Searching Job In Biotech – What is the Right Time & How to Proceed
As a child, we wonder when we would grow up and be called as an adult. While we are in college, we wonder when our education would get over and we will begin a career. It is basic human nature to want to think of a stable career, an income, a reliable source of survival. What we fail to analyze is the penultimate after which we can start ‘Job hunting’. Is there a right time for it? Well, it all narrows down to what you want to do. If you are a science enthusiast and have chosen the field of Biotech, you must be aware of the opportunities it holds. Here is a short list to help you choose from. You can either
- become a Lecturer/Professor, or,
- a researcher,
- work in upstream or downstream processing in an industry
- associated with a pharmaceutical
- be a food enthusiast or a nutrition expert
- work with the government health department
- manage the workings in a Biotech project or Laboratory
- even want to set up your very own home-based industry.
Searching Job In Biotech sector is an art which you need
to master at an early stage, depending on when you want to start work. For eg- If you are a graduate student and want to start working right after your degree completion you need to plan for from 2nd year of the degree itself. Same applies to postgraduates & Ph.D. degree holders in Biotech. The only secret mantra is to start early.As a Biotech / Life Science Graduate
For achieving any of this, the basic education required is completing your Bachelor’s degree (B.Sc or B.Tech) in Biotechnology / Life Science. But is that enough to land you a successful and high paying career? To this question, you will find both positive and negative replies.
Let us take the upside for example. You are fresh out of college/university, brimming with enthusiasm and ideas, and are willing to work hard to get streamlined. This is the best time to do internships rather then Searching Job In biotech. Approach industry experts and scientists or professionals and ask them about the opportunities available in their institute. Do not worry about the pay yet! This is your career debut. When you choose to do an internship, you will be trained and mentored and you will learn a variety of techniques that will shape your skill sets. The people you meet, and the contacts you make, will help you in your career ahead. This is the time when you can learn the maximum, but this is also the time when you have to decide which domain you want to build your career in.
Many companies and government organizations release posts exclusively for freshers. The reason being, a fresher can be molded as required. New methodologies can be taught. They have high productivity. Search for these biotech jobs opportunities at Biotecnika, as they offer a decent pay scale, which helps you stand on your own feet. You must also keep track of the different competitive exams that are held. Often these certifications will help you to build your future path. Learn hands-on techniques, certify yourself, attend workshops and seminars. These will broaden your horizon.
Now, let us look at the downside of beginning a career, just after your Bachelor’s degree. The most important thing to remember is that once you start earning, returning back to the field of education becomes very difficult. It needs a lot of motivation and willpower. So, you must decide what you want to do for at least the next 10 years of life. If you have the intention of completing your Masters or getting a Ph.D., the expert advice would be, to get it done with the flow. Another aspect is that, once you begin working, you become restricted with your skillset. Your experience becomes domain restricted. This is both good and bad. It is good because the more experience you gather the faster you grow. But, it is bad since, you now have a narrower field of biotech job opportunity to choose from, firstly because you are just a graduate and secondly you are looking for a specific field. There is no doubt that you will grow in this path, but there will be a point where your growth may become stagnant. There is no need to worry. To improve your opportunity you must either improve your education credentials or your skillset.
As a Biotech / Life science Post-Graduate
So now, let us analyze what happens if you begin Searching Job In Biotech after you complete your Master’s degree. Well, now you are more eligible, you have mastered a certain domain. Your skills have evolved. There will be much more high paying opportunities to look for. Again, a lot of certifications and government employments begin when you have completed this degree. For example – CSIR NET, FSSAI.
Many pharmaceuticals will be willing to hire you based on the expertise you have gathered in your curriculum projects or internships. Again the downside is, do not begin your career now if you are, in the immediate future, wish to get a Ph.D. degree. Firstly, because you will not wish to leave your job and study again. Secondly, a lot of institutes offering doctorate degree requires a commitment of minimum 5-7 years. Thirdly, in India, the major fellowships offered for the doctorate degree have age-restricted eligibility. If you are on the brink of that limit, qualifying, finding the suitable lab/guide, getting registered may make you ineligible in due course. If you cross the age limit, you may find low stipend Ph.D., or you even may be deemed ineligible at many places. However, there are exceptions. So, think through and choose wisely. The later you begin this path, the more delay you bring to your stability.
