Resumes for industry scientist job applications

Resumes for industry scientist job applications

4/18/16

Bill Lindstaedt Executive Director Career Advancement, International and Postdoctoral Scholars

How to read a job description

4/18/16 Presentation Title and/or Sub Brand Name Here 2

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Overview of Hiring Process

Human Resources (HR) •  Is the candidate a general fit for the position description? •  Cover letter (10 sec); resume (20 sec)

Hiring Manager (HM) • General fit? •  Cover letter (10 sec); resume (1-2 min)

Phone Interview(s) with HR &/or HM •  Screen for confirmation. •  Invite you for an in-person interview?

In-Person Interview • Meet with HM • May meet with potential colleagues, HR, &/or leadership •  Possible job talk

Cover Letters & Resumes for U.S. Research Scientist Positions in Biotech Industry


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Human Resources

Hiring Manager

Phone Interview

100 applicants Most not qualified

30 applicants

3-5 finalists

1 new employee

3-7 applicants

In-Person


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§  General resume – for networking purposes only

§  Cover letter draft – tailor for each job description

§  Job application resumes – your general resume tailored for each individual job description

§  Business cards – for networking/interviewingØ Feature your background not just your status:

Betty Smith, PhD Joe Jones Cancer Biologist PhD Candidate, Immunology

Application materials needed:


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CVs vs Resumes

Curriculum Vitae (Academia) •  Unlimited length

•  Complete academic history

•  No “Profile” or “objective”

•  Tailored to type of position

•  Organized using expected section headings & content

•  Just the facts

•  Cover letter and references: Critical role

Resume (Industry scientist) • 1-3 Pages, plus pubs

• Selected history

•  Begins with “Profile”

•  Tailored to each individual position

• Organized with highly-tailored section headings & content

• Self-promotion expected • Cover letter and references: Less important, reference omitted


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Sections of a Resume §  Heading: Name, address, phone (not lab), email, website, visa status if PR

§  Profile or Summary or Highlights§  Education§  Various “Experience” Sections – Research, Teaching, Mentoring,

Leadership and Supervision, Industry, Community Service, Writing, Business

§  Skills or Techniques – categorized list

§  Awards – describe if not obvious

§  Presentations and Publications at end§  Generally no references, or “References available upon request”


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§ Start with your generic resume§ Carefully read the job description§ Make a list: If you were the screener, what criteria must you

see on the ideal resume?§ Edit the Profile section of your generic resume to fit the list of

screening criteria, as nearly as possible§ Edit the following sections of your generic resume so that the

claims in your Profile section are clearly supportedØ  Research ExperienceØ  Skills/TechniquesØ  Publications/PresentationsØ  Extra sections that support soft skills mentioned in Profile

How to tailor your resume for specific, posted job descriptions


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Non-academic Job Search – Marketing yourself with your resume Make sense of your background and skills for HR and Scientists…1.  Include a Skills/Techniques section2.  Use the 3-bullet format to write about your research

Ø  What’s the big question you’re trying to answer?

Ø  How are you trying to answer it? What methods? What approaches are you taking?

Ø  Accomplishments…What interesting things have you found? Might you find? What are the potential applications of this research?

v The meaning of a “good technical fit”



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Non-academic Job Search – Marketing yourself with your resume Use a Summary section or Profile section: §  First section of industry resume§  Purpose 1: “hook” to catch interest (scientist reader)§  Purpose 2: Quickly demonstrate match between position

requirements and your qualifications (HR reader)§  Useful format:

Ø  One or two line statement that classifies and sub-classifies you, followed by bulleted text that fits job description

§  ONLY include items that will help convince the reader you are a fit for the job description

