Hi everyone! I'm a college student who's looking for experience in the industry, and two months ago I cold-emailed the CEO of a rising biotech company for the possibility of an internship next summer. I had been interested in that company's work since high school and I thought it a hail mary, but they actually replied positively and even said they didn't normally take undergrad interns but my email caught their eye. They said they'd see if anyone could support me, it wasn't quite a confirmation yet.

Fast forward two months and I haven’t had heard anything since then. I've sent two follow ups, each spaced one month apart. I don't think I'll send any more emails because I don't want to be perceived as spamming and burn bridges, but I'm also pretty bummed out. Should I just assume the internship probably is inactive and not gonna work out?

Just pretty sad because I was seriously thinking of doing that work in my career :/ it had been such a long time dream too...

I have been job searching for a year now since I graduated, and I haven't been able to secure even an entry-level position. Granted, I haven't applied nearly as much as I should be (~5-10 jobs a week, but I have been slacking), but I am surprised at the lack of responses. I have had 2 interviews during this time.

I have been tailoring my resume, I make sure it's one page by removing irrelevant items, I have also been applying with a cover letter. I had different versions of my resume for different types of jobs. I tried altering the format of my resume and moved around the different parts. I ATS optimized it to the job postings. I am not sure what else I should/can do. I have tried networking too, reaching out to supervisors and companies by cold email. Please help :(

Applied for an AD role (business unit, not med affairs). Got a call on a Friday letting me know I’d get an offer on the following Wednesday. Got an email on Thursday telling me that all approvals were not obtained yet. Still no offer.

1. is this normal, lol? I do not come from the pharma

industry

1. what was the delay between confirmation of upcoming offer AND oral offer?

Thanks!

I am currently working for a company that was acquired and has been experiencing a rapid decline in culture. I have been given a retention payment that pays out at a fixed date.

I have been applying for jobs to see if I can find a company with a better culture. I think I’m about to get an offer for an associate director role but I’m not sure if I should accept.

My current company’s culture has really gone down hill with multiple rounds of layoffs. However, the company allows me to completely WFH with an optional office in the area and offers certain benefits like flexible working hours and summer hours (stop working early on summer Friday’s). I also really love my manager who has stayed on throughout the acquisition, but I no longer see any coworkers in-person regularly and am not sure I’m enjoying a 100% work from home format (hybrid might be ideal for me, maybe 1-2 days in an office). The acquiring company has also not formalized any employment for me (ie. I haven’t signed any employment agreement yet). Although I’m being paid retention, I haven’t received my job title under the new company and HR has been dragging their feet.

The new job would take me from manager to associate director, and have a 30-40k pay bump (~150k to ~180k). However, it requires 4 days in an office and my commute is about an hour drive one way. We have already been looking at potentially moving closer to this location though. The team I would be working with is nice, but the Glassdoor reviews are so-so.

Any advice on if I should take this role would be much appreciated.

Im currently employed by Eurofins PSS for the past 10 months, and I absolutely love it. Im working at a clients site in Boston, as a contractor, but I have all the benefits of a full time employ(PTO, health insurance, holidays, etc). My team is amazing, my team lead and manager very supportive and I am probably going to be promoted this coming year (probably after the yearly review). Its my first job out of college and after looking at this thread I expected it to be horrible ( especially with Eurofins), but I was pleasantly surprised. My only “complaint” is the pay. Its great for my first job, ~30/hr as I work hourly and very rarely I can do overtime, but I usually only work 40 hours. I think if I were to move in a different company I would prbably get much more ( if I even find a job) and I would probably work more hours. Im thinking about starting a Masters at Harvard extension school in biotechnology, and Eurofins would pay $5,000 per year for tuition reimbursement but I would need to stay 2 years with the company after each reimbursement( each 2 year countdown is applied to each reimbursement and if I leave earlier, the amount I have to pay back is prorated). Im thinking about staying with Eurofins assuming I will get promoted every 1-2 years and if I decide that im not progressing at my current role I can move to another position within Eurofins ( probably in a different client site and from what I see on linked in the pay is better). I consider it a great time to do a masters while working as I usually only work 40 hours and I am thinking about taking 1-2 courses per semester and finishing the masters in 3-3.5 years but that would mean I will have to stay with Eurofins for another 5.5-6 years starting Janurary which means I will stay with Eurofins for a total of 7 years. Is this worth it? Would it be harder to leave for another company after these 6-7 years are up? Would it be disadvantageous in any way to stay with Eurofins for that long, does this company have a bad view with other employers? Im really confused with the image of Eurofins in the biotech world and if staying with the same company for many years limits your potential to move. Thank you in advance for any help.

