Alternative Science Careers

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Good job prospects and high salaries are an attractive attribute to becoming a pharmacist. Employment of pharmacists is expected to grow faster than other occupations through the year 2014, mostly due to the increasing demand for pharmaceuticals, particularly from the growing elderly population. Based on data from 2009, the median expected salary of a pharmacist in the U.S. is $108,000. Now that this has your attention, how do you become a pharmacist?

In order to become a pharmacist, you need to graduate with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an accredited college of pharmacy, which usually takes 6 years of post-secondary education. Most of the time, you must also complete an internship by working with a licensed pharmacist during or right after your schooling. You must also pass a state exam called the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX), which allows you to obtain a pharmacist license.

Along with education, you also need to have a ‘compelling’ resume that will bring out your strong points and how they can help the company. The strength of a good resume should never be underestimated. As Mike Johnston, CPhT, chairman and founder of the National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA) says, “Many people understand the basic components of a resume. But items that are specific to pharmacy technician should also be included.” Johnston is also the author of Rx for Success: A Career Enhancement Guide for Pharmacy Technicians.

To further enhance your pharmacy job opportunities, you would be wise to network, network, network. Knowing the right people, both within and outside pharmacies (especially experts, authors, and industry leaders) can do wonders for finding a career. If you don’t have a mentor, consider having one. The right mentor can make a significant difference in your career. Finally, become a better leader. The corporate world values leadership skills like no other and leadership skills are always desirable. Be proactive and develop your leadership skills.

Technorati Tags: employment, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, salary

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A recent article was posted on the Pharmalot Blog by Ed Silverman highlighting the average salaries, employment growth rates, and job opportunities within the biotech and pharma sectors. The post presented highlights from the industry-wide report written by the Battelle Institute and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).

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Highlights from the report include:

• The U.S. biotech sector paid an average annual salary of $77,595 in 2008, up 9% from 2006. This is in comparison to the average annual wage of $45,229 in the total U.S. private sector, which means that biotech companies are paying $32,366 more than the average company.
• The average annual salary in the U.S. pharma sector was $93,378 in 2008.
• Although there have been substantial job losses (nearly 312,000 people) in the sector during the recent recession, new jobs have been also been created. The job losses can be contributed mostly to consolidation of companies. New job creation is occurring in research, testing, and medical laboratories. In fact, more than 176,000 jobs have been added in this area since 2001.
• The estimated annual growth rate for the life sciences industry is 1.5 percent until 2018.

Technorati Tags: biotech, pharma, salary

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Here are a few great resources for life science careers and information. These sites are specifically geared towards careers in biotech. They also have a field for current internship postings.

• BioFind: A site geared for biotech discussion with a “Rumor Mill”, news pages, and jobs pages for biotech.

• BioSpace: A leading online community for industry news and careers for life science professionals. Provides recruitment and job seeking opportunities for professionals in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

• BioTech Career Center: A source for information on biotech companies and job openings.

• Biotech Employment: Includes biotech jobs and salaries across the U.S.

• Medzilla: Job postings for biotechnology, pharmaceutical,  science,  medicine,  and health care professionals.

• Science Careers: A part of the journal Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science,  is a leading resource for job listings in the sciences worldwide.

A feature article on Life Science Leader for December “Science vs. Business: Who Makes A Better Ceo?” reports that life science companies have recently transitioned from hiring CEOs with advanced science and medical degrees to executives with traditional business or legal backgrounds.  In fact, the report shows that only 5 out of 18 of the world’s leading life science executives hold advanced degrees in medicine or the life sciences. According to the the article, “the failure of scientists to excel as CEOs has largely been ascribed to a narrow focus, an inability to adapt to rapidly changing conditions, poor social skills, and a clear lack of financial and business acumen.”

Many science graduate students and post-docs envision holding management positions in a life sciences company, but are the statistics lined up against those that have (or will have) a PhD? Luckily for researchers aspiring to lead an organization, the answer is no. However, in saying that, there is a lot more preparation that needs to be done to attain such goals. Most scientists who received their PhD through traditional academic programs lack the required people skills and business training to become effective executives. Therefore, the most obvious skills to gain for students aspiring to be in executive positions are to learn the basics of business and finance. The article has a list of academic institutions that offer joint PhD/MBA program in the life sciences. Additionally, developing leadership and interpersonal communication skills are essential.

Obtaining these “other”  skill sets on top of the results-oriented, strategic thinking developed during science graduate studies will allow graduates to be better equipped to meet the challenges of executive positions. Having both business and scientific expertise will give an upperhand in the hiring process as well. As stated in the article, ” many of today’s life sciences company CEOs possess the requisite business acumen and people skills, but most lack the scientific knowledge and “hands-on” training to make informed decisions about new R&D strategies and opportunities. ” The article also suggests the new trend in the life sciences will be necessity for a CEO to have “the technical and scientific knowledge offered by the Ph.D. degree and the people and business skills imparted by an MBA degree.”

