5 Core Challenges

Here's what I've learned from coaching medical professionals on why it's so hard to translate your clinical experience into the industry:

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Your medical career has been your brand throughout your education and professional life. You don't know anything else outside of it, which creates a significant blindspot.

Most professionals approach transitioning to a new industry as simply tweaking their CVs to fit a job posting. It may work for a few. But for the majority in this highly competitive market, it's about redefining your brand to position yourself effectively. This means understanding the industry culture, mindset as well as market changes. It's not about merely applying to jobs, but rather finding and attracting the right opportunities. In the current market, you can pretty much assume that there are many people like you (same degree, background, skills, experience, etc) applying for the same role.

How do you set yourself apart? Think of it as a strategic move, not just a job switch.

2. The Day-to-Day Disconnect

In clinical settings, you're ingrained with day-to-day tasks, making it hard to see how your skills translate to a corporate environment.

Some professionals would look at a job posting and say, "I can totally do that," not realizing this core barrier: Doing something vs. being able to communicate and articulate that effectively to the hiring team are two very different realities.

For others, it's "I don't have the experience," when in reality, they have all the critical transferrable skills needed for the role. They are simply thinking or approaching it with the wrong mindset, either not seeing the big picture or unable to connect the value of their skills and experience with the needs of a company or particular role.

3. Defining Your Unique Value Proposition

If you’re not clear on your unique value proposition beyond your clinical skills, you simply won't stand out.

I see this often happens when you ask someone to review your CV without understanding your background or target. Or asking someone who is not specialized, let alone worked, in the pharma / biotech industry. I would even go further and say that if the person you're asking has not been part of any hiring teams and while their input is valuable, know that they are seeing it from their eyes as a candidate NOT as a hiring manager.

The result is this: You get superficial and cosmetic feedback, rather than substantial feedback that would strategically differentiate you from the rest of the candidates.

4. Thinking Clinically vs. Corporate

Your world is clinical, and so is your mindset.

While some jobs require clinical knowledge, most value the additional skills you bring to the team. Your CV may reflect your clinical expertise, but translating those stories to resonate with a hiring team in a corporate setting can be challenging. This includes leadership, management, writing, analytics, etc.

You’ve likely had one type of audience in your career, but in the corporate world, you’ll encounter a variety of stakeholders. You need to position yourself so your experience and skills will resonate and align with the needs of the team/role.

5. The Myth of Scientific Degrees

I see too much reliance on degrees and not enough demonstration of potential and value add. In the corporate setting, having a medical degree is great to have, but it's also foundational at best. This ties in closely with thinking too clinical vs. having a corporate business mindset. What other skills can you focus on that would be greatly valued by the industry? What would the business impact?

Summary

Translating clinical experience into the industry is challenging because of ingrained perspectives and skills. Clinicians often have a singular focus on patient care, making it difficult to see how their skills apply in a corporate setting. They may struggle to articulate their value in terms that resonate with hiring managers outside of healthcare. Furthermore, many clinicians are not accustomed to the advanced communication and strategic thinking required in the corporate world. This disconnect is compounded by a reliance on clinical credentials, which don't always guarantee success in a different industry.

To overcome these challenges, clinicians need to redefine their brand, develop new skills, and strategically position themselves to attract and secure opportunities in the industry.

The above requires a change in approach and mindset, lending to the transformation needed for a successful career transition.

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