Networking- go meet some strangers!

I'm learning a lot of things about networking these days.  I'm trying to be clear about what I need (a job, preferably on the West Coast) and what I have to offer (great technical background, and a Ph.D. in molecular biology) to all kinds of people: people who can help, people I don't think can help but let me practice my spiel, people I don't know- ALL kinds of people.  Very rarely (um, not yet once?) has anyone said, OMG, really?  Because we've been totally looking for a molecular virologist/blogger to start ASAP!  And that's ok, I'm really not expecting job offers to show up at cocktail parties. 

That being said, there is something to getting out there and mingling.  This fantastic networking story came while I was visiting my brother in Austin TX.  Austin is about the only place in Texas I would consider living, it's fun and my brother is there, but... it is crazy hot, and us Alaskans melt.  When he dragged me out to a Roller Derby Party, I was certainly not thinking too hard about launching a career there.  But he mentioned to the stylish group of girls that I was here because I'm free for employment!  Anyone need a newly minted Ph.D.?  Which of course prompted our host to ask, what is your Ph.D. in?  And I said, sheepishly, because these grrls are all tough and I am clearly bringing the dork to the party scene, "Oh, molecular virology.  I've been doing drug discovery, so I thought I'd find a job in pharma..." Which prompted this Betty Paige look alike across the room to say, "You want a lab job?  Let me give you my card, Life Technologies is hiring..."  AND THEN later, when we were laughing about Roller Derby was the key to the Austin Biotech market, the girl I was sitting next to said, "Actually, I work for a firm that does educational science publications..."  And of course they hire occasional freelance/contractors.  Brilliant!  (I should probably mention that although my sister-in-law considers most of these girls to be friends, she knows them all by pseudonym, so it isn't surprising to not know what their day jobs are.)

If nothing else, this just proves that it was a good idea to get myself some business cards printed.

Interviews in Biofuels

One of the fields that has been suggested as a place ripe for hiring is biofuels- you know, the industry sprouting up around turning algal lipids into diesel, plastics and biomass for ethanol.  This is a fairly young field that is expected to grow a lot- and there is bio in the name.  Clearly there is a need for biologists, right?  Well, when you start looking at companies that actually do this type of work, it's hard not to think they needs engineers and algae wranglers, is there any need for a molecular biologist in this market?

I made two phone calls, one to a start-up in BC, one to a well established company in Cambridge, MA.  And while the fundamentals of the field were the same for both, I heard really contrasting opinions about how to break in.  In both cases, I just introduced myself briefly, "I have a PhD in molecular biology, and a background in drug discovery.  The more I think about a career in Pharmacueticals though, the more I realize that saving lives puts a greater burden on our energy problems.  Biofuels seems like a remarkable way to address this.  What is the role for biologists in this industry?" "What are the biological challenges for this industry, and what skills are needed (that I might obtain in a postdoc) to address them?"

In my conversation with the start-up, the CEO explained to me that the challenge for this industry is not to find a way to convert lipids to biodiesel- that's been done.  It's to find ideal strains for making both the product and byproducts and coproducts that can make the expensive process of growing algae (or cyanobacteria) more lucrative. There are many commercially available strains, so a biologist needn't reinvent the wheel, but does have to learn about various metabolic and regulatory processes that might impact production.  He said for them it was more important that a biologist be willing to learn, work hard and takes risks than to already be an expert in algae metabolism.

In the more established company (~100 employees, ~30 biologists), he said that there were some people who came to the department after defending, but these were people with a background in synthetic biology, metabolic engineering or genetic regulation.  He encouraged someone of my background to to a postdoc with one of the leaders in these disciplines in order to make an easy transition into this industry.  In both cases, I think the advice reflects the culture of the company- the guy in Cambridge is swimming in highly qualified scientists.  The start-up in BC needs more folks willing to earn their success by their bootstraps.  Maybe there is a middle group somewhere for me- someone that needs a molecular biologist, willing to learn and excited about the industry.

What am I waiting for?

