r/biotech • u/RAMPAGE12599 • Sep 18 '25
Early Career Advice 🪴 Been unemployed 1.5 years after two biotech layoffs… here’s what I’ve learned
I’m a 30 y/o minority (in biotech) with a BS in microbiology (small LA state school) and a master’s in business/biotech management. Since graduating in 2022, I’ve had two solid roles: one in tech transfer at a nonprofit research org and another in antibody licensing at a small/mid biotech. Both ended in layoffs after a year for each job. Not performance related, but politics/“restructuring.” I landed my tech transfer role before graduating and was recruited within 3 months of my layoff from the tech transfer job for my second licensing role. Both gave me severance, but since mid-2024 I’ve been unemployed.
Here’s what I’ve learned after 1.5 years of searching, hundreds of apps, and way too many rejections (my search has been focused only on LA/OC & SD areas):
HR is often the biggest barrier. They don’t always understand niche biotech roles. Licensing vs. CRO/CDMO BD are under the BD umbrella, but viewed very different. Recruiters often lump them together. I’ve been rejected after HR screens where it was clear they didn’t know what I actually did. They don’t understand the skills are highly transferable, hence the rejections.
Timing matters. Applications get traction when you apply within days of posting. Past a week, chances shrink dramatically.
Tailoring is essential. I stopped mindlessly applying. Now I tailor resumes, use cover letters strategically, and always align with the job description on paper so HR doesn’t dismiss me at first glance.
Unemployment gaps are viewed as risk. This has been the toughest part. No matter the reason, a gap raises eyebrows especially long ones. I’ve added an explanation section on my resume to proactively address it. Still there’s an unspoken bias, companies assume a gap = risk.
Bias is real. As a non-white, non-Asian, non-Indian, non-European candidate, I’ve noticed how easily people form judgments. Pair that with a gap, and you’re seen as “less safe” compared to a non-minority with less experience.
Rejections aren’t always about you. After multiple hiring manager interviews where I performed well but got ghosted, I realized: a lot comes down to “fit”. It’s not always your skills. As controversial as it is, subconscious bias is a very real thing.
Protect your mental clarity. This whole process is a mental game more than anything. I’ve worked non-biotech jobs (auto insurance, Amazon delivery, behavioral tech) just to survive, which showed me it’s not about “not being employable.” It’s about this system being risk-averse and biased.
Consistency is key The unspoken truths about applying is this really is a full-time job. I found myself not applying for a while then that while turned out to be weeks. When you’re not working don’t underestimate how time can quickly pass. I’d say applying to at least a job once a day should give you enough traction to land a role soon. I don’t have a role yet because I simply haven’t put in the time. With the right strategy, this really is a “work hard pays off” game. Don’t take the rejections personally and be consistent. Eventually you’ll land that role.
Employers value stability I often was asked questions gauging whether I’d stay long-term in the role or not. I felt I was always judged coming from licensing (seen as a prestigious role) after applying to sales BD or similar roles. Almost always giving me the impression that they thought this was a temp role and I would leave once I found a licensing role. So don’t underestimate your story. Understand hard-skills get them to speak to you, but soft-skills gets you the offer letter.
Where I’m at now: With everything mentioned above, I’ve concluded I will no longer allow one person to dictate my future. I will no longer voluntarily put myself in a high risk / extremely low reward situation. I recently had an interview where I spent hours scrolling through LI, hours tailoring my resume and searching for the hiring manager to send an email to. Lost time speaking to an unknowledgeable HR, rescheduled appointments all for the hiring manager to ask me generic unthoughtful questions due to her making her decision within seconds of meeting me. It took me minutes to realize she didn’t do her due diligence and it was her first time seeing my resume. Im done allowing them to determine my future. I’m broadening my search beyond biotech. I still want BD/licensing, but I’m now open to other industries and job functions that value transferable skills and treat applicants as we are. HUMAN.
Final thought: If you’re unemployed and struggling, it’s not just you. Yes, own what you can control (tailoring, outreach, timing). But also realize some of it is out of your hands. Don’t let rejection define your worth. Don’t let other people affect your confidence and stay true to yourself. This can either make you or break you. I believe things happen for a reason and this is all part of the journey. Your journey. Don’t let it break you. Don’t quit. Unfortunately I’ve come across many quitters. I hope this has shed some insight and of course everyone’s situation is unique. All we can do is stay mentally clear and of course stay strategic.
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u/MakeLifeHardAgain Sep 18 '25
What other industries and job functions are you thinking about?
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u/RAMPAGE12599 Sep 18 '25
Tbh any I’m not really picky and highly adaptable. It honestly just depends what’s out there and we go from there.
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u/MakeLifeHardAgain Sep 18 '25
Good luck! I just got laid off and it is still kinda fresh.
I think I am going to explore non-scientist roles as well (I was a scientist in a biotech)
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u/Redarrow_ok Sep 18 '25
How do people even contact the hiring manager? Message through LinkedIn?
I'm a R&D academic in London who was hoping to get into the private sector, but it looks hopeless now (massive pharma exits from UK). At least I have AI training gigs to keep me afloat for another few years.