If you do not wish to get a doctorate degree, then decide on which skill set or work area you desire to build your career on. If you are strong in concept and explain well then choose to be an educator. If you are health conscious and constantly advise your family on what to eat and what not, become a food safety officer. If you wish to spend more time near your family and earn simultaneously, save space in your home/terrace and begin mushroom cultivation. If you wish to help mankind’s treatment process, join a drug or a vaccine production based institute. There are a plethora of avenues to choose from. Decide what you are good at and what interests you. If you find passion in your work, it reduces down to a hobby.
As a Biotech / Life Science Doctorate
Suppose you have completed your doctorate and are very enthusiastic about research, choose to be a research associate or a postdoctoral fellow. They sound just like another degree but are equally potential job fields. You get paid well, with experience. If research is not your forte, no worries, a lot of institutes and government firms look for doctorates, for their R&Ds. The big brands and public sector units require none less than a doctorate for their scientist vacancies. Once you obtain this degree you even get faster promotions in the education industry.
Improve your chances Of Getting a Job
The best chance of Searching Job In biotech and landing yourself an interview is either when you are a complete fresher or when you have gathered years of experience. It is the group in the middle that face the most difficulty. What should be done at this junction? A lot of people are short-sighted and do not stick to one role for a long period of time. They prefer quick career/company switches to have a better salary hike. But that may seem fruitful for the time being, but definitely does not appear well on your CV. It shows that you are unable to commit to your employers. Do not keep switching your job and start searching for another for any arbitrary reason. Just the way you committed at completing your education, commit yourself to the job description you choose. Give it your 100%. Remember the stronger your CV, the better are your chances to grab your employer’s attention.
Now, the question is how do I strengthen my CV?
Now the most important aspect while searching Job In biotech is your CV. A recruiter will judge right from your basic education credentials. It is important for you to have a consistent academic record. An unjustifiable break in your education may hamper your chances of being the chosen one. But not all of us are able to keep up with this pace. It need not be a worry. When you look for a job opportunity in a particular career, try and master the strongest skill set, they require. For example, if you wish to join downstream processing or a quality control laboratory, learn about techniques like HPLC, Spectroscopy, NMR, etc. Get yourself certified, this will highlight your CV and you will have a chance to land that interview call. Never ever make a false claim on your CV. Whatever you are and can justify, use those skill sets to impress your employer. Try adding general skill sets to your CV. For example, if you are strong in computer handling, or have managed a team, or have taught/trained a group, etc. These add up as your personal skills.
Conclusion – The choice is yours
No matter which level you are, there is no person better than you to decide whether it is the right time for a job hunt when you should start Searching Job In Biotech. Sit back, discuss with your family, pinpoint the reason you want to start working and then make a decision. Is it because you want to experience? Is it because you want monetary support for your family? Or is it because you want recognition? Whatever it may be, remember, never to give into peer pressure. If you are doing this just to prove yourself to your class-mate who landed a biotech job and is using his income to spend left and right, just to show off, then don’t !! It may seem an inviting thought now, but you may regret the first wrong ‘yes, I accept’ for your entire life.
If you wish to study further, then do everything in your power to complete it with the flow with which you began. If you are worried about finances, try looking for scholarships and stipends for completing your degree.
No matter which path you choose, Biotech, being a booming industry, will always have an opportunity waiting just for you. Open your eyes, search behind the right doors and make the right decisions at the right time.
Always remember that a rolling stone gathers no moss !!
Keep pace in your life and either earn or learn while you are at it.
Where to look for a Biotech / Life Science Job Matching your CV?
For a decade, Biotecnika has been helping lakhs of students get their dream job in biotech or Life Science sector. Biotecnika is the No.1 Jobs, News & Career Advice Portal in India and is among the Top 50 biology websites in the World. Biotecnika’s Job alerts can be followed at our website – www.biotecnika.org, On WhatsApp – @95-35-888-233 On Instagram – @Biotecnika_Official, On facebook – @biotecnika, On Twitter @biotecnika. Also, you can subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest job openings both for freshers & experienced in the Biotech & Life science sector.
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See Also: Biotech Job Search Tips If You Are Not Getting Job Offers
most experienced senior team members of Biotecnika. Coming from a research background in cancer, she specializes in Cancer Genetics, Immunology & Developmental Biology. Her experience in the Ph.D. Exam & Selection field is vast. She has a keen interest in understanding the latest developments in Biotech & Pharma Industry and is very passionate about educating the same to her students. She is one of the favorites among her students.Keywords: Searching Job In biotech, Right time to Search Job In biotech, Graduate Biotech Job Search, Postgraduate biotech Job search, PhD Biotech Job search, Graduate Life science job search, Postgraduate life science job search, PhD Life science job search.
