As 2010 comes to a close, we are actively discussing internship hiring plans for 2011 with current and prospective clients. Many of these discussions focus on connections with graduate students (MBA, Ph.D./MBA, MD/MBA, Engineering, Law, etc) who often have significant life sciences industry experience prior to graduate school. We are also discussing opportunities for scientific and business focused undergraduate students.

We are assisting companies with internship projects such as: market research assessments, competitive landscape assessments, financial valuation and M&A analysis, technology evaluation, IP evaluation, reimbursement evaluations, business plan development, strategic partnership assessments, clinical research, discovery and pre-clinical R&D, marketing and corporate communications, and grant writing.

Our experience has been that life science companies gain tangible benefits by engaging with a partner like Propel who can assist matching their current or anticipated needs with top talent from local and national universities. Hiring interns offers a low cost and low risk solution to provide project support as well as to assess their skills and personality fit to see if they are aligned with your company prior to hiring full time. We are pleased that many companies are looking ahead and preparing now to take advantage of the opportunity to build relationships with the best and brightest students and also gain significant advantages through the projects that can be completed.

We are constantly connecting with graduate and undergraduate students throughout the US with skills relevant in the medical device, bio-pharmaceutical, diagnostics, and Healthcare IT sectors as well with those who have skills relevant to consulting, investment banking and venture capital firms. Our network includes students who have diverse backgrounds including research and development, business, law, engineering, marketing, and public health. The ability for companies and students to benefit from the connections made is tremendous.

As you think about your hiring needs for 2011, we look forward to working with you to make connections for internship projects, in addition to any full time needs that you have. Please contact Lauren Celano at Lauren@propelcareers.com or 617-896-5225 to discuss this in more detail.

I was chatting with a current undergraduate about her career aspirations yesterday and realized that the discussion was relevant to a wider audience. She is a hard science major with great applied research experience and is looking to get some life science industry experience before she goes back to graduate school. We were talking about specific companies where she was interested in either interning or working full-time, and she had identified two companies whose technology was closely aligned with her research. This leads me to my first point.

If you are an undergraduate or graduate student and are involved with research projects that are your own, or even an advisor's, post-doc's, etc., search for companies doing similar research. This may sound obvious, but I've spoken to enough students to know that this is not something that many people do. The young woman I was speaking with is conducting her own very impressive academic research in the areas of cell signaling, micro-RNA, and oncology. So what did she do? She identified two companies doing early stage research in...cell signaling, micro-RNA, and oncology. Brilliant! Now, it's not that she sees this as the only direction she could take, but it could certainly increase her chances of getting an opportunity with these companies, since she will most likely understand their research at a very high level, would be able to contribute right away, and might have contacts within her specialized research area that could help her. She wasn't sure what kind of role she would be most interested, but by identifying companies doing research she was familiar with and passionate about, she at least knows that there will be interest in the mission and the science. For people in academic research settings who are seeking industry experience, but don't know exactly what they want to do, this is an approach that I would highly recommend.

Ok, so she has these two companies identified, now what? Propel Careers would be able to assist her if we are currently working with those companies on finding talent, or if we are able to establish a relationship with them to work with them on connections to talent. We also suggest that individuals become proactive and take charge of their search, and since she has already researched these companies, I had a couple suggestions where she could take it a step further. This leads to my second point:

1. Make a list of all the people at the company of interest who are likely be published in scientific or medical journals (scientists, medical directors, Chief Science Officer, etc.)

2. Conduct a literature search of those individuals

3. Take the results of that search and look through it for researchers or co-investigators who are at your current college or university

4. If you find people at your university, introduce yourself to them and see I if they would be willing to introduce you directly to the person of interest, or at least make an introduction that gets you closer

Voila! Social networking for researchers! And that leads me to the final point; you can use existing social networking tools such as LinkedIn, Plaxo, Doostang, Facebook, etc. to augment your "research". If you find a name that you think would be a good contact but can't locate them or identify a way to get introduced, try to contact them via a social network. You can also tie a recruiter back into the process by running through what you've found. They will let you know if they think they can generate some "traction" with that information to help your cause, or if you are better off pursuing the information and leads directly.

There a myriad of resources available for people looking to connect with others. In scientific literature you have a large and potentially untapped resource for identifying how researchers are related. Plus you might also find some cool papers that you can dive into during all your free time.

I was recently on a professional development call about successful job search strategies and heard a remarkable statistic. 80% of all open positions are not published on traditional career boards. That means that every time you peruse sites like Monster, Career Builder and Indeed, you are only seeing 20% of the available job market. In many cases the jobs you interested in have already been filled reducing that number even more. So how do you tap the larger part of the iceberg and find those undisclosed positions? One of the best options is through networking. Here are four ways to expand your network and open doors to new professional opportunities.