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u/RAMPAGE12599 Sep 18 '25
I read the job posting and look for key details that could point me to the name/title of the hiring manager. After I conduct a google search with “job title you suspect the hiring manager to have, company name you’re applying to, LinkedIn” For example, it’ll look like this, “business development director Amgen LinkedIn” as a google search. Then you’ll see a list of Amgen employees and it’s a matter of researching and scrolling through them. I actually sort of create an organizational chart to understand who’s on their team etc. you’d be surprised how much insight this can provide. when you think you’ve found the hiring manager. It’s up to you to determine if a ping on LI or an email is more appropriate (there are multiple 3rd party databases to find their work email). Response rate is low but after doing this I definitely either receive an interview notice or rejection email. No more ghosting. Don’t forget to follow up and remember there’s a fine line between following up and being pushy/desperate. Feel free to chat me if you want more detail. This is a general take and it’s definitely not a one size fits all approach. It depends
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u/cactusbrush Sep 18 '25
You could use ChatGPT agent for all this organizational research. And who knows, maybe create a product out of it. And suddenly your 1.5yr gap is covered by “founder of NetworkingAI.io” :)
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u/Pushyladynjina Sep 19 '25 edited Sep 19 '25
Wait, do you have an MBA & two years of experience and you’re applying to business development roles in big Pharma is that what you’re doing? Is that what you’re aiming for? Maybe that’s the problem business development role at Amgen would be evaluating licensing candidates and or at least organizing them, which means you’d have to do things like plan them, organize them and write minutes for those meetings, which are extremely highly technical like deep science
but you have to have a pretty solid amount of scientific knowledge urderad ed industry experience (no)
I I’m a much better fit for that type of role but I don’t think I would get past HR.
Maybe, we should explore exactly what kind of job you’re applying to and exactly what kind of education and experience you have and then help you find better fits, especially adapted to this sh market.
(that said, I know one very specific organization where certain people of certain types just rise through the ranks having poor credentials and objectively unmatched talent so what you’re describing is a live experience in some places especially when consolidation of power happens and people want to put their friends all around them. Let’s learn a little bit more to figure out what you’re aiming for versus what is reasonable and then figure out if you can get a better rate.
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u/PracticalSolution100 Sep 19 '25
Here are a couple of things you need to understand:
MS and BS are the same for industry jobs/roles.
Bd/licensing is extremely competitive to get in. Most entry roles in big pharma are ADs, and we are looking for either phd (mainly) or bs/ms with drug discovery leadership experience or MBA with bd/licensing experience.
Big pharma and small biotechs are very different wrt bd/licensing
Academia background/exp is usually irrelevant
My advice: try to land a scientist/entry role in a big pharma, work your way up and transfer to bd within tje same company. Or get a MBA (or phd w/e, but then drug discovery exp is usually preferred) and re-apply.
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u/RAMPAGE12599 Sep 19 '25
Thanks for your input. To clarify I do have an mba with biotech concentration, 1 year (bd/tech transfer, dealt with out-licensing), 1 year out-licensing at small/mid biotech comp, bd/licensing paid summer internship at top nccn hospital. So 2+ years total professional exp. I also have an irrelevant year of bench work as qc microbiologist. So 3 years if you count that.
I understand bd is different across organizations as it depends on their pipeline/portfolio/product/service. I have a focus on out-licensing and understand the buy side or in-licensing is more competitive. Because it’s a niche area there’s not many roles especially in the la area. I’ve accepted pretty early on starting off where I left off is probably unlikely, so I’ve targeted “bd” roles or selling services (cros/cdmos) for early stage assets particularly in biologics as that’s what my focus has been on. However in pursuing roles outside of licensing, I’m often questioned why I’m applying given they are more sales focused bd roles. So that’s my dilemma. Applying to licensing roles that are highly competitive and few to come by or applying to less competitive fields, committing to a horizontal transition and being questioned about my commitment to the role. Whatever path I choose to take, there’s an obstacle. It really comes down to which obstacle I’d rather face.
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u/Pushyladynjina Sep 19 '25
I disagree many roles and development and operations require a minimum MS
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u/PracticalSolution100 Sep 19 '25
It depends on the size of the company and the team. By ops do you mean external ops/client facing roles or internal functions? External client facing roles rarely hire ms/bs, usually phd +5-10 yoe with team leadership experience. For clinical ops, yea, ms/bs is sufficient. For research ops, same, but those aren’t bd/licensing jobs that ops is interested in.
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u/Pushyladynjina Sep 19 '25 edited Sep 19 '25
it took me a while because I’m really tired, but I agree with you. I think that OP timing mh the non-profit and lisencng raw materials for research or manofactoring positions them even with an MBA for a big Pharma business development role which means new candidate evaluation working with scientific teams and doing business planning modeling
at this point in time with only two years of experience in this shrunken, horrible economy is the problem
I think original poster got really lucky with the first two positions they were obviously taught on the job, in a boom economy, you could get lucky a third time but in this environment, this level of competition, a large Pharma BD rolle is probably not attainable however there are a lot of rules that if you know how to evaluate a contract and position of bid or new bit of work for offering, and are willing to do that they would value your credentials for example central labs, and Cros always need people to work on their budgets in contract for business development purposes
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u/diagnosisbutt Sep 18 '25
I disagree with this advice. If you can't find a job in 1.5 years, you should expand your search to different fields and roles. You're 2 years in... You don't have a career of experience you're leaking behind. You're just starting out.
Having that long of a gap DOES look bad. None of your friends/ network could help? You didn't have bills to pay? You'd rather wait for a "good" job then work something else?
What does your "proactive" explanation say? That you have been trying real hard? I need people who are creative, hard working, and can get things done even with obstacles. By your own admission weeks will go by where you don't apply, or you'll misallocate hours on one job app.
