Welcome to another weekly edition of Leapfrog Scientist!

This week’s newsletter is all about mastering personal branding for industry careers, my journey to landing my first industry job, and essential resources and tips for PhDs, career changers, and professionals looking to make a transition.

As I gear up for the 2024 Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual meeting and polish my Tiny Tox talk together, my mind is buzzing with post ideas! To keep things concise, I’ve decided on a series of weekly posts leading up to SOT. We’ll cover key topics like strategies for landing an industry job (including the necessary branding and networking), repurposing conference presentations for effective marketing (promoting expertise and thought leadership), enhancing your personal branding, and maximizing productivity at scientific conferences. Stay tuned for insights and tips!

MY EXPERIENCE

Before I delve into industry job tips and resources, I thought it would be good to share my career journey and how I found my path in regulatory toxicology consulting. This marks my second consecutive year presenting on alternative career paths for PhD scientists, focusing on my own trajectory. At last year’s SOT Tiny tox talk, I co-presented with my grad school and consultant colleague, Preston Campbell, PhD, on breaking into consulting. That topic will be explored in a future post. Prior to my consulting career, I spent nearly 7 years in the consumer goods industry.

My journey was a blend of fortunate timing, seizing opportunities, and relentless dedication and perseverance.

In 2010, I successfully defended my thesis and earned my PhD in Pharmacology from Vanderbilt University. My research focused on the corticostriatal regulation of dendritic remodeling in medium spiny neurons, utilizing rodent and in vitro models of Parkinson’s disease. Specifically, I used confocal microscopy to examine beautiful neurons in the striatum, analyzing dendritic spines under various glutamatergic modulations. This research aimed to understand the neurological mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease, wherein the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra leads to a loss of the dopaminergic innervation in the striatum, manifesting in observed movement impairments.

Following my PhD, I chose to wrap up loose ends with my mentor for a few months via a postdoctoral fellowship. Subsequently, I relocated to Richmond, VA, embarking on a postdoctoral fellowship at VCU within the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. There, I shifted into studying alcohol research, understanding the molecular mechanisms of alcohol-induced plasticity. I quickly realized this wasn’t a good fit (for several reasons, one of which was that I was terrified of mice and rats, and really did not want to work with animals any longer). Fortunately, a few months in I was contacted by a recruiter from Lancaster Labs (now Eurofins) for an industry postdoc position at Altria.

The role was a postdoc but fell under Professional Scientific Staffing (PSS) and entailed no animal or bench work. Instead, the job description centered on conducting literature reviews and writing reports on nicotine and tobacco research. While I lacked direct experience with nicotine, I drew from my graduate research on dopamine and Parkinson’s disease, highlighting the correlation between nicotine and dopamine. Despite lacking direct experience, my scientific training equipped me with the skills to shift into adjacent research areas. This opportunity served as my entry point into the industry.

Many tobacco companies utilized this pathway to onboard postdocs, either to address temporary requirements or to assess potential long-term employment. Several of us, including myself, were retained after the conclusion of the Professional Scientific Staffing contract. The key for contract renewal or a job offer is to demonstrate teamwork, diligence, and consistently delivering high-quality work. It’s essential to actively seek opportunities for collaboration across departments and embrace a cross-functional approach.

Following the first year, my PSS contract was renewed, and subsequently, I was extended an offer for a Senior Scientist role within the Health Sciences group in Regulatory Affairs at Altria. After a few departmental reorganizations, I ultimately landed in the Product Integrity group within Regulatory Sciences managing in vitro toxicity testing.

PSS positions serve as a viable avenue to securing an industry position, with opportunities spanning various sectors including consumer goods, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, environmental health and safety, biotechnology, and more.

TIPS

If I had to start over, knowing what I now know, here’s the approach I would take to land an industry job.

Following the 6 steps outlined by Matt Carlson from the Grad School Sucks podcast in his episode “How I Got My First Industry Job”, I’ve added my tips to securing an industry job.

You can listen here: Grad School Sucks: How to Get Your First Industry Job (for PhDs) on Apple Podcasts

Matt describes 6 steps for “framing yourself the right way” to get that industry job.

1. Identify Possible Career Paths. Explore LinkedIn to discover where individuals with PhDs in your field have secured employment. I recommend browsing through the profiles of fellow students within your department to gain insights into their career paths. Utilize LinkedIn's search feature to identify the diverse career trajectories of individuals holding a PhD in Pharmacology or whatever your research area is.

2. Build Your Professional Network. You can achieve this goal not only by networking with professionals on LinkedIn but also by scheduling brief informational interviews, typically lasting around 15 minutes, to gain valuable insights. During these conversations, inquire about their roles, career paths, strategies for how you can secure similar positions, and consider requesting a copy of their resume for reference.

3. Select Your Career Path. Don't be afraid to start somewhere—your first job in industry is just the beginning. Once you've chosen your target industry, start searching for available positions to apply for. Even if these roles aren't your ideal job, the crucial step is to immerse yourself in the industry and gain valuable experience. Explore related fields, attend workshops and conferences outside your usual scope, and connect with professionals from various backgrounds. This exploration not only broadened my understanding but also allowed me to recognize transferable skills and interests that could be applied in different settings.

