral associate in the Neurobiology department at UMass Medical School.

We are pleased to list below our expanded speaker list for the upcoming Futures in Life Sciences panel and networking event focusing on the Finance, Legal, and Operations areas of the Life sciences industry. This event will be held on November 15th 2011 at the MassBio Offices, One Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142 from 5:30pm – 8:00pm. To register for the event, click on this link: http://futuresinlifesciences7.eventbrite.com/. The series of events are organized by Propel Careers, MassBio, and the MassBioEd. Below are more details also about the event itself.

Moderator: Daniel W. Young, Ph.D., Patent Agent Wolf Greenfield Panelists: Kevin Bitterman, Principal, Polaris Venture Partners; Irena Melnikova, Director, Prospective and Strategic Initiatives at sanofi-aventis; Sandra Glucksmann, Sr. VP Research & Business Operation at Cerulean Pharmaceuticals; Marc Recht, Partner, Cooley LLP; Denise Aronson, President, Safety Partners, Inc.

This event is the last event in a series of events organized in 2011 to exposure graduate students, post doctoral fellows, and medical residents to the exciting and varied careers that exist in the life sciences sector. This Futures in Life Science program brings together experts across a wide range of disciplines and functional areas within the life science industry, to detail their roles and provide a rich context for the audience to gain a clear understanding of the skills, aptitudes, competencies, and personalities that thrive in their particular functions.

Attendance for this program is open to current graduate students, post doctoral fellows, and medical residents who are interested in careers in the life sciences industry. Space is limited to 100 individuals.

Details for the 2012 event series will be available shortly.

Meeting Agenda: 5:30pm-6:00pm – Registration and Open Networking; 6:00pm-6:10pm – Introductions, Overview, and Recognition of Sponsors; 6:10pm-7:30pm – Panel Discussion; 7:30pm-8:00pm – Open Networking

Details for the other events in this series are listed below.

January 26th 2011: Program kickoff meeting with an overview of each area followed by deep dive sessions for the remainder of the year on each topic. To view a blog writeup from the event, see link: http://www.massbio.org/news/169-grad_post_doc_event_a_huge_success/news_detail

March 2011: Commercialization – Marketing/Product Management/Business Development. To view a blog writeup from the event, see link: http://www.propelcareers.com/blog/index.cfm/2011/3/20/Feedback-from-the-March-8th-Futures-in-Life-Science-Event

April 2011: Research and Development. To view pictures from the event, see link: https://picasaweb.google.com/114362230381970693778/FuturesInLifeScienceEventRDApril52011#

May 2011: Clinical Development/Medical Affairs. To view pictures from the event, see link: https://picasaweb.google.com/PropelCareers.Events/FuturesInLifeSciencesProgramClinicalDevelopmentRegulatoryAndMedicalAffairs?feat=directlink#5609290729063665682

September 2011: Bio-Informatics, Systems Biology, and Modeling. To view pictures from the event, see link: http://video214.com/play/wiCP86wIb0hQ2yqQcvfSmQ/s/dark

October 2011: Commercialization – Patient Advocacy, Reimbursement, Market Access, and Pharmacoeconomics. To view pictures from the event, see link: http://video214.com/play/pEurw77sTB2X2HFUnN1m4A/s/dark

We look forward to seeing you there!