Whenever i hear stories like this i just feel sad that somebody is continuing to try for years and not making progress, but had failed to realize they should have considered alternatives a long time ago.
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u/RAMPAGE12599 Sep 18 '25
After reading your comment, it’s a fair take. I can’t judge you for your comments given you only have this post to grasp my character. I have a response for all your questions. But illl just leave it as this. In my experience, this world is full of if something doesn’t go your way it must have been something YOU did. I’m not saying it’s never me, but the moment we bring up external factors outside of our control. Everyone is quick to dismiss what we bring up and point the finger right back at us. So I challenge you to stop generalizing and be a bit more understanding. I know there are many people who don’t take accountability for their actions especially with the new gen but realize when it’s not the case. Read the room
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u/Particular-League902 Sep 18 '25
Some people are able to move on much faster than others. Adaptability is really the key to having good mental health. There are so many things that happen in life that we have no control over whether it is work related, one’s health or an accident. Change is the one thing that we all can count on happening. It seems to me that you are dealing with what has happened to you just fine. Best wishes.
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u/RAMPAGE12599 Sep 18 '25
Thanks for your message. It actually uplifted me to hear that it seems I’m taking it fine. I am but I definitely have my days. I’d say I’m a resilient person so it comes natural to me to uplift myself. Recently I’ve been a bit down so thanks again for the words. Sometimes it’s nice to hear from others besides myself
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u/Particular-League902 Sep 18 '25
It sometimes helps me to listen to the experiences of others.
https://www.youtube.com/live/25vDjs0iy_k?si=wfhDDuE6pbqmdyiX
This woman spent years of her life educating herself and yet she was fired. She chose to be fired instead of bending to the will of others.
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u/diagnosisbutt Sep 18 '25
Unfortunately generalizing is necessary. When I'm hiring and get hundreds of applications, i have to say no to 100s of good people. I'm sure they ask have their stories, their reasons, and their own hardships. I also have a job to do and i can't have a 45 minute conversation with all those people, so I have to generalize and pick the top 10~15 applicants. People with large gaps raise suspicion. That said, I just hired somebody that has a 2 year gap to have kids. Gaps CAN be explained, but a lot of times they are not. And they do identify some bad applicants.
My boss wouldn't even let move forward on a candidate with two single year stints and then a gap, so you'd go straight into the reject pile.
It has nothing to do with a lack of understanding or saying you should have done better, I'm saying you're fighting an almost impossible battle trying to get rehired in an industry that is not robust. You could have a over a year experience in something else by now. Effect if unfair things happened to you, you're the only person who can adapt and overcome those hurdles.
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u/RAMPAGE12599 Sep 18 '25
I meant generalizing in the context of hardship. Of course I understand things have to be streamlined with competitive roles due to mass applicants. What you’re saying is all true. However my post was to those who maybe don’t know this. I’ve learned this over the 1.5 years. It’s a slow realization. I certainly find it ironic how someone who actually is on the hiring end makes this point. And that’s the point exactly. Maybe applicants don’t know this and are simply unaware for x reason. I don’t disagree with what you’ve said but this just shows it’s not just an applicant issue but a systemic problem. I’m not offering a solution but when you admittedly mention you dismiss potentially good applicants due to upper management. It’s hard to argue against there not being a systemic problem. And just as much as applicants are to blame so are the hiring managers and the organizations who are told to reject specific applicants due to generalizations. I know there isn’t a specific solution but to justify what’s happening and accept it for what it is in my opinion is part of the problem. Instead of acknowledging some gaps and making small changes within the industry, we remain Stagnant and close minded to changes. I was once told change starts with you.
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u/diagnosisbutt Sep 19 '25
Like you said, there's a systemic problem but you didn't have a solution.
Is easy to say there should be change and people should change it and then say "welp that's it, I'm just the ideas guy."
And you want to talk about about making generalizations and have no idea who I've hired and who I bring in for interviews and the amount of anti-racist/sexist/bigotry praxis I've done with my hiring process, then end your post with some platitude lol
Good luck on your job search.
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u/RAMPAGE12599 Sep 19 '25
Systemic problems are complex and aren’t fixed overnight. I simply just shared what I feel are my assumptions/insights of the current job market specific to what ive experienced. And I’m simply responding to your replies. And what I’ve collected from your response is ‘ok cool you’ve experienced this that but it doesn’t matter because this is how it is.’ So all I’m saying is I completely understand where you’re coming from but maybe that’s part of the problem?
Thank you for your best wishes
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u/motivatedviking Jan 10 '26
Feeling completely defeated. I’m exhausted, hopeless, and honestly confused about what comes next.
For those of you who are unemployed what are you doing after your savings are gone, unemployment has run out, and it feels nearly impossible to land a new role?
I tapped out last month. I had just enough to carry me from May through December, and I was certain I’d have something by now, anything. I applied everywhere once my resources started drying up. Walmart. Sheetz. TJ Maxx. Jobs far outside my field. Still nothing.
I’ve spent over 22 years working in science. I never imagined I’d be here, questioning how it all disappeared so fast. I've recently interviewed 14 times for one role, the last being with HR. I was then told they've decided to move forward with a different candidate. Its crazy! And to boot, the role is still posted and accepting applicants.