Have Agenda-less Meetings Agenda-less meetings are informal conversations. They can be with old colleagues, professors, friends or anyone with whom you have a connection. The whole idea is knowledge sharing; asking questions and sharing perspectives and interests about whatever topics you choose. These folks are your advocates who likely have access to individuals in their own circles that have knowledge and wisdom about career paths and positions that might interest you. Offer to buy somebody a cup of coffee or take them out to lunch. Don't be afraid to ask them for a couple names that you should look up and talk to. The easiest way to expand your network is to leverage what you already have.

Arrange Informational Interviews The informational interview is a more formal, purposeful way for you to create professional connections. Most of the time these people will be strangers to you and their time is valuable. Interviews should be 15-30 minutes long and should address specific questions about a field, a path or a position. At the end of each conversation you should ask if there are one or more other people they might refer you to help with your professional discovery. Always ask the interviewer how you could return the favor in the future (e.g. offer to make a connection to someone in your network, update them on interesting industry events). Remember that informational interviews can create advocates in your targeted organizations. Referrals account for 27% of all new hires; establishing a professional rapport with an inside person can pay dividends for you down the road.

Join a Professional Group There are thousands of professional groups in all interest areas who have members eager to connect and engage with others for professional and career support. The American Marketing Association, for example, is an organization that brings together marketers, across all specialties, to collaborate and inspire one another. A $250 annual membership fee provides you access to industry knowledge, special interests groups and ~100,000 members. You5 connections can be made in online groups or in-person at conferences and events. Consider joining one.

Attend Professional and Academic Networking Events Formal and informal networking events provide excellent opportunities to make connections. Organizations like Propel Careers provide relaxed, open, moderated forums in beautiful venues that make it easy to exchange business cards and engage people in interesting conversation. Colleges and universities continually sponsor alumni-related events in different regions which you should also consider attending.

Matt Casey, Career Coach http://www.mattcasey.net/

We have new opportunities for the following positions: Healthcare IT Consultant, Boston MA Quality Assurance Manager, Sacramento CA Compliance Manager, Sacramento CA Director of Facilities, Sacramento CA.

See our opportunities page for more information and to apply: http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/opportunities/

We are searching for an individual for the following position:

Organic Chemist Location: Cambridge MA Position ID: 02-012 Type: Full time

Description of Company: Our client is a neuroscience biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of innovative disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease. Our client is built on a strong foundation of innovative technology with a team of experienced pharmaceutical R&D drug discoverers and funding from leading venture capital firms.

Description of Position: Our client is seeking a synthetic organic chemist with a minimum of 3-5 years of experience as a practicing synthetic organic chemist in roles such as industry drug discovery or process development research or an academic program with a strong emphasis on the synthetic manipulations of complex organic molecules. Highly qualified individuals will have experience in (semi-)synthetic manipulations of natural product scaffolds on the preclinical research (milligram to multi-gram) scale. The role will focus on synthetic design and execution of new molecules.

If you are interested in this role, please email your CV as well as a cover letter with a description of your background and statement regarding your skills and their relevance to this opportunity to Resume@propelcareers.com. Please reference job # 02-012. If you have questions, please call Lauren Celano, Founder and CEO of Propel Careers at 617-896-5224.

We are looking to fill the following position:

Job Title: Biologist Location: Cambridge MA Position ID: 02-011 Type: Full time Description of Company: Our client is a neuroscience biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of innovative disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease. Our client is built on a strong foundation of innovative technology with a team of experienced pharmaceutical R&D drug discoverers and funding from leading venture capital firms.

Description of Position: Our client is seeking a bench scientist to support drug discovery efforts, developing and executing in vitro screening assays to evaluate compound effects on biochemical end points. Expertise in cell culture and ELISA techniques is required. Experience in reagent provision (including developing stable cell lines and protein expression systems) is relevant but not required. Duties will also include tissue processing and primary cell culture for biochemical assays.

If you are interested in this role, please email your CV as well as a cover letter with a description of your background and statement regarding your skills and their relevance to this opportunity to Resume@propelcareers.com. Please reference job # 02-011. If you have questions, please call Lauren Celano, Founder and CEO of Propel Careers at 617-896-5224.

We are looking to fill the following position:

Description of Company: Our client is a marketing research and consulting company that provides actionable strategic insights to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, through primary research conducted in the United States and worldwide. Our client identifies critical issues facing these companies and through their in-depth knowledge of science and market research. They are uniquely poised to assist these companies with the launch of differentiated products and to help them develop strategies and then translate them into key decisions and actions. Our client takes pride in delivering outstanding personalized services that make sustainable impacts on the success of their client companies. Our client's approach is tailored to their clients' objectives and needs, and their goal is to build long lasting relationships. Their core competency is integrating knowledge of a disease state, current therapeutic approaches, and competitive environments at every stage of development, to ensure that their clients understand their customers' mindset worldwide.

