Comments

  1. Isabel Calmarza said:

    I suppose most of the PhD job seekers have the same problem as myself, the “Gain Experience” advice…if you don’t have experience in the industry, none wants to hire you (in some cases not even for an internship) so how are you going to earn that experience? It’s a vicius circle :-S I have already tried to be a not-paid trainee in pharmaceutical companies that I got to met with managers…but not even so I got the opportunity of get my foot in the door…

    1. Nidhi Joshi said:

      Yes this indeed is a vicious circle….the first one leads to the second but the second one is necessary for the first kinda….

  2. Kathleen Yoder said:

    Bianca,
    Your advice is helpful. I completed my PhD in 2012 followed by a 2 year postdoc and am currently applying to medical writing positions in the New York. It definitely seems that networking is essential to getting an interview. One problem I see in current postings is that there seem to be a lot of medical writer postings available, but none are entry level, so I am in the vicious cycle that Isabel mentioned.
    Another concern I have is that, with so many of us leaving academia, the pool of “alternative” science careers will also dry up and that I have missed the boat making the transition. Thoughts?
    I hope this concern is more of a result of being unemployed and worry for my future, rather than a reality….

    1. Bianca Marcolino said:

      I don’t think it’s as bleak as that. Having a Ph.D. in the biomedical field will ALWAYS be an advantage. It’s just challenging getting your foot in the door. From experience, agencies are easier to enter than pharma or med device companies as a medical writer. Most, if not all, agencies will only hire PhDs as medical writers. Just look at it from a companies point of view, they want to know that this PhD they’re hiring can write, play well with others (probably the most important thing) and meet deadlines. Finding ways to prove that will help your application. I hope I gave some better insight. Good luck!

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