At first, it might feel like this part of the process isn’t the most productive because you won’t be writing a cover letter or editing your resume or even looking at any potential job postings. But trust me when I tell you that what we learn in this step will make your entire application portfolio so much stronger and more attractive to potential hiring companies. It’s about exploring who you are and how you will present yourself. It’s about discovering what makes you tick, so we can use that to find companies and jobs that are relatable to you.
So let’s get started!
The first thing you want to do is dig deep and think about what it is that you want to gain from a career in biotech. Why are you interested in this industry? For some it’s to help other people. Some are driven by the amazing innovation that is constantly changing the field. Some are passionate about the data and the science. We’re going to go through a quick series of questions to figure what it is that attracts you to biotech and what you’re passionate about. This will help us figure out what drives you and pair you with jobs that will make you happy!
I recommend writing (or typing) your answers somewhere you’ll remember because we’ll come back to these in the future!
Question #1 Are there any diseases that have impacted your life or that you have a passion for fighting against? Why?
Question #2 Is there one lab technique (or maybe two) that you really love and are pretty darn good at?
Question #3 Is there a specific subset of biotech that you are passionate about?
Question #4 What’s the number one reason you’re interested in biotech? Why?
Question #5 Can you describe your dream job at your current level (entry level, post-doc, etc)?
Question #6 What’s so special about what you just described?
Question #7 How would having that job make you feel?
All done?
You should be proud! Not a lot of people go through this level of introspection to discover why they want something. They just know they want it and hope that’s enough to get them there.
Having this information about yourself will be so valuable when it comes to drafting your cover letter and preparing for your interviews. Not only that–but it will help you identify the jobs that best fit what you’re looking for so you don’t waste your time desperately searching for things you won’t even enjoy.
Speaking of job searching… Let’s do that next! Head over to STEP 3.