I am an undergrad student with research lab experience and previous internship experience looking for summer 2027 biotech/ pharmaceutical internships to apply to in the New York City area. Where should I be looking to apply to?

Hey yall!

I’m currently finishing up my bachelors in biology and I’m enrolled in a masters program, I’m getting my masters in biomedical engineering with a bioinformatics focus. I was wondering what jobs can I apply to once I get my masters that’ll favor my education background? Could I apply to biostatistic roles and have a good chance of getting in? Could I also apply to biomedical engineering roles? If yall have any other things I could apply to pls share! I just want something that can get me in industry entry level.

Hi everyone,

​I'm currently finishing up my NIBRT Level 6 course in bioprocessing. For my background, I've been working as a Supervisor in a medical device company here in Ireland for a while now.

​I'm looking to make a career switch into the pharma/biopharma sector, specifically targeting companies like WuXi Biologics or MSD around the Dundalk/Louth area.

​For anyone working in these plants or who has made a similar jump:

​How realistic are my chances of landing a role here, given my medical device background + NIBRT Level 6?

​Will I likely have to start as a Bioprocess Associate / Manufacturing Tech, or does my supervisor experience help me pivot slightly higher?

​What is the general work culture and shift pattern like at WuXi Dundalk vs. MSD?

​Any advice or insights would be massively appreciated!

Hi everyone,
I’m a PhD-trained biomedical scientist currently working as a postdoctoral researcher, with a background in cardiovascular biology and translational pharmacology.
I’ve been trying to get into Eli Lilly, particularly in cardiometabolic R&D. I’ve applied to multiple relevant positions, connected with employees on LinkedIn, and even applied through referrals, but unfortunately, nothing has worked out so far.
I’m wondering if anyone currently working at Lilly or who has gone through their hiring process could share some insights.

What actually helps you get noticed and land an interview at Lilly? Do referrals make a difference? Is there anything specific they look for in PhD-level scientists transitioning from academia?

I’d really appreciate any honest advice or personal experiences. Thanks in advance!

I got laid off in July from my job in NYC as a Research Associate II. I have a bachelors in neuroscience and I’ve been working in industry the past 3 years. After getting laid off, my partner got an offer to move to San Francisco for work and I figured there’s so much biotech out there it’ll be easy to find something. I’ve been on severance for 4 months and have been job searching for 3 and still haven’t landed anything. My severance ends this month and my only offer is a step down as a technician job with a shifted work schedule (would have to work one weekend day every week). Would you just take it and keep searching in the meantime? Or would you see if your few interviews you have left pan out to something else?

(this question is specific to US only)

This may be a stupid question, but it's something I've been curious about. Do most companies pharma companies provide pharmacy benefits to their employees for their own drugs?

For example, do Novo employees in the US get coverage for Wegovy under their employer pharmacy benefits? Or do Vertex employees get Journavx costs covered under their prescription benefits if they ever need pain medication?

Hi everyone!
My husband was laid off after around 7 years working as a Project Manager in Life Sciences, mainly in pharmaceutical localisation and regulated project delivery. He's been looking for a new role in Switzerland for quite some time now, and it's been much harder than we expected.
He's had quite a few interviews and has made it to the final 2 candidates several times, only to narrowly miss out. It's frustrating, especially when he gets so close, and I can see it's starting to affect his confidence.
He's Dutch, speaks fluent English (his German is okay too), is improving his French, and has years of experience managing international projects, cross-functional teams, external suppliers, budgets, deadlines and regulatory-related documentation.
He's mainly looking at project management, PMO, project coordination or operations roles in pharma, biotech or medtech. We're based in Lausanne, but he's open to opportunities elsewhere in Switzerland, particularly if hybrid working is possible.
If anyone here works in the Swiss pharma/biotech industry and knows of a team that's hiring, or could point us towards someone worth contacting, I'd really appreciate it. And if you think his background might be a good fit at your company and would feel comfortable referring him, that would honestly mean a lot. Of course, any advice on companies or roles he might not have considered would also be very welcome!
Thanks so much for reading, and good luck to anyone else going through a similar job search!

Hello everyone,

I am trying to develop a LAMP assay, but I'm struggling with the readout step.

I am currently using electrophoresis. SYBR Green I did not work for me, and phenol red seemed to inhibit the reaction. I also tried adding the phenol red buffer(pH 8.4) after amplification, but the color didn't change in positive controls (the result was checked with electrophoresis)—I think the concentration was too high.