When I started job hunting, I was determined to find a job, and not a postdoc.  But in the back of my mind, I always knew if finding a job didn't work out, I'd decide to postdoc somewhere.  Now I am a "full time job hunter," thick in the ups and downs of finding positions, connecting with people, getting rejections and finding new ways to approach the job hunt.  It's pretty clear, right now, that this isn't going to be easy, but my impression is that finding a postdoc position won't be a cake walk either, and I'm feeling pretty invested in the industry route.

Yesterday I got turned down for a position that I thought I was a great fit for, as did the recruiter who matched me to the position.  He explained that I wasn't picked for an interview because there were candidates with a similar background but industry experience.  That got me thinking about the bleakness of the job market, and when I was going to eat my humble pie and strike out for a postdoc in academia.  What is going to be the sign that now is a bad time to be a job hunter and just focus on a steady income?  But really, I'm not in a rush.  I don't feel like I've exhausted every possibility.  I just need to get a bit creative. 

Today I've started looking for industrial postdocs- including one at an engineering firm- as well as jobs in biofuels.  Hopefully I'll have more to say about the biofuels industry soon, but if you are curious about this, follow the hashtag #biochat on twitter. 

Is having just a Ph.D. a non starter?

If you, like me, spend much (all) of your time looking at job postings, you have probably noticed a trend.  There are jobs for those with a BS, an MS or a PhD+postoc, but there is a surprising gap  in the number of jobs for people who just graduated, and want a job.  I am in the habit of contacting recruiters before I apply for a job, so I recently asked about a job for a person MS and a couple years of experience in drug discover (on average, that's me!  It would be perfect!)  The recruiter wrote back that unfortunately "the salary is not in line with that credential."  I wanted to write back "Lady!  The NIH wants to pay me $37K, I'll find a way to make do with whatever you are offering!" but I didn't because I am an adult.

I'm sure you've heard this rumor though: you can't get a job in industry unless you have post-doc experience (and it has to be the right post-doc experience, whatever that is). The friendly folks at Simply Biotech don't think it is impossible to be fit to an Associate Scientist position (read: Ph.D. + 0yrs).  I want to believe them, because they believe in me, but... I've started asking around.


I've started asking recruiters on LinkedIn "Does your company ever hire Ph.D.s without experience?" Check it out, I'm getting aggressive and networking.  Heck yes.  

The score so far: Novartis does not, and Kimberly-Clark and Cepheid do (in principle- neither has positions open today). I'll try to keep  you up to date as that score changes.  But the early results suggest that if not working freaks you out, get a post-doc.  It might be a while before a position opens up for you, new grads.

I reapplied for this job

This is probably a case study in "How to Apply for Jobs," so I am going to try and write this up objectively.  I applied for a job as a Scientist I (requires BS or MS +5yrs, it's a rural setting and I can do the assays, I figured why not) that required someone to validate pure proteins for clinical use.  There is a long write up about keeping records, working in a CLIA environment.  I tweaked the resume, and wrote a nice letter about how I am interested in this position, my background in drug discovery required me to validate lots of pure protein and I am really a good communicator. Sent it off.

The next week I tried to phone the recruiter, and left a message.

I finally got an email from him today, apologizing that while my resume is impressive, they were "looking for someone who can do SDS-PAGE, and check protein concentrations, but thanks for your interest."  I was appalled.  And then I thought, this is a guy who recruits predominately sales people, he has no idea that when I said "I've been optimizing protein purification for 7 years" it implies I've run SDS-PAGE.  So I checked my attitude, thanked him for clarifying the job requirements, told him that made me more confident I am an excellent fit for the job and asked him if he'd reconsider my application if I rewrote my resume.  He wrote back immediately and said, "Sure!"

So I rewrote my resume.  I have a short bulleted list of "Technical Aptitudes" that I update for each job, and I removed "protein purification" and added, "SDS-PAGE" and "Protein concentration." I added to my teaching experience when I had taught these techniques and bolded each time it came up.  Then I rewrote my letter.  "Thank you for reconsidering my application, as you can see, I am a serious asset, especially for the type of work your company does.  I've performed these assays with a level of expertise that allows me to train others.  The remaining assays that you perform that I have more limited experience in I am confident I can learn, because I have a Ph.D.  And years of experience.  In Summary, I am ideally suited to excel at this job, and I will happily discuss it with you further."  I hope it wasn't too defensive, but to write a letter for someone who really doesn't understand what the job requires, you gotta be really explicit. 

