{"id":810,"date":"2013-02-23T13:27:50","date_gmt":"2013-02-23T18:27:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thegradstudentway.com\/blog\/?p=810"},"modified":"2015-03-02T00:19:13","modified_gmt":"2015-03-02T05:19:13","slug":"fixing-the-disconnect-between-academia-and-industrial-life-science-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thegradstudentway.com\/blog\/fixing-the-disconnect-between-academia-and-industrial-life-science-jobs\/","title":{"rendered":"Fixing The Disconnect Between Academia And Industry: 6 Practical Solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Background<\/h2>\n

Today, employers are no longer looking for a great brain and a world of potential. They’re looking for that one CV that lists the skills they need right now — not after 6 months of training. ~Dave Jensen<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a disconnect between academic research and industry research. The two don\u2019t fit together well. Lack of experience is the problem. You can get all the way to a Ph.D. and then realize you don\u2019t have marketable experience. ~Kevin Foley<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"On Feb 17, 2012, Dave Jensen<\/a> wrote an article titled: “Tooling Up: The Big Disconnect<\/a>.” Since then, not much has changed in terms of the science job market,\u00a0and there needs to be more articles that address the problem and propose practical solutions.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, I have previously written about how to Bridge the Gap Between Academia and Industry<\/a>. I have also written a How-To Networking Guide for Grad Students and Post Docs<\/a>\u00a0(Part 2 Series Coming Soon), so that you can Stand out From the Crowd <\/a>(written by Doug Kalish).<\/p>\n

But we still need to go a step further and address the disconnect between academia and the current job market. Why? Alternative non-traditional career options need to be available for those who are stuck in the post-doc loop and\u00a0need a way out. Therefore, making the jump from Academia <\/a>to Industry<\/a> (and other fields such as Finance<\/a>, Law<\/a>, Government<\/a>, Writing<\/a>,\u00a0Venture Capital<\/a>, Consulting<\/a>, Entrepreneurship<\/a>, Sales<\/a>, Technology\u00a0Transfer<\/a>)\u00a0is the first step, and the fact of the matter is that PhDs lack the marketable skills to be able to cross-over. This article addresses those concerns.<\/p>\n

This is a guest post by Cliff Mintz, addressing the “Disconnect” between academia and\u00a0other non-traditional fields (industry is used as an example),\u00a0and what\u00a0we can do\u00a0about it. Cliff Mintz\u00a0is the founder of BioInsights <\/a>a biopharmaceutical education and training organization, a co-founder of BioCrowd a social networking and career development website for bioprofessionals and author of BioJobBlog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cliff also teaches product development and regulatory affairs in several biotechnology training programs and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Georgetown Medical School. Dr. Mintz has been invited speaker at numerous symposia and bioscience meetings focused on social media, career development and education and training.<\/p>\n

\n

The Disconnect<\/h2>\n

Dave Jensen\u2019s article in a recent edition of Science Careers entitled \u201cTooling Up: The Big Disconnect\u201d aptly and cogently pointed out why it has become increasingly difficult for academically-trained PhD life scientists to find jobs in the life sciences industry.<\/p>\n

Dave is spot on in his assertion that most life science hiring managers engage in what he terms \u201cpinpoint hiring<\/strong>\u201d\u2014 a practice in which employees are hired based on their extant skill sets rather than long term scientific potential and possible contribution to the success of a company. In the good old days before globalization, companies would frequently hire the \u201cbest and the brightest\u201d, train them and take the long view that well trained employees will ultimately benefit and add value to their organization. Unfortunately, those days are long gone. Today\u2019s mantra is \u201cwhat can you do for me today because there may not be a tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Dave rightly points out, graduate students and postdocs are simply not being trained to meet the needs and demands of most life science companies<\/strong>. An essential ingredient that is missing from current training paradigms is a fundamental understanding of the life sciences industry and how it works.<\/p>\n

Put simply, students who lack a basic understanding of the pharmaceutical\/biotechnology drug development processes will find it increasingly difficult to land an industrial job; regardless of the number of Cell, Science and Nature papers or where you may have received your graduate or postdoctoral training<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In his article, Dave asserts that determining (as early a possible) that an industrial career is right for you may be your ticket to success. Unfortunately, while conducting informational interviews and landing a competitive unpaid (or paid) company internship may be helpful, only small numbers of graduate students and postdocs have the flexibility or access to these activities.<\/p>\n

More importantly, most academic researchers engage in basic rather than applied research (which is what life sciences companies are looking for). Consequently, while many students view industry jobs as possible employment opportunities, there simply may not be enough PI or mentors who can help to acquire the applied skill sets demanded by most life sciences hiring managers.<\/p>\n

6\u00a0Practical Solutions<\/h2>\n

By now, many of you may be thinking: okay we know about the problems how about some practical solutions. So, here goes:<\/p>\n

1. <\/strong>There are many online biotechnology courses and certificate-earning biotechnology\/pharmaceutical\/regulatory affairs courses<\/strong> at local community colleges that graduate students and postdocs can take. (Yes, I know that you are extremely busy and working 80 hours plus in the lab, but it is your career and nobody else can do if for you.)<\/p>\n

These courses will provide graduate students and postdoc interested in industrial careers with a basic understanding of how the life sciences industry functions. Also, these courses can provide a rich lexicon of industrial jargon\u2014when correctly used in a face-to-face job interview \u2014 can make a difference between a job offer or not.<\/p>\n