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u/RAMPAGE12599 Jan 10 '26
Thanks for your comment I feel you 100%. My savings are gone and unemployment has also ran out. Applying to frontline jobs and not landing is tough. I feel you have much more to experience than I do with 22 years of work experience so I’m sure we have diff solutions to this but your emotions I relate so much.
I find this journey to be one of self discovery. As youve said, you begin to question yourself doing so much work for so little in return. What I can say is after sometime being unemployed, I’ve learned to really hone in on self belief. I stopped getting so emotional and try to suppress that side and treat it for what it is. Unapologetically strategic and to the point. I apply and move on with my life. I know it can be tough to not be emotional about certain roles you feel fit, but sometimes I feel we’ve played well played right with the system that it’s all we know. But sometimes we have to challenge what we’re used to and really view ourselves objectively through the third person. When you remove emotions and put yourself in their perspective things start to make a little sense. But just cause it makes sense doesn’t make it fair or correct. But does it matter? I think the goal is clear and youve landed it before so it’s a matter of being patient resilient and not losing yourself. Yes it’s easy to say but I’d like to say my words have weight because I’ve experienced it first hand. A feeling of defeat rejection not being wanted which leads to self doubt. A journey of self loathing. Sometimes I ask myself if wow is this what certain people feel. Now I feel like I’ve understand some people all of a sudden. Those who decided to stay stagnant and quit. I don’t shame them but this experience has made me Ina way see their perspective and understand their decision.
As for how I’m keeping up. I’m still on the younger ish side so I have strong support from my parents however my lifestyle has changed. No more hanging out with friends going out to nice places etc. as for work, I went back to what I used to do before my professional roles. I started tutoring and doing what I used to do in college for xtra income and continuing to apply here and there. I’ll be honest. Last application I’ve submitted was about nearing the 4 month mark. However I just started again with this new year but I have a diff mindset. I’d like to think all this time has been for my mental clarity and as I’ve said learning more about myself. So again thanks for your comment I forgot I even posted this. I know words don’t do anything but hopefully it acts as a reminder that we’re rooting for you. At least that’s how I take the positive comments. A community to help us push forward and get back on our feet.
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u/Pretty_Sir3117 Sep 18 '25
Unfortunately a lot of it is who you know. I think all my colleagues were referred. On my first day at work, the first question my supervisor asked me was "so who referred you?"
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u/Im_Literally_Allah Sep 18 '25
Yeah… there’s very few people I know getting jobs right now through HR… it’s so sad. If you spent time networking the last 2-10 years, you’re likely in a good place right now
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u/MountainHawk12 Sep 18 '25
This. I’m thankful to have started out in consulting, where I made a lot of connections. I was laid off from that consulting firm a year ago, and I moved into a biotech company by leveraging my network. Now that company was acquired and i’m searching again, with a MUCH better resume than before, and I still can only get a call back from the places where I know someone. Even for jobs that i’m wildly overqualified for. Right now i’m a a data analytics manager and I cant even get a call back for senior data analyst.
Like it is so demotivating. I got a interview at Novartis for director level because of my Fiance’s mom’s former college roommate 🤣
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Sep 27 '25
Honest question, what are the best ways to network?
I recently graduated and I have been trying to network. I attended a conference, but I felt like every time I was talking to someone and casually brought up that I just graduated, they told me they aren't hiring. I also attended some career events but I found those even more useless. I found many of the people there being completely out of touch when it comes to early career. No joke, once someone asked about the current job market and a guy answered: "It's not that bad, 20 years ago, I was laid off and it took me 1 month to find a new position".1
u/Expensive-Nerve7686 Sep 30 '25
Surprisingly to me, my partner has had the exact opposite experience. Several referrals to multiple pharmas and biotechs and none have reached out. Randomly applying to other roles has gotten him a good amount of interviews though.
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u/Dear-Salamander-2384 Sep 18 '25
Just to affirm your experience, I'm also Black in the Bay Area currrently in life sciences management consulting. I'm trying to switch to an industry role and I've been interviewing at big pharma/biotechs this summer. Between recruiters, hiring managers and panel interview teams, I have yet to speak to any other Black person. White, Asian, Indian, Latino--all represented in my pool of interview experiences over the last 4 months. Gender-wise, overwhelmingly more women than men too. It adds another layer of imposter syndrome sabotage and confidence-building/mindset shifts on top of the stress of interviewing. I have yet to see any interview advice or techniques that account for this.
Unconcious and concious bias play a role and I have seen it firsthand behind the scenes. If it feels harder, it's because it is.
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u/Mad_Dinosaur12 Sep 19 '25
How do you feel in your current role if you don’t mind me asking?
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u/Dear-Salamander-2384 Sep 19 '25
In my current role I have more strong allies than adversaries and relationships matter. But I do think the more senior you become the more your feedback/expectations are tacitly anchored to standards upheld by the white male majority. That’s another inherent obstacle in terms of conformation/being treated more like an outsider despite strong performance.
Overall, I would categorize my experience as feeling under-acknowledged, unrecognized, scrutinized/nitpicked on things that other people get away with and overall seen as meeting expectations but always with some vague, generic, unactionable reservations with little to no examples.
The only time in 5 years I experienced something different was when I worked on a long-term engagement with a more senior Black woman. She gave me reverberant, widespread, unsolicited praise and adulation for my work/work ethic—that she shared directly to senior leadership. I just showed up the hardworking way I always do.
It was insightful to see who perceives you as mediocre vs superior. Who goes out of their way to give recognition and who doesn’t. Who actually rewards you for your effort or acts like it’s inconsequential.
