Bolstering Your Biotech Job Skills

Over at Bitesize Bio, Suzanne Kennedy discusses points to consider when pursuing a career in the biotech industry. First, she says, scientists unaware of the patent process — and how to search for existing patents — should learn it swiftly. While "at work, you will never be making legal decisions or interpreting the patent on your own," she says, "you will be asked to read the patents to give your opinion and to find all the relevant intellectual property in an area and be able to discuss it with a group." Kennedy emphasizes the role of public speaking in biotech careers, and says that "one of the best ways of actually landing a job in a biotech company is to know someone in the company who knows you and knows the kind of person you are." The simplest way to find your in? "Be friends with your sales people," Kennedy says. Overall, she says, "being able to give examples of times where you learned a new difficult skill or technology on your own and quickly will make a very good impression to hiring managers."