This is one reason checking out the recruiter on LinkedIn can help before you apply.  The job I applied for yesterday was going to be filled by a former Post-doc- Turn that jargon up to Stun!  This guy, not so much.  On the flip side, at this point, I'm much less interested in the job.  But I just couldn't take the idea that he thought I couldn't run a gel or do a Bradford.  Ouch. 

Perhaps the bigger moral here is to stay professional- I never would have known what was missing if I hadn't called, and he wouldn't have cared to reread my application if I have been a jerk about getting rejected.

Experiment 10:Meet with Recruiters

You may know I am targeting jobs out West.  Geography has certainly been a hurdle for my job hunt.  My network here doesn't know as much about opportunities on the other side of the country, and I think employers don't take me as seriously since I am not nearby.  This is one reason I've been using online technologies to connect with companies, jobs and recruiters- I know I won't just be running into these people otherwise.  I've also taken to removing my address from my resume ( I replaced it with my LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/molecularvirologist  Please connect if you read the blog!)  I've acquired a Google voice phone number in the San Diego area, which should complement my actual cell phone number in WA.  And, I am constantly escalating my view of what counts as aggressive.

Given that I don't have a daily work site to attend to, I am using some of my time to visit family members out West.  Since there are a couple recruiters out there that I have been dying to talk to, I checked with the Oracle of Recruiting ( Steve @LevyRecruits), who said yes, try and make face to face meetings.  Give them a big window of time to schedule in, and give myself lots of time to regroup.  So, I'm trying it.  Let me make this clear, these are people whom have jobs listed I think I would be great for, who won't return my calls or emails, have a copy of my resume and still have their job posted.  All signs point to this job not working, but I still think I have a lot to offer their organization.  I'm actually a little scared about what I would do if someone agreed to meet, but in the arms race of job hunting, I'll do whatever crazy thing it takes to get hired.

Hunting LIONs

From my post a few days ago, I hope you can see that I am filtering a lot of my job search efforts through LinkedIn. It's a good way to tell how big a company is, how likely they are to value social media and most importantly if I know anyone there. But I get frustrated that mostly I only know people at the University of Pittsburgh.

I'm sure I've mentioned that I am working on expanding my LinkedIn network (f you read the blog, please connect with me!). Finding old classmates, old professors and old coworkers actually isn't that many people. I'm still surprised by how many people aren't on LinkedIn. If you are thinking about looking for a job, you should be on it, and if you know anyone looking for a job, you should be too. If you only ever use it to set up a profile, it makes a great place to showcase professional accomplishments. But if you can find relevant people to connect with- or more likely, help people you know across your network connect with eachother, then it can be very powerful.

In my job hunt these days, I am often trying to find LinkedIn to see who is in charge of hiring at these smaller biotechs. This can be really hard, given the small scope of my network. I read somewhere that a reasonable network size of 150 will greatly increase your chances of being connected to companies you want to target. I'm not just in this for the numbers, but it does help to know that, uh... my network is objectively small.

A couple things about networking on LinkedIn. I am a member of the OpenLink community, which means that anyone in any of the groups I am in is welcome to connect with me. Remember when I joined 25 groups with thousands of members each? Yeah, that was why. It helps, often recruiters are OpenLink because they also want to expand their network quickly, so this makes it easy to connect with relevant folks.

And then there is this whole other class of citizen- the LinkedIn Open Networkers, or LIONs. They often put this in their headline, and it means that if you request a connection, they will connect with you. These people have thousands of connections, so having a couple biotech LIONs in your network should vastly expand the people and profiles you have in your own network. Yes, I am totally taking advantage of that. I have a very low probability of further connecting with most of these people, but I assume these people don't send birthday cards out for each of their 10,000 network connections either. But having just a couple of these people in my network makes me visible to all those other people as well, so I think it is worth finding a few biotech LIONs.