4. Create Your Materials. Streamline your resume by removing unnecessary details—focus on showcasing your skills, work experience (with quantified impacts, such as dollars per student paid for courses you TA'd, and the value brought to the university), and education. Industry professionals won't sift through pages of academic experience. Highlight essential information with ROI statistics to catch their attention. Craft an impressive LinkedIn profile, paying particular attention to the "About" section, and remain active. Recruiters often prioritize reviewing LinkedIn profiles over resumes. Expand your skill set and redefine your professional image to position yourself as a versatile and adaptable candidate. Diversify your online presence to reflect this expanded personal brand. I revamped my LinkedIn profile to not only emphasize my expertise in my niche but also showcase my proficiency in related areas and my ability to tackle new challenges. Through sharing content, I demonstrated broader interests and illustrated my capacity to add value beyond my original specialization.

5. Bridge Gaps and Experience. Identify the necessary qualifications for your desired position and take steps to acquire relevant experience. Consider enrolling in courses or becoming a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in a specific regulation, research area, etc. Share your expertise by posting informative content on LinkedIn to establish yourself as a knowledgeable professional in your field. For me, this meant obtaining a certification in Toxicology and I obtained my Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology credential.

6. Apply, Apply, Apply and Continue Networking. Networking played a pivotal role in my journey towards diversification. Actively seeking opportunities to connect with professionals from diverse industries, attending networking events, and engaging in online communities beyond my immediate circle expanded my professional network and exposed me to various perspectives and career paths, enriching my understanding of the professional landscape.

   As I continue to evolve and diversify my personal brand, I've observed the positive impact it has on attracting potential employers. By highlighting not only my expertise in my niche research area but also my versatility and adaptability, I've positioned myself as a valuable asset to organizations seeking dynamic and well-rounded candidates.

If you're further along in your career and seeking a transition to the industry, consider an alternative route by exploring positions in contract testing laboratories conducting studies within your desired area of specialization. This approach can pave the way for obtaining industry roles. I've witnessed successful transitions in both directions, from Contract Research Organizations (CROs) to industry and vice versa.

My own experience with contract research labs came after spending nearly seven years at Altria. Subsequently, I accepted a position as Business Development Manager at Enthalpy Analytical Labs before transitioning into full-time consulting. Engaging in such roles provides opportunities to acquire skills that make you a more attractive candidate for industry positions (and grow your network). With your technical and regulatory expertise in conducting or managing relevant testing, you possess valuable assets sought by industry employers.

Moreover, there are countless internship opportunities available for you to explore. While some may be unpaid, there are grants accessible to provide assistance. I’ve listed an example below.

There's certainly no one-size-fits-all approach to landing an industry position. If you're attending a conference, I recommend researching the industry companies you're interested in and stopping by their posters, even if there are no open positions posted at the moment.

You don't have to adhere to a linear trajectory. As you can observe from my journey, I navigated through various careers, accumulating experience and gaining clarity on my desired career path along the way.

One of the crucial steps to entering the industry you’re targeting is to build and establish your personal brand.

In the ever-changing job market of today, adapting and diversifying our skill sets and personal brands is paramount. Often, we begin our careers by specializing in a specific research area, establishing ourselves as experts. While this specialization is valuable, there's immense potential in broadening our horizons and diversifying our personal brand. This expansion can lead to exciting opportunities and capture the attention of potential employers in unforeseen ways.

How can you discover opportunities for industry postdocs, internships, or positions?

Check out job postings on company websites and explore open positions through Eurofins Professional Scientific Staffing.

RESOURCES

Here is a list of biopharmaceutical companies offering postdoctoral fellowships.

1. The Roche Postdoc Fellowship (RPF) Programme and Genentech Postdoctoral
Programs
2. Novartis Innovation Postdoc Fellowship
3. Merck MRL Postdoctoral Research Fellow Program
4. Glaxo-Smith-Kline Postdoctoral R&D
5. AbbVie U.S. Professional Programs
6. Sanofi’s R&D Postdoctoral Program
7. Pfizer Postdoctoral Program
8. Bristol Myers Squibb Advanced Degree Programs
9. AstraZeneca Postdoc Program
10. Amgen Postdoctoral Fellows Program
11. Gilead Sciences Research Scholars Programs
12. Novo Nordisk R&D STAR PhD programme, and PhD/postdoc/PharmaD programmes with academic institutes of excellence

Courtesy of: Zhang JD (2021) Ten simple rules for doing a postdoc in pharma. PLoS Comput Biol 17(6): e1008989. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008989

If you don't come across a postdoc or internship in your desired career field, or if it's an unpaid internship, remember that there are funding opportunities available to cover your expenses or help establish the internship. Think of it as an apprenticeship where you have the chance to learn from an expert.

Here’s an example of a funding opportunity for internships from VCU.

VCU Internship Funding Program

Will you be participating in an internship this summer that is unpaid or doesn't pay enough to cover your expenses?  Don't let your funding needs cause you to miss out on opportunities for personal and professional development. Apply for funding for your summer experience through the VCU Internship Funding Program!

Funding will be awarded as a direct deposit and can be used to supplement costs for travel to your internship, housing, childcare, professional attire, supplies, and more!

Summer 2024 applications are open! Complete the General Application then search Internship Funding Program in the RAMS Scholarship Hub to apply.

Click for Summer 2024 Application

Applications close on Monday, April 1, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. 

To sum up, shifting from specializing in a narrow research area to broadening your personal brand is a journey that demands introspection, exploration, and strategic positioning. Embracing this transformation not only attracts potential employers across various industries but also unveils fresh avenues for career progression and development.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found value and gathered some ideas for securing that industry job. Remember, personal branding is a gradual process that requires consistent effort and perseverance, built upon small steps and habits.

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Chat soon,

Bonnie