Your Resume Can Be Great!

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Note: If any of the links below don’t work, it’s probably because you’re not in our Free Biotech Career Development Community. Join here for access to all of the resources I mention.

In today’s email:

• What’s it like consulting for biotech companies on the Biotech Career Coach Podcast

• Celebrate a few superstars with us!

• Learn what it takes to start a company straight out of school on the Building Biotechs Podcast

• Thoughts on trimming the fat from your resume

• A boatload of great free resources for job seekers and career development

🎧👇Listen: Our fantastic community member Christina Guerrier spills the tea on what it’s actually like to run a consulting firm in biotech.

AROUND THE COMMUNITY

Big Wins

Our fabulous community member Katharina landed a new job and was generous enough to share her statistics and what she learned during her job search. Head to the community to congratulate her and benefit from what she shared with us!

Looking Forward To:

• Office Hours with Carina on August 15th

• The monthly BioSpace column drop - also on August 16th

• Office Hours with Carina on August 22nd

We’ll get back to Career Chats and book clubs in September when all of the amazing folks I have lined up are back from vacation!

🎧👇Listen: Cheri Ackerman shared how challenging it is to learn the business side of starting a company with an academic background all and no formal business training.

NOTES FROM CARINA

Understanding the Importance of Tailoring Your Resume

If you're tossing the same resume at every biotech job posting you see, it's time for a change. A one-size-fits-all approach just doesn't cut it, especially with so many AI application bots blasting resumes to thousands of jobs (yes, that’s a thing). Tailoring your resume means you're aligning it precisely with the job description, which not only catches the eye of hiring managers but also makes you look like a perfect fit.

Think about it from the recruiter's perspective. They're looking for someone who stands out as being right for the role. A resume that mirrors the job description and highlights relevant skills and experiences is going to pop, compared to a generic one that tries to cover all bases. Plus, remember that 87% of recruiters will peek at your LinkedIn profile too. So, a tailored resume complemented by a personality-showcasing LinkedIn profile can really set you apart.

Identifying Your Core Experiences and Achievements

Now, let's sift through your experiences. It's all about quality, not quantity. Focus on what's truly relevant to the job you're eyeing. Instead of just listing every task you've ever handled, zoom in on achievements and outcomes. Did you increase efficiency in a lab process? Did your research contribute to a groundbreaking publication? These are the gold nuggets that need to shine on your resume.

And here’s a pro tip: quantify your achievements. Numbers speak louder than words. Saying you "increased sample throughput by 30%" is much more impactful than "responsible for managing samples."

Streamlining Your Publication and Experiment List

When it comes to your publications and experiments, think relevance and impact. You might be tempted to list all your publications, but this can overwhelm your resume. Choose those that are most impactful and relevant to the job. For the others, consider summarizing them or grouping similar studies together. This approach shows you're prolific without eating up precious space.

If you have a vast body of work, include a link to a detailed list of your publications. This way, interested hiring managers can dive deeper if they wish.

Making Your Resume Stand Out to Biotech Recruiters

To really make your resume shine, pay attention to the layout and design. Use a clean, professional format that makes reading easy. Keywords are your best friends here—they help your resume get picked up by both human eyes and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

Include a compelling headline sentence at the top that ties your experiences and goals into a neat bow. Use powerful action verbs like "engineered," "analyzed," and "innovated" to convey your skills and impact.

Wrapping It Up: The Polished Biotech Resume

Let’s wrap this up! I know you don’t want to do it, but tailoring your resume is crucial. Jump into the community chat to get feedback on your resume! A fresh pair of eyes can catch things you might have missed and give you that extra edge.

RESOURCES

1. A podcast episode on tailoring your resume

2. Need to give a Job Talk? Here’s a guide!

3. Hiring someone for your team? Check out question #2 in this column

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