2. <\/strong>Graduate students and postdocs can work together to organize career development symposium, seminars and workshops<\/strong> to obtain a better understanding of the requisite skill sets and training required to improve their competitiveness for industrial jobs.<\/p>\n

Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n

3rd Annual UW-Madison\u00a0 Postdoctoral Conference on Professional Development<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Theme:<\/strong> Taking Charge of Your Career<\/em><\/p>\n

When:<\/strong> Saturday,\u00a0 April 6th, 2013<\/p>\n

Where:<\/strong> Microbial Sciences Building, 1550 Linden Drive<\/p>\n

Dr. Phil Clifford \u2013 Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Education, Professor of\u00a0 Anesthesiology and Physiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and founding\u00a0 member of the Advisory Board of the National Postdoctoral Association \u2013 will\u00a0 kick off the third annual UW-Madison Postdoctoral Conference with an\u00a0 interactive plenary session about how to take charge of your career by\u00a0 creating a professional ‘game plan’.<\/p>\n

Dr. Clifford presentation will be followed by two Career\u00a0 Panel sessions; each session will have three panels: academic careers,\u00a0 industry\/biotech research careers, and non-traditional career paths. Panelists\u00a0 will share their experiences, outline options available in their professions,\u00a0 and provide insight on how to determine and achieve career goals.<\/p>\n

A series of afternoon breakout sessions will offer the\u00a0 opportunity to learn about specific skills needed when entering the job market,\u00a0 including CV\/r\u00e9sum\u00e9 building, grant writing, interviewing and networking. The conference is hosted by the Graduate School.<\/p>\n

3. <\/strong>There are a number of PhD programs that now offer joint degrees in science, business and other disciplines<\/strong>. Choosing to enroll in these programs rather than traditional graduate life sciences programs may be an option for students who already know that an industrial rather than an academic career path is right for them.<\/p>\n

4. Organize and then talk to\u00a0college administration<\/strong> to demand that changes be made to existing graduate training paradigms to improve job preparedness. To that end, it would not be unreasonable to request that alternate career training courses (regulatory affairs, medical writing, project management, etc.) be offered to all graduate students and postdocs who may be interested.<\/p>\n

Also, it may be appropriate (depending upon geographical location of an institution) to request that formal industry-focused company internships are established to allow interested and qualified graduate students and postdocs to participate.<\/p>\n

5. Request that all faculty members be required to engage in career development counseling<\/strong> <\/strong>to help them to better understand the job market realities that their graduate students and post docs are currently facing. While this may sound like an odd request, it is important to remember that tenured professors are guaranteed a \u201cjob for life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consequently, most of them are not particularly concerned about whether or not their PhD students or postdocs find gainful employment after they leave their laboratories. Sadly, many of them (and perhaps rightly so) believe that finding a job is not their problem but yours!<\/p>\n

The Grad Student Way’s Personal and “Practical” Solution:<\/h2>\n

<\/a>6. <\/strong>I will chime in and say that the most practical solution for myself was to obtain a paid internship<\/strong> (at a life science company) during my time in graduate school<\/strong>. I think it is CRUCIAL and I cannot stress enough that graduate students and post-docs should take a summer off and obtain industry experience (if that is the route you wish to take). That way you will come out with real-world industry experience and some marketable skills. You need to negotiate and leverage this in any way that you can.<\/p>\n

The first step to land an internship position is to do informational interviews and start networking. I cannot stress that enough. You can read more about informational interviews here<\/a>. My part 2 series of How To Network and Add Value to Yourself and Others <\/a>will be releasing soon and I will go into great detail of what specific informational interview questions you can ask and how to become an expert informational interviewer.<\/p>\n

\n

Author Bio<\/h3>\n

\"\" Clifford S. Mintz, PhD., has an extensive background in biopharmaceutical drug development, biotechnology training and bioscience career development. Dr. Mintz has held a variety of positions including stints as a medical school professor, professional recruiter management consultant and medical\/science writer.<\/p>\n

Cliff is the founder of BioInsights <\/a>a biopharmaceutical education and training organization, a co-founder of BioCrowd a social networking and career development website for bioprofessionals and author of BioJobBlog<\/a>. He teaches product development and regulatory affairs in several biotechnology training programs and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Georgetown Medical School. Dr. Mintz has been invited speaker at numerous symposia and bioscience meetings focused on social media, career development and education and training.<\/p>\n

Cliff received a B.S. in microbiology\/animal science from Cornell University, a Ph.D. in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and performed his post-doctoral studies at Oregon Health Sciences University and the College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University.<\/p>\n

Currently a freelance writer, blogger and speaker at career fairs and professional meetings. Also a social media enthusiast, co-founder of the social networking site BioCrowd <\/a>and a general all-around \u2018good guy\u2019 (that\u2019s what people tell him anyway).<\/p>\n

You can contact\u00a0him at this address <\/a>and follow him on Twitter @biojobblog<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

The GradStudentWay and BioJobBlog wants to hear from YOU!<\/h2>\n

Others have suggested “professionalizing” the post-doc<\/a>. What do you think<\/strong>? Do we need more ways and ideas of coming up with better, more sound and practical solutions?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n

Further Reading:<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. \"\"<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. View This Discussion On LinkedIn In the PhD Careers Outside of Academia Group<\/a>\u00a0(must be member to view)<\/li>\n
  3. Or Download the PDF Version Here<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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