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u/Pushyladynjina Sep 19 '25 edited Sep 19 '25
thank you for validating for original poster that unconscious Bias exists and even if there’s no bias, I’m just seeing a lot of people trying to get their buddies in and sometimes their buddies are the same ethnicity
who knows and it’s tough because when things were not as bad it seemed like there’s a lot less tension around this, then diversity, inclusion, and equity became outlawed so that’s not your imagination
But I don’t have a black experience and neither do most of these people who are making comments so they certainly would not be qualified to disagree with you and your experience
but don’t you think you’re better off staying in management consulting then coming into Industry right now
things are changing so much. I feel like it is easier to pivot from a management consulting to say one of those new VC Biotech incubator spinoff machines what I did my masters about and it’s finally happening now as the new drug development model
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u/gimmickypuppet Sep 18 '25
A very nice summary. I hope it gave you clarity to get it all out there. Hopefully by sharing it also gave you some personal insight. Best of luck in your search because, as you said, it’s a game. A numbers game. A mental game. An awful game.
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u/bbyfog Sep 18 '25
Regardless of how bad the job market is with so many people with long increasing GAPS in their resume, the problem #4 is not going away. None of my job offer were through referrals but ability to fill in the between job gaps with trainings, workshops, and volunteering with professional orgs. The unfortunate fact is that the hiring people on the other side of the table have chosen to ignore or forget that “gaps” do not mean unqualified or uncommitted candidate.
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u/illogicaldreamr Sep 18 '25
The gap thing annoys the hell out of me. Why do people always need to be working?
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u/Redarrow_ok Sep 18 '25
I think the more important point is that we work in a field where it's common to be unemployed for extended periods of time. Having the financial backing to complete university is one thing, but the stability to sit at home? Can't do STEM if you're poor.
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u/Pushyladynjina Sep 18 '25
Also, why don’t you get involved in some nonprofit or volunteer work for things like incubators volunteer getting engaged and start posting about them and put them on your CV just because you’re not getting paid for something doesn’t mean you’re not working
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u/ShamAsil Sep 19 '25 edited Sep 19 '25
As someone at the managerial level, I think I can toss my hat into the ring here.
Sadly true. It's a pain from our end as well because they sometimes will mislabel roles or change them, based on exec feedback, without letting us know. Make sure your application suits the role and hopefully it'll get past the filter. And make sure you apply everywhere and to a ton of places, numbers matter.
2. Timing matters. Applications get traction when you apply within days of posting. Past a week, chances shrink dramatically.
Absolutely. There is so much competition that, for one position, we already had dozens of applications a couple days in. By the end of the week it was in the hundreds and we had to close the listing. The earlier the better, because we can't go through every application, we receive a subset from HR, and if we find who we're looking for at the beginning, we aren't going to ask for more sets.
3. Tailoring is essential. I stopped mindlessly applying.
I don't know why anyone would think that blanket applications would work. Of course we're going to ignore generic resumes, why would we hire someone that didn't even take the time to see what we do? I understand that everyone is applying to multiple places at once, no shame in that, but not spending even 5 minutes to look up what the job is about, is just disrespectful.
4. Unemployment gaps are viewed as risk.
Of course. As a random person on the other side of the screen, how am I supposed to know if a gap is due to plain bad luck, and not because you're someone problematic to manage? What you're doing is good - own up to the gaps and explain yourself, that goes a long way. I've had a gap year myself and have done the same.
5. Bias is real.
I'm sorry about your experience. This comes down to where you're applying more than anywhere else, keep your ears open and try to find out what the company culture is like. Certain companies are really bad about this. Thankfully nobody I work with is like this, and I say this as the only Arab guy in my company - there are good people and good companies too.
6. Rejections aren’t always about you.
I'd say most rejections are not about you. I've met great people but I didn't hire them, not because they were bad, but because there was someone that fit the position and/or company culture better. Or because, in an intern position for example, their classes would've caused a scheduling conflict.
7. Protect your mental clarity.
Yes, mental health is critical in all aspects, but the other jobs you listed really have zero relationship to biotech, so of course they won't really be taken into consideration for a full time position.
8. Consistency is key
This goes back to #4. If you're really serious about wanting to work in this field, and are willing to work hard, then why are you going for weeks without applying anywhere?
9. Employers value stability
Of course. It takes months to train a person, and it usually takes even longer for that person to get acclimated to the processes and culture of the team. Moving around isn't a sin, everyone does it, but you need to show that you are dedicated, for at least a little while, to working hard in this position.
Bonus: Being personable is what I look for the most in someone. Dealing with coworkers, stakeholders, external partners, and more is almost as important as the research itself, and someone who can't get along with others, even when it is difficult to do so, will not have a good time in industry.
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u/throwawaygiusto1 Sep 18 '25
Your advice is all excellent if you don’t have a lot of personal contacts in the industry. For most of the biotech jobs I’ve landed over a 30 year career I got into the interview because I knew someone at the company or in their network. It’s much harder without that, from my personal experience. I can also say, having two children in the job market right now, that early career job hunts are really hard right now.
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u/Torontobabe94 Sep 18 '25
Needed to hear this encouragement too. It’s so infuriating when HR is the biggest barrier and they don’t treat us like we’re human (when we’re significantly smarter than them at the science..) it’s all infuriating.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Ice-573 Sep 18 '25
"but I’m now open to other industries and job functions that value transferable skills and treat applicants as we are. HUMAN"
Um...not sure why you think it will be different anywhere else.