As a side note: Food for thought. Should this lend to a new trend for graduate programs? The skill sets needed for executives (particularly people skills) are also essential in many alternative science careers, as well as traditional research positions. Is it the responsibility for graduate programs to ensure that students gain skills outside of the “traditional” expertise acquired in academia?

By Linda Matias

Knowing ahead of time the type of pharmaceutical sales questions you may be asked during an interview will give you an advantage over other candidates. Pharmaceutical selling is one of the most competitive industries out there. Individuals from all ages and backgrounds are vying for these lucrative positions. During the job search process you will find your opposition range from recent college graduates to seasoned sales professionals – all whom have an equal shot at landing the position.

The best way to shine during the interview and leave a favorable impression is to conduct a mock interview with potential questions. To assist you in preparing for a pharmaceutical sales interview, below are sample questions along with suggestions on how to answer each.

Sample Pharmaceutical Sales Interview Questions

Describe how your existing position has prepared you for a career in pharmaceutical sales. Focus your response on transferable characteristics/skills. Examples include: assertiveness, client-focused, consultative sales, solutions selling, relationship building, account growth and retention, and solid follow-up strategies. Working key attributes into your response will garner positive attention from the interviewer.

This position will require you to work independently. How do you feel about that?When answering this question you can emphasize one of the following: (1) you thrive on working solo, (2) you have experience working with little or no supervision.

Tell me how you see your role as a pharmaceutical sales representative.Keep in mind that pharmaceutical sales reps are known as assertive, tenacious, and determined. Let the interviewer know that you are prepared to go the distance on the job and are willing to follow up until you close the deal.

Give an example of a time when you used persuasive communication skills to win over a customer.As a pharmaceutical representative, a major role you will have is to convince physicians, medical staff, and/or medical professionals to prescribe specific drugs to their patients. Since your persuasive communication skills are so vital, choose an example that highlights your experience in this area.

Describe a time when you were competitive.Medical professionals are used to many pharmaceutical sales representatives courting them at once. As the sales person, it is up to you to stand out from the rest, and land the deal. The interviewer is interested in how you intend to win over prospects.

What do you know about our drugs?In order to sell the pharmaceuticals, you must believe in the product. To prepare for the interview, familiarize yourself with the hiring organization and its offerings.

Additional Pharmaceutical Sales Interview Tips

Another point to keep in mind is your professional dress. It goes without saying that you should dress professionally for any interview, but pharmaceutical sales is especially important. In an industry where candidates who have model looks (literally) are favored, it would behoove you to take extra steps to ensure you look your best.

Interviewers will expect you to have an assertive approach during the process. You will score points if you ask for the job at the end of the interview. Remember an interview is a “sales” call, so go for the close.

Certified in all three areas of the job search
Certified Interview Coach™ (CIC), Job & Career Transition Coach (JCTC), and Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW)
Linda Matias is qualified to assist you in your career transition, whether it be a complete career makeover, interview preparation, or resume assistance. She is also the author How to Say It: Job Interviews (Prentice Hall Press). You can contact Linda Matias at linda@careerstrides.com or visit her website http://www.careerstrides.com for additional career advice and to view resume samples.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Matias
http://EzineArticles.com/?Pharmaceutical-Interviewing&id=2047046

Technorati Tags: interviewing skills, sales position

There are some great training programs available in the pharmaceutical industry for those pursuing alternative options in starting a career (a lot of my knowledge will tend to cover pharma or biotech as that is what I am most familiar with. If you are interested in other areas, feel free to add to the post).

Some of the programs require an MBA (or pursuit of one), while others do not. Most are a 2-3 year rotation program so that you get a breadth of knowledge in a particular field. Here’s links to a few that I found if you would like to dive in deeper and find out more information.

• Johnson & Johnson offers 5 different training programs- finance, human resources, international recruitment, procurement, and company-focused leadership development programs. There are more details on the website along with how to apply to these, see link below.
  

http://careers.jnj.com/careers/global/graduate_target/leadership_development_programs/index.htm

• Merck offers unique rotational programs in Information Systems, Sales and Marketing, Manufacturing, and Human Resources. These assignments rotate every 8-12 months over a period of 2-3 years. Merck does not provide very much detail on their website. They mention that you need to visit them at a presentation or career fair held at your school to learn more about their leadership and development programs. Check with your school to see if they will host them or know who you should contact.

• Wyeth does not seem to have leadership development programs, but they do have MBA summer intership programs where they hire 1st-year MBA students and provide them the opportunity to work for 12 weeks in areas such as Marketing, Strategic Product Development, Marketing Analysis & Research, and Business Development. To find out more, click on the link below:
  

http://www.wyeth.com/careers/pharmaresearch/university/mba

• GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) offers an IT and procurement development program. See link below:
  

http://us.gsk.com/html/career/career-our-programs.html

I am sure there are more opportunities out there than just these listed. If you know of any, please feel free to share with your fellow students.

Technorati Tags: Leadership Development Training Programs