There seems to be no shortage of outlets and people offering advice on how to find jobs outside academia right now, but for what it’s worth, this was the way I went about it.

When I resigned from my university position in January 2023 I had literally no idea what I would do next, but my final arrival in MedComms has been one of the most serendipitous discoveries of my entire working life. I’m certainly not claiming this as a definitive guide, and what worked for me won’t necessarily work for you, but I’m sharing it in the hope that it might be of use to some of the rest of you out there considering your professional situation.

1. Choose your direction
I think there are three general career paths for scientists in the world of science:

1. Academia (universities, research institutes – the public sector)
2. Academia-adjacent (includes publishing, university administration, policy, funding bodies, science organisations such as EMBO – a mix of public and private entities)
3. Industry (biotech/pharma – the private sector)

Academia – don’t rule it out! Don’t forget that there is always an opening somewhere if you’re willing to move, and if you feel you have unfinished business in career terms then don’t be too quick to walk away. In the right circumstances, it can still be an amazing and incredibly rewarding profession. Don’t forget though that the right circumstances are much harder to come by than they were 20-30 years ago, and luck is as important as ability. In my case, I had already realised my goal of having my own group, and was unwilling to move again because of my family (my spouse has her own career, and the kids are settled at school). I’d had my chance, things hadn’t worked out, and I was sceptical about them improving if I started over. There seemed no point in uprooting the family so I could roll the career dice one more time, or take up space and money when there were more young scientists coming through. I could (and probably will!) go on about the various facets of this decision for a long time, but that’s enough for now.

Academia-adjacent – like many people who view themselves as career academics but who fail to get a permanent position, this avenue was initially my main focus. I had interviewed for editor positions in 2017 when my research group was first in trouble and it seemed like a logical direction for someone interested in the reading/writing/communicating side of research. I had spent 2022 working as a research focus programme coordinator alongside leading my group and had enjoyed that, and was considering moving into university administration. But editor work felt like pressing my nose up against a shop window – handling manuscripts but not being able to write them didn’t feel so attractive. Enquiries about both publishing and administration also produced unappealing anecdotal stories about the way journal editors or administrators were treated by academic faculty. If I’m being honest, the post-resignation me did not feel very motivated to support an academic system that had not supported me as much as I felt it could. In theory though, there is massive – often latent – potential in both options, either in terms of shaping the research information ecosystem (look at the impact that the creation of bioRxiv has had!), or by helping/supporting to structure the systems for training young scientists. In the right environment, there’s the possibility of making a transformational impact.

Industry – this was the option I was most curious about, was the option I ended up taking, and is the place where I currently feel so well-supported and at home. Like many career academics, I had a reflexive unease about industry, but I was strongly influenced by reports of the Great Resignation reaching academia and how industry couldn’t fill places fast enough. It felt as though this was the story of my generation of scientists, sold the promise of an academic career but finding the reality to be much more uncomfortable, and moving to the private sector in order to realise their full potential. I became more and more curious at the idea of moving into something more applied, with more direct benefit to people, patients,  and society. Having spent my entire working life to that point in academia (i.e. publicly-funded research), the prospect of spending the second half of my working life in the world of privately-funded research made an attractive contrast. I was a little nervous that my age (>40) and long experience in academia might count against me, but decided to give it a shot.

2. Talk to people

A jobsearch is a great time to reconnect with people and take stock of who you are, what you want to do, and where you want to be going. This was honestly the first time in my entire life (given that I’d wanted to be an academic ever since I stopped wanting to be an astronaut) that I stepped back and asked what else I could do. I attended an EMBO careers webinar on science consulting, I read blogs (this one from Biomed Badass one on 40 types of industry career was especially helpful), but above all, I talked to people. I contacted friends from undergrad days, from my PhD time, and in my direct and extended social circle. I had over 20 one-on-one conversations with people in finance, consulting, research equity, patenting, industry RnD, science journalism, MedComms, and more. I listened, I learned. It helped me to realise that I didn’t want to move too far away from scientific research, and it ultimately led to my search focusing on MedComms as the best destination for me –  I’m still pinching myself that there is an entire sector of the biotech/pharma industry focused on writing/communicating/organising, but which I’d never even heard of until a year ago.

LinkedIn, which appears to have achieved real ubiquity in the last 5 years or so, is an essential nowadays and you’re a ghost without it. Ironically I still haven’t gotten around to joining it yet, but it was LinkedIn that directly led to my job offer. After applying for a job at a biotech, my spouse saw from her LinkedIn account that there was one of our old Vienna buddies currently working at the same firm. Contacting him led to a recommendation to contact the people at his old firm, which led to an informal approach, which led to a formal approach, and to conclude a happy story, it’s where I now work. These kind of extended network interactions are exactly what LinkedIn is designed to facilitate.

“Networking” is a term I still loathe (it conjures up images of aggressively handing out business cards) but “talking to people” is something I enjoy. Whatever you choose to call it, make use of your connections and listen to the advice that’s out there. A lot of people, even strangers, are willing to offer help and advice when politely and respectfully asked to do so.

3. Know what you’re looking for

Think about what you’re good at, what you want to do, and what you need from an employer in order to achieve that. In my case, I knew I wanted to put my writing/communicating/organising skills front-and centre, but with zero industry experience on my CV I realised that I needed to find a firm that was willing to catalyse my transition from academia into industry, as I was clearly not going to be the finished product on day one but was confident that I would become a valuable asset in 1-2 years’ time. Take the time to think about what you want and need, and don’t be afraid to spell that out in your communications with candidate firms – this kind of transparency benefits everyone. 

Once you’ve zeroed in on what you want to do, make focused applications that are clearly tailored to the advertised job description. If you get invited to an interview, trust your gut instincts – if you feel uncomfortable, it’s quite possibly a sign that you don’t quite fit with the company culture. You want to find an institution that values you for who you are and thinks you can productively contribute. Don’t be discouraged by bad interviews. It’s totally normal for things to go wrong (everyone has their horror stories to share), and when you’re entering an unfamiliar area, it’s to be expected that you’re not wholly familiar with the lingo and can quickly get confused. It’s all valuable experience that you can draw on the next time – all actors understand that you only get offered parts by giving good auditions, but the only way to give good auditions is to be practised. 

Consider doing courses in your chosen area that will give you some extra CV points, such as in good manufacturing practice (GMP) or good publication practice (GPP); these can sometimes be sponsored by unemployment agencies. In general, firms will hire in the order: (1) perfect fit, (2) previous experience in same or related area, (3) no previous experience in the area but with relevant training, (4) newbie. Anything that can move you out of category 4 and towards category 3 is helpful. 

Note too that the availability of jobs in industry does fluctuate, so don’t be disheartened if the process takes a while. As noted in point 2 above, this is an opportunity for you to put yourself front and centre and the whole search is an exercise in self-discovery as much as job discovery. View it positively, treat rejections as