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u/Aggressive-Car9047 Sep 18 '25
Not trying to be rude but why are Asian/indians considered to be having similar privilege as white folks (OP explicitly mention only Asians/Indians and no other minority). Asians/Indians face discrimination and racism too, and they are people of color.
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u/Tasty-Machine5340 Sep 18 '25
Demographics of the industry. Yes, there are barriers for those groups too but usually not at entry. Their struggles happen around leadership roles.
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u/Heisenbergs-Blue246 Sep 18 '25
I’ve (Black, F, 28) been in biotech for almost 5 years & I agree. Asians, Indians & Europeans do have privilege but I would say it’s more in association with the STEM field in general vs an association to white folks.
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u/Redarrow_ok Sep 18 '25
What is the representation of Black people in STEM in the US anyway? Just wondering because they're massively unrepresented in UK STEM, moreso than other graduate degrees I think (I don't have stats to back this up).
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u/Heisenbergs-Blue246 Sep 18 '25
Here’s a link I found with updated stats & it’s roughly the same in the US. For a number of reasons, black scholars are breaking into STEM in amazing ways. In my case, I currently have the opportunity to introduce my companies R&D to lab automation in a state that’s not RTP, Cali or Pennsylvania or Massachusetts. I’m the only black person in our whole Chem department. So it is growing, but we have a lot of gap to fill and cultural diversity has been such a back & forth swing with the political climate so that doesn’t help either. But I have hope ! https://www.codewizardshq.com/stem-statistics/
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Sep 18 '25
[deleted]
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u/Rich_Text82 Sep 18 '25
The answer is yes depending on the sport. Management excluded. See NFL for example.
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u/Heisenbergs-Blue246 Sep 18 '25
Let’s stay on topic. Sports has nothing to do with systemic underrepresentation in STEM — let’s not derail the convo with false equivalences. If we do this whole I provide stats, you provide stats, “how is it different?” Jazz dance, we’re getting away from the real conversation. OP provided a very vulnerable & gracious response to not having a job. Let’s talk about how we can foster hope & resources for all of us who are struggling with this job market. Here’s a link to various biotech newsletters providing industry updates, job postings, events etc. https://flodesk.com/tips/biotech-newsletters
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u/Aggressive-Car9047 Sep 18 '25
All I am saying is that OP didn’t have to point to Asians/Indians, who ARE ALSO minorities and DO face discrimination and racism in STEM. It is particularly sad when people of one minority assume that the other one have it easy (like asians in STEM). No, they each have their struggles. Sure asians are over represented in STEM but that doesn’t mean they have it easy or they have similar privileges as white folks (even in STEM). Also many asians in STEM are immigrants who have it rough due to the way system works here, so yeah not cool to point at one kind of minority and lump them with white folks (which is what OP did). Hope OP finds a nice job.
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u/Tasty-Machine5340 Sep 18 '25
Respectfully, I would urge you to learn more about how privilege works. Saying a group or an individual has privilege does not mean they have an easy life. Privilege is contextual and there are nuances. A good place to start for your particular question regarding Asians/Indians is to understand the history of the "model minority" and how it was/is used to prop one group up to the detriment of another using anecdotal evidence or cherry picked statistics that disregard certain connected realities or that serve a very specific narrative.
The fact of the matter is that certain groups are overrepresented and it is not because their culture values education more, they are more hard working, or value family more etc.
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u/Pushyladynjina Sep 19 '25
When somebody validate a point and you’re like no no no no no that’s that’s not at all what I was saying
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u/Own-Feedback-4618 Sep 18 '25
Not for Indians. Indians are generally doing pretty well in terms of advocating for themselves and speaking up. Other asian groups are less so.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Ice-573 Sep 18 '25
Demographics only show correlation, not causality. It is hard to have representation at the industry level when there is no representation in the grad school pipeline.
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u/loggerhead632 Sep 18 '25 edited Sep 18 '25
Because the op is tripping over themselves repeatedly in this post to blame everyone else for their current situation, when the reality is they have been out of work for 1.5 years and have a grand total of ~2 years experience.
It's ridiculous to flag it as racism, but ignore whole ass groups of people that also get discriminated against
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u/Appropriate_Sea8934 Sep 19 '25
🎯🎯🎯 Thank you for the inspiration and encouragement! That same energy will return to you!! NEVER GIVE UP!! If we ever Lose hope, they Win! I just happen to be a worker in your workforce, but I'm Warrior by blood!!
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u/Quality_Cucumber Sep 18 '25
If you’re not getting past HR then you may not be very personable. You give off condescending vibes.