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The job ad informs your Summary/ProfileScientist – Protein Chemist ….We are seeking a highly motivated PhD scientist to join our Technology Development Team… The Technology Development team is seeking a uniquely qualified individual to establish a new project that combines our chemical synthesis core technology with state of the art combinatorial peptide methods. Requirements: -PhD in Biochemistry -2-5 years of experience in industry or a combination of industry and related postdoctoral experience -Experience with structural biology, NMR or X-ray crystallography is a plus -Background in folding and purification of proteins is highly desirable -The job entails both bench work and management skills -The job demands excellent communication skills, writing skills and the ability to work in teams

Non-academic Job Search – Marketing yourself with your resume


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Ch’en Shu

Dept. of Biochemistry & Biophysics Phone: (415) 111-2222 (H) Box 000 (415) 333-4444 (W) University of California at San Francisco e-mail: [email protected] San Francisco, CA 94143

PROFILE

Protein biochemist with 5 years postdoctoral experience and 3 years industrial experience

§ Successful bench scientist with strong publication record

§ Extensive experience working in chemistry and structural biology

§ Project management experience in industrial settings and academic settings

§ Excellent communication and writing skills developed by managing my own successful startup company


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Ch’en Shu

Dept. of Biochemistry & Biophysics Phone: (415) 111-2222 (H) Box 000 (415) 333-4444 (W) University of California at San Francisco e-mail: [email protected] San Francisco, CA 94143

PROFILE

Protein chemist with more than 5 years combined post-doctoral experience in industry and academic settings

§ Extensive background in chemistry and structural biology

§ Protein purification experience

§ Experience with NMR and X-ray crystallography

§ Excellent communication, teamwork and writing skills developed through previous industry position, bench and management duties



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Resume Formatting – Website apps

MOST IMPORTANT DIVIDER Next Most Important Next Most Important Least Important

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO; 1999-Present Postdoctoral Fellow, Laboratory of Dr. R. U. Ready *Developed novel…resulted in 17 publications in Cell…

CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY, Cleveland, OH; 1995-1999 PhD Candidate, Laboratory of Dr. I. Rule *Initiated discovery of…


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§ Start with your generic resume§ Carefully read the job description§ Make a list: If you were the screener, what criteria must you

see on the ideal resume?§ Edit the Profile section of your generic resume to fit the list of

screening criteria, as nearly as possible§ Edit the following sections of your generic resume so that the

claims in your Profile section are clearly supportedØ  Research ExperienceØ  Skills/TechniquesØ  Publications/PresentationsØ  Extra sections that support soft skills mentioned in Profile

How to tailor your resume for specific, posted job descriptions


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career.ucsf.eduØ  PhD’sØ  Non-academic Careers: CV’s, Resumes and Cover Letters

Review samples of successful Ph.D. resumes targeted at industry research jobs:



Non-academic Cover Letters

Main goal for a cover letter:

•  Get the reader to review your resume more carefully

Two ways to accomplish the goal:

•  Impress the reader with your knowledge of company and position, and why you want the position

•  Impress the reader by highlighting some unique qualifications

TIP for improving application success:

•  Always apply online, then also write to a scientist or other person with your background/goals at a company, addressed by name…a “2nd application”


Non-academic Cover Letters

Three-four paragraphs:

1.   Indicate why you are writing – include specific job title

2-3. Indicate why you are interested in that position. Why you are a good fit for that position and that company.

4. Refer to your enclosed resume


Send a “2nd Application to a specialist/scientist within the company Sample letter for your “2nd Application” to a scientist

Dear Dr. Adams: I have been reading with interest about the scientific developments at Abgenix. And

because of my background in XYZ, I have been reading with particular interest the fascinating work that you have been doing in the area of XYZ.

I recently noticed a job posting on the Abgenix website for a Protein Chemist (Job #112345J), for which I feel I am very well qualified. I have already applied on line to the Human Resources website but I was wondering if you would be willing to also send my attached resume on to the scientist who is hiring for the Protein Chemist position? Or, if you are the hiring scientist, I hope you will read my resume and consider contacting me for an interview!

Thank you for your assistance. Sincerely, Fred Jones Dept. of Immunology UCSF 415-555-5555 [email protected]

Documents

Resumes for industry scientist job applications