Everything asks for experience, how do I get it?!?

You want to do the job? Great!

But have you done the job? No!

Here’s how to get in.

This advice will be skewed specifically to the industry I recruit in, but this advice can be applied to anyone.

I get questions all the time from people that want to get into the Pharma/Biotech industry. Many have applicable education or experience coming from academia, clinical practice or another industry.

Tailor your resume.

You will want to show your interest in getting into the industry by highlighting what you have done that is most applicable to the role.

Example:

This particular candidate (whose information is redacted) was trying to get her start into Regulatory Affairs. She had the education, but not the experience. Guess what, this got the candidate the interview. This is the one of the best summaries with applicable academic experience, but no actual industry work I have seen.

Professional Summary

• Motivated self-starter with one year of regulatory experience
• Understanding of FDA regulations, guidance and submission requirements
• Experienced pharmacologist with strong background in drug discovery and development principles acquired through world-class academic training and research activities
• Organized and detail-oriented team member successfully led various team projects with tight deadlines

Regulatory training and experience

• Certificate of Completion of Regulatory Courses byXXXXX               XXX XXXX
• XXXX-XXXXXXXX is a joint effort among members of a world-class team of highly collaborative scientists at XXXX, XXXXXXXX and the XXX to promote regulatory science
• Volunteer for XXXXXX                                               XXX XXXX-XXX XXXX
• Conducted database research on clinical trials of XXXX XXXX drugs, prepared IND sections in common technical document (CTD) format, and translated and proofed Phase X and X clinical protocols
• Prepared clinical documents for regulatory submission including informed consent form and protocols for IRB approval for XXXXXX       XXX XXXX-XXX XXXX

Education

Ph.D., XXXXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXXXX                XXX XXXX-XXX XXXX

B.Sc., XXXXXXX, XXXXXXXXXX                               XXX XXXX-XXX XXXX

Put in the leg work.

If you want to get experience in an area you have never worked in before, please have an understanding of the industry or company you are interested in. Have an answer now, so when someone replies to you, you are able to explain why you are interested and what you know about the position, company or industry. It will be very embarrassing when HR calls you to discuss the role you apply to and you have no idea what their company does when they ask you why you are interested.

Example: If you want to get into the Pharma/Biotech industry, but don’t know what a clinical trial is, that is a problem. If you want to be a Regulatory Medical Writer, but don’t know what a NDA or CSR is, you should know. If you have a PhD with a focus in Cancer, you better know who Genentech is.

Example: Subscribe to industry publications to be “in the know”. These are some the I follow Daily, Weekly or Monthly and are all free: BIOSmartBrief, FirstWord, FierceBiotech, FiercePharma, FierceDevice, FierceCRO, FierceVaccines, FierceIT, Drug Daily Bulletin, HealthEconomics.com, U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Daily Digest Bulletin, LinkedIn Groups, LinkedIn Companies LinkedIn Pages, LinkedIn Influencers

Develop a short list of companies that you know you have the expertise in.

Example: If you have an expertise in Oncology, you will want to know Genentech/Roche, Novartis, Celgene are major players in the game. However, you will also know that Juno and Kite are doing very exciting Cell Therapy work in the same space and although not approved yet are on the cutting edge.

You are not going to want to try and get into a company that is in Alzheimer’s Disease if your expertise is Tropical Medicine. You can’t immediately show impact and stand out above and beyond because you do not already have basic knowledge in that area.

Be focused in what you are applying to.

You do NOT want to apply to any and everything. It will make you look scattered, unfocused and that you did not do your research. You also will not be even close to qualified for what you are applying to and will never receive a response in most cases and will end up frustrated. Do not apply for a position with Senior in the title if you have zero experience.

Example: Don’t apply to a Director of Clinical Research, Clinical Trial Associate, Regional CRA when you have zero Clinical Research experience.

If you reach out direct, don’t waste anyone’s time.

When you do reach out you are going to be brief. No one is going to read 5 attachments and a 2-page introductory letter. Make them want to help you by stroke their ego a bit by telling them how solid their background is and why you think it would be valuable to network with them. That is what we in the recruiting game call “sizzle”.

Know what your strengths are and be able to communicate them When you reach out to people make sure they are applicable to your area of expertise and actually have the area of expertise that you are trying to get into. You do not want to come across that you are wasting their time, because people’s time is valuable.

Example:

Dear Dr. Smith,

I am a local practicing Internal Medicine Physician and am exploring a career shift in the Pharmaceutical industry as a Drug Safety Physician. I chose to reach out to you because of your deep expertise within Drug Safety at ABC company and our similar backgrounds in Medicine as I noticed you were in Clinical practice before entering industry. I often prescribe ABC company drugs and would like to know what it is like day-to-day internally at a Pharmaceutical company as a Drug Safety Physician.

I would be curious to know if you might be available for me to treat you coffee as your schedule permits near ABC company as I would love to network and pick your brain into how I might be able be able to make the transition as you did. I look forward to your reply.

Many Thanks,

Jane Brown, MD

Get exposure.

You’ll want to be part of national and local professional organizations and add that you are a member to your resume and LinkedIn profile. Set your LinkedIn profile to be an “open networker” and be active on the site. You will want to go to local meetings of industry organizations and shake hands and get to know people

Examples: RAPS, ACRP, DIA, SoCRA, SCDM, ACRP, PharmaSug, AMWA and AMSTAT (not all inclusive)

This is a list of professional organizations that you can join and network with. They are often very welcoming of “freshies” and students.

·        RAPS (https://www.raps.org)- Regulatory Affairs Professional Society

·        ACRP (https://www.acrpnet.org) - Association of Clinical Research Professionals

·        DIA (https://www.dia.org/) - Drug Information Association

·        SoCRA (https://www.socra.org) - Society of Clinical Research Associates

·        SCDM (https://scdm.org/) - Society for Clinical Data Management

·        PharmaSUG (https://www.pharmasug.org/) - Pharmaceutical SAS Users Group

·        AMWA (https://www.amwa.org/) - American Medical Writers Association

·        AMSTAT (https://www.amstat.org/) - American Statistical Association 

Example: I go to Colorado Bioscience Organization events every now and again here locally in Colorado because I am here. We don’t have many companies I recruit for here, but you never know who you might meet and I always end up learning something and meeting new people.

Bringing it all together.

You will meet someone at some point that will give you a shot, weather you apply to a job, meet them at an industry event or just simply luck out and meet someone at the gym that does what it is YOU want to do. In some cases, you will have to do whatever you have to do to get in. This might include taking a contract job and resigning from your permanent role. You might have to relocate across the country even. This could also mean adding an “internship” to your resume and doing work in addition to your normal job at a much reduced rate or even doing it for and I hesitate to say the word, but free.

You can do this. However, it will not happen overnight, you will have to be patient and flexible.

Take a look at Ascent's openings here: https://www.ascentsg.com/job-seekers-overview

Add me on LinkedIn if we are not already connected!

Good Luck!

Lindsey Summers, MBA

Regulatory and Drug Safety Practice Lead

Ascent Life Sciences