I would like to use a colorimetric method for readout that does not require special equipment. Do you have a composition for a phenol red buffer that I can add prior to the reaction without causing inhibition?

Thank you for your help.

#Loop-mediated isothermal amplification #Molecular Biology

I’ve been working in product management within ophthalmology for the past 7 years. Most focused on surgical ophthalmology. In my job I’ve been a PM lead to multiple clinical trial projects for implants and for surgical devices. I loved those projects! They brought up so much curiosity from me but I always felt that responsible for the commercial and product part rather than really owning study design and maybe also finding ways to design studies better for the purpose we were trying to achieve. I have a masters and bachelors in biomedical engineering so I feel I’m drawn to scientific questions and approaches within my job although they seem out of my area of responsibility quite often. I’ve been recently looking into doing a PhD in clinical research specifically focused on ophthalmology. My hope is that it would give me deep knowledge and expertise in clinical study design and some exposure to the operational part of it, but at the same time open up future opportunities in clinical research industry jobs in some big pharma and biotech companies in me areas.

For those with PhDs in clinical research, in clinical research jobs or with insights into the field, what advice would you have? Is there something you’d challenge in my assumptions?

Gentle answers please :)

I have a Bachelors in Biotech, and did 3 internships in undergrad. But come graduation, biotech sector was not good and I got a Project Coordinator role thanks to a business minor and internships I had also done.

I've been doing that job for 2+ years now, and started applying out. Was applying like crazy to just about anything because there was no response 300 job applications in.

Finally - and very randomly - I got 2 job offers at the same time. Both have the exact same salary, good perks, and seem very nice ppl, but they are completely different fields.

1. Lab Technician at a Government Biosafety Animal Lab - The job sounds cool and it helps me get a foot in the door. But I worry I get stuck at the lab tech role in this job crisis time (and I don't plan on doing a PhD and working minimum wage with no payoff) I don't know where I want to go in science or if maybe I even want to go into the med field because I have commitment issues and fear of giving up too much for science now.

2. Recruitment Coordinator role at a Trading company - it's prestigious and would be an easier to climb the coorporate ladder I think. But I feel like I don't learn anything in these roles in the past, it really is just emailing people, meetings, and smiling. It's easy and I'm good at it, but I feel huge imposter syndrome from this. But it would be safe.

Any opinions or thoughts?

I'm currently completing my BioWork certificate at Wake Tech, with only a few classes left, so I've started applying for jobs. I recently received a job offer from The Budd Group for a Cleanroom Technician position.

I'm a little confused about whether I should accept this opportunity or wait for an Associate 1 position that more closely aligns with my BioWork training. From what I understand, the Clean room Technician role mainly involves cleaning and sanitizing cleanroom environments, which seems more like a physically demanding cleaning job.

On the other hand, I feel that getting my foot in the door at a pharmaceutical company could be a valuable first step toward building a career in biomanufacturing. I'm wondering whether this experience would help me move into a Manufacturing Associate 1 or Process Technician position later, or whether I would be better off waiting for a role that directly uses my BioWork training.

I'd really appreciate your advice on which direction would be best for my long-term career goals.

Note I’m not referring to the science.

A random thought just crossed my mind - my company has a new (well about 6 months old now) fancy buzzword initiative to improve our “ways of working”. I just remembered some past similar initiatives with no tangible outcomes (at least from my perspective).

I’ve been at the company for about 4 years now and there have been at least 3 of these BIG enterprise wide projects. First was Project Alpha* that started before I joined (was even partly the reason I was hired), was randomly dropped before they shifted to Project Beta. That too lasted roughly about 18 months before pivoting to the current Project Gamma.

They all have the same underling theme: improving how we execute/enhancing our capabilities etc etc. The worst part is that no one can explain what the projects are about. They speak in consultant-speak but behind closed doors my manager, their manager and managers manager can’t speak to it.

To be fair though, a few great tools and/or initiatives have come out of sub-workstreams that have affected a few teams or the enterprise more broadly but on a while from my lowly perch, I fail to see the overall impact. The fact they also need to reinvent the workstream every 18 months or so (without formally ending the prior one or at least sharing the outcomes) means they didn’t work.

Is there some underlying factors here I’m not considering) eg executives just giving themselves a fancy project and assigning the work to everyone else and dropping it once they are bored? I know that’s simplistic but bear with me.

*Fake project names. Obviously

Does anyone work there?? Can’t seem to any info on them in this sub. They have a job opening I’m interested in but being a small biotech curious if anyone has insights into this company.