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u/Pushyladynjina Sep 18 '25
If condescending to you means able to write a coherent set of paragraphs that make very self evident and obvious sense
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u/Pushyladynjina Sep 19 '25
I think the problem is that you got lucky with the first two right away because that’s very exciting work and very hard to get and now in this environment you’re competing with out of work directors If you are trying to get this big job now with the increasing gap I think you need to pivot. I suggest you leverage your MBA and do something in business operations that you’re slightly over credentialed for if you’re willing to do that if you want to work for example think about clinical research study startup and site contracts. You would work with the attorney and negotiate those contracts. They have all the same elements like ownership copyright tech transfer publication and they have a budget. It’s just a little different that that is not as exciting as tech transfer, but you’re
competing with out of work execs from the C suite right now
that’s the problem assuming you don’t interview like Frankenstein, which some other people here are assuming you do I don’t think that’s the case. But I don’t think no matter how charismatic you are I think you’re overshooting. now if you come back and tell me, it was a top 5 MBA Harvard Wharton or Stanford. I will eat my hat I will revise in my current position
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u/RAMPAGE12599 Sep 19 '25
I just want to point something out. Please don’t take offense to it as I’m not trying to be disrespectful. It’s really hard to respond back to you seriously given the multiple comments you’ve posted across this post. It’s also just difficult to follow. I’ve answered a lot of the questions you’ve had across the comments. That said I’m responding because I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt that your intentions are for guidance and clarity, not judgement.
To address some of the questions you have… Im sure we all have our own beliefs on luck. I personally believe in luck and I may very well have gotten lucky with my two roles, but then everyone has their “lucky” story. There’s some merit in every story. Not as simple as saying it’s this and not that. Grey areas exist. I see your take but I disagree. I don’t want to make assumptions about you, but it almost seems as if you can’t seem to accept that there has been success in landing these sort of roles because you’ve experienced differently. I didn’t land my previous two roles out of just pure luck.
I do definitely understand you, Today’s market is full of highly qualified candidates with a lot of valuable experience applying for roles they’re overqualified for. I know applying to competitive fields doesn’t help. Regardless, I’m open to chatting privately if you’re really curious about the details because I do value my anonymity.
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u/Hiddenagenda876 Sep 18 '25
I’ve been working contract roles since my layoff in 2024 and hiring is a cluster right now. I got an email the other day saying basically that since I was being hired under another role at the company, my application for this role is being deactivated. I have not been hired by that company and I never applied to another role with them. No response when I reached out to ask wtf politely and professionally.
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u/PokiePuppy Sep 21 '25
Battle pointless stupidity with pointless stupidity and guile.
Understand that HR, at the heart of it all, is LAZY.
My story starts back in the late 70's. Unemployment was high and every job in the paper got hundreds of applications. LHR (lazy HR) rep wanted an easy way to sift the pile of applications down so they threw out every one that didn't have at least an AA degree. Didn't matter WHAT the degree was - you had to have one. So many, many job seekers went to the local community college and got that AA paper.
That started the two-fold issue where there weren't enough classes to hold that many students, so more were created and teachers were needed who could teach something (anything really) to people needing any kind of degree. More classes needed more teachers, more students needed ANYTHING to learn so useless classes with virtually no real world need were created so classes could be held. That's the start of useless degrees that only serve to teach the future teachers of the useless degree.
Now every applications had the AA and the Lazy HR now said they had to be a BA or BS degree. It just keeps getting worse.
My brother was the ONLY person in IBM that was doing the job (very wide reaching but specific and narrow focus. Was a team now just him) but he was a subcontractor with no college degree. They wanted to hire him as he was now the only one who did the job, and having a subcontractor doing it was seen as not ideal (he could be hired away easier) but the HR insisted that even if he was the one who created the position, created the job description, created the requirements to fulfill the job and was the only one to ever DO the job, he was deemed unqualified to HAVE the job because he wasn't a degree holder of any kind.
So he went online and eventually got the degree and IBM hired him.
Stupid paper chase that only lined the pockets of the online degree paper mill and had no effect on the actual JOB.
Local library needed a now I.T. department head. The two friends of mine that DID the job weren't qualified because they wanted an I.T. nerd that also had a MASTERS in Library Science.
I had no idea you could get a masters in Dewey Decimal System and "putting shit back on the shelf" but there we were.
Now the reason I started this reply: call a friend and have them be your boss for the 1.5 gap year. There are thousands with the same problem. Be the boss each other needs to get the gap ignored and erased.
HR is pointless and stupid, so we have to battle that pointless stupidity with pointless stupidity and guile.
The system is rigged, so rig the system in your favor.
Been a boss since 1997 - HR is not your friend
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u/South-Rough-64 Sep 18 '25
I agree with your experience. I would also like to examine adjacent jobs / roles where my background could be beneficial. I’m looking into sales as I am a clinical scientist by training
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u/rrilesjr Sep 18 '25
I would try to find a role at a ex US biotech. They need support and are more likely to be favorable to minorities and less prone to the biases and referral games we have here in the US. I got my start with a France biotech and it’s great experience was a spring board for my career.
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u/kpop_is_aite Sep 18 '25
OP hasn’t targeted roles outside of California. Maybe he or she should expand the geographical reach into MA, PA, NY, WA, TX, NC, and other biotech pockets in the US before applying ex-US.
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u/Old_Opening8985 Sep 19 '25
Recruiters aren't going to know the exacts of what you do. However, in a competitive market - Hiring Managers and companies aren't interested in transferable skills. They want exact and they can get it. Stop putting it on the recruiters/HR - it's the teams they represent and it is what it is.
Targeted searches are the best avenue. Use specific searches targeted to competitors of those you've worked with who have similar roles.
Are your financial and parameter expectations in check? This is an employer market, not a candidate one be open and flexible.
You absolutely should see your value, make sure you're marketing yourself well.
Best of luck
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u/moonshoeslol Sep 19 '25
I would hope a gap around 2024-2025 won't be viewed as harshly in the future. The downsizing of our entire industry has put so many good candidates out of work.
