How to Search for Your Next Life Science Job

With thousands of new jobs being advertised across the Life Science industry every day, it can be difficult to know where to start looking for the next step in your career. In this article, we’ve put together some key things you can do to help with your Life Science job search; with advice on what you can do both before and during your search to get the best results from your time…

Focus Your Job Search

Before diving into your job search, make sure you’re clear on what types of roles you’re looking for, as a scatter-gun approach is unlikely to land you your ideal job. Make a checklist of your key job requirements, including things such as job title, location, seniority, salary and company culture, and from this list, highlight anything that is non-negotiable.

Knowing exactly what you’re looking for means you’ll use your time more wisely, as you won’t be spending hours on applications for jobs that aren’t right for you.

Do a Personal SWOT Analysis

Once you know what types of jobs you’re looking for, do a personal SWOT Analysis to understand your key Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. This will help you to identify ways to stand out as an ideal candidate as well as anything that’s missing from your CV. This could be anything from a must-have qualification to having a professional network within the industry.

Grow Your Professional Network

Before and during your job search, grow your network on places like LinkedIn with other professionals in your field. Doing this early on in your search may help you to gain additional insight into an industry, company, or job role, and will help you stay on top of current news and developments which may help you in the application process.

Set up Saved Searches

Once you’ve started searching for your next Life Science job, set up saved searches to allow you to easily access the latest opportunities in your field. You can do this on PharmiWeb.Jobs as a registered jobseeker, allowing you to easily resume your job search wherever you are.

Set Up Job Alerts

Setting up job alerts is also a great way of staying up to date with the latest opportunities in your field. On PharmiWeb.Jobs, you can set several alerts all tailored to the types of roles you’re looking for. You will then be notified by email when job openings matching your search criteria are added, ensuring you don’t miss out on the perfect opportunity.

Help Recruiters to Find You

To improve your chances of finding your ideal role, consider uploading your CV to a CV database to help recruiters find you and match you with relevant positions. With PharmiWeb.Jobs, you can also get a free CV review when you upload your CV which is a great opportunity to get a new perspective on your application.

You could also upload your CV onto LinkedIn or your own personal website, however, if you are uploading your CV online, make sure you’re doing it safely.

Look Beyond Job Adverts

Although job adverts contain the most important information you need to know about a role, they won’t tell you everything, so it’s important that you go beyond them when doing your research. Take some extra time to understand things such as the company culture to get a more accurate image of what a career with that company could actually look like.

Some of the industry’s leading organisations are already sharing this information using career hubs on PharmiWeb.Jobs. Take a look at our career hubs to find out more about companies such as AstraZeneca, ICON, IQVIA and more here.

Immerse Yourself in the Industry

To stand out against other candidates, you’ll need to show a good understanding of current industry news, developments, and challenges. Engage with your network, attend key industry events, and make it a habit to regularly check the latest news. For example, if you’re applying for jobs in Clinical Research, being aware of key clinical trials that are currently being run, especially by company competitors, will demonstrate your genuine interest in the industry.

Continuously Work on Your Personal Brand

Knowing how to market yourself as the ideal candidate is key to landing your next Life Science job. Having a personal brand is important when it comes to standing out against other candidates and making your name one that recruiters will remember. Building a personal brand doesn’t have to be difficult; it’s not about creating a whole new persona, but rather about looking at what you already have or are working towards that makes you unique, and thinking about how you can use this to market yourself.

Remember That Quality is More Important Than Quantity

Although applying to the first 100 jobs you see might make you feel as if you’re making progress, applying for lots of jobs at once is unlikely to result in you finding your dream role. Instead of wasting time filling out hundreds of applications for jobs that you ultimately don’t want, spend more time looking at fewer jobs that you feel are right for you.

Keep your job search focused and use the time you have to conduct in-depth research and to really understand the field you’re moving into.

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Visit PharmiWeb.Jobs for more careers advice or to start searching for your next Life Science job.