Description of Position: Our client is currently seeking an individual to join their team as a market research analyst to perform primary and secondary market research to support the projects that their team is working on for pharmaceutical and biotech clients.

Requirements for Position: Successful candidates should have the following: - At least 2-3 years of market research experience as part of a biotech/pharma company or a consulting firm - Knowledge of the biotech/pharmaceutical space - The ability to work independently and as part of a team environment - Strong qualitative skills (moderating experience a plus) - Proficiency in European languages would be preferred (German, Italian, French, or Spanish) - A degree in Biology, psychology and/or a public health degree - Strong verbal and written communication skills

If you are interested in this role, please email your CV as well as a cover letter with a description of your background and statement regarding your skills and their relevance to this opportunity to Lauren Celano at Propel Careers via the following email address: Lauren@propelcareers.com. Please reference job # 01-037. If you have questions, please call Lauren Celano, Founder and CEO of Propel Careers at 617-896-5224.

Lauren Celano, Co-founder and CEO of Propel Careers, wrote a blog for the on-line graduate student community website, http://www.gradshare.com about effectively working with recruiters.

How to work most effectively with recruiters For many individuals in graduate school, there are a wide number of directions that can be taken in the next phase of their careers. These include applying for a post doctoral position, exploring another academic track, or finding an opportunity in industry. For people who have not worked in industry or corporate settings, identifying and pursuing these job opportunities can feel overwhelming and frustrating. There are a multitude of functional areas to pursue and a wide range of companies to choose from. There are also various methods to search for and research positions including on-line job sites like Monster and Medzilla, career fairs, personal networking, and recruiters. A successful job search often leverages many different methods simultaneously, but we feel strongly that professional and skilled recruiters can focus and accelerate your search. Below are a few points to consider to help increase the success of the relationship and the probability of finding an opportunity through a recruiter.

For full article, see link: http://www.gradshare.com/blog/grad_currents/

http://www.gradshare.com/blog/grad_currents/

We are looking to fill the following position:

Analyst for a Life Sciences Consulting Firm Location: Cambridge MA Position ID: 10-0110 Type: Full time

Description of position: Our Client is currently seeking analysts to support their consulting team with projects in the life sciences. The job responsibilities include data analysis and collection, including collection of primary and secondary research, evaluation of industry trends, coordinating and helping to draft marketing materials, gathering and developing materials for client presentations and other deliverables, note-taking and task management including tracking next steps, assigning tasks, and following up to ensure completion.

Desired background of candidates: Successful candidates will bring a high level of energy, a solid academic record, a strong work ethic and the ability to contribute to experienced consulting teams comprised of senior consultants many with MDs and PhDs. The position requires a background in business based quantitative courses such as finance, financial statements, macro economics, micro economics and/or statistics. Also requires solid understanding of Life Sciences through coursework/work experience in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, bioengineering, molecular biology, anatomy, physiology, etc. Most successful candidates will have conducted laboratory research in the life sciences and have some knowledge of the business world through previous internships or work experience. Individuals should have an undergraduate degree in the sciences with 1-3 years of work experience.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please email your resume and cover letter along with the position ID to Lauren Celano, Co-Founder and CEO of Propel Careers, at Lauren@propelcareers.com. After we review your details, we will be in touch if this is a good fit with your background and career interests. We look forward to working with you to find an opportunity which will enhance your career!

We are looking to fill the following position:

Northeast Business Development Manager, Bioanalytical CRO

Location: Home based in NJ, NY, CT, RI, NH, or MA (location depends upon the preferred candidate) Position ID: 10-0113 Type: Full time

Description of position: Our client is looking for an individual who has demonstrated a strong track record of successful business development for the bioanalytical, preclinical and/or clinical development areas to lead the north eastern US territory. The individual will have responsibility for client development and management to build this territory and enable growth. Our client company has aggressive growth plans to build their CRO into a fully integrated preclinical/early clinical CRO so this is an exciting opportunity for a motivated individual to be part of a growing organization. The territory covered will be northern NJ to southern Maine. Travel expected is about 40%.

Desired background of candidates: Minimum two years of bioanalytical, preclinical and/or clinical development sales experience with a strong knowledge of the life sciences companies located in the northeast. Demonstrated ability to develop relationships and a knowledge of preclinical and early clinical studies.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please email your resume and cover letter along with the position ID to Lauren Celano, Co-Founder and CEO of Propel Careers, at Lauren@propelcareers.com. After we review your details, we will be in touch if this is a good fit with your background and career interests. We look forward to working with you to find an opportunity which will enhance your career!