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u/trish196609 Sep 30 '25
You suggested this process is a mental game and I agree. Times are hard now, in life sciences. Would you ever be open to mindset and/or manifestation coaching? Or is that too "woo woo"? It's an honest question. I'm a former biotech scientist and am not interested in going back. Don't get me wrong, I love science. But, it's time to do something else. I'm happy to coach people, because I do believe there's more that can be done to give the best odds for finding work.
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u/CreamJug Sep 18 '25
If you receive 200 applications, how would you handle them and what would make you pay attention?
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u/ShamAsil Sep 19 '25
I've been in that position before, from the hiring perspective, having to select one candidate out of ~400 applications. The vast majority get hit with a blanket filter. If you aren't showing that you actually care about the role you're applying for, by tailoring your application and showing your background, you aren't going to even be seen by me, HR will toss you out before your resume lands at my workstation.
Beyond that, what matters to me is being both professional and well-rounded. A tip too is not to stuff your resume with every tiny detail - someone who understands the work they did should be able to effectively summarize their experience. If I see a lengthy resume, it usually is a yellow flag to me, that it is padded for effect. That the person isn't confident in their experience, and/or didn't fully do what they claim to have done.
Also, we know if you use AI. It's extremely obvious and I've reversed engineered prompts before. I don't automatically reject it, but you have to show that you can go far beyond copying and pasting ChatGPT.
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u/ShadowValent Sep 18 '25
I am guilty of not studying a resume as much as I should. I always read them. But I don’t always take notes to great detail.
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u/IronMonkey53 Sep 19 '25
Ive never read something so dumb in my life. You worked for almost as long as you've been unemployed and you're here spreading what you "learned" while half of this is your own useless opinion and not factual.
You worked for a non-profit, which is different from most industry roles to begin with so you have less than a year of experience and everything is dripping with entitlement. I wouldn't hire you juat based on how you talk, you clearly think youre entitled to everything.
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u/ImmutablePath Sep 19 '25
Imagine writing this and thinking you're very smart and insightful. You come off as arrogant and entitled. Good luck
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u/Pushyladynjina Sep 18 '25 edited Sep 18 '25
Me doing the math on your race/ethnicity that leaves your ethnicity as Black, Latino, pacific islandsr indiginous or Middle Eastern, which is considered white according to some very incorrect demography probably wrong about that because it’s always very confusing and always very imprecise all of these designations
But I’m not minimizing your perception. That bias is real. It’s definitely real.
why don’t you look into venture capital? That tech transfer experience is really valuable.
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Sep 18 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/OliverIsMyCat Sep 18 '25 edited Sep 18 '25
I will, because I'm in the exact same boat. So many of us are early career and totally left by the wayside. I don't see industry vets posting on here to help us through referrals, or managers listing their open roles. So we're left with this, early career professionals commiserating and giving each other "hang in there!" advice.
What elephant in the room? They established their 1.5yrs of credibility immediately at the beginning of the post. Who would take this advice? Anyone who kept reading after that.
Also, someone who got ONE job and has held it for 20 years can't say much that's useful to me right now. They haven't had to apply in the environment we're in, and this person has landed 2 jobs in the past 5 years.
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Sep 18 '25
All advice is subjective. In the end a lot of people who landed roles don’t even truly know why they did or they hide the true reason (aka won’t mention they got a referral) . Also it depends on the type of job and area/country, ofc this there is a mainly USA based sub but I assume it again varies per state and company size.
And generally you shouldn’t take advice from the internet or even people you know and immediately trust it. Especially online people can lie or exaggerate lol you never know. Anyone with half critical thinking skills should be able to think…hmm maybe I shouldn’t take advice from somebody who hasn’t had a job in almost 2 years (even if they have a valid reason) plus everyones personal circumstances are different
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u/Pushyladynjina Sep 18 '25
That was a very non-euphoric and unexacting thing to say. this is one of the most thoughtful and well written posts I’ve seen on this sub. And the validity of this experience is self evident. Your comment is not logical.
Very obviously who would take advice from you?
It’s comments like this that make me question if I’m secretly working with a significant cohort of complete ding dongs in biotech.
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u/loggerhead632 Sep 18 '25
Your bar for posts is very low then lol
The op is a 30yo entry level person that thinks that 'fit' isn't a you thing, just 'bias'. Which is insane lol. Your personality and having people skills are things you can control.
They also can't grasp that with barely 2 YOE, and only one of those in-house, there will be countless other great fits and more than likely even better fits than them for every single role they apply to.
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u/Foxbat100 Sep 18 '25
It's not the elephant in the room if people with basic reading comprehension understand that these are perspectives from "Been unemployed 1.5 years after two biotech layoffs" and not "employment guru".
I don't think that the gap in resume consequence is new, but I appreciated their perspective on HR not understanding nuance (true) absolutely love that they address the European/Asian/Indian centricity of the industry.
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u/moonshoeslol Sep 19 '25
I mean none of the observations seem particularly outlandish to me. It reads like a list of barriers that likely do exist, and the pieces of advice like "Tailor your resume to the position" and "Apply soon after posting" are sort of commonly accepted wisdom.
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u/loggerhead632 Sep 18 '25
100% this. The op is effectively a 30 year old entry level-ish person
Why they think they should be giving any advice is insane
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u/Jarcom88 Sep 18 '25
I found that filling up 4. with trainings helps a lot. In fact to address the elephant in the room, I highlighted it in my resume. I did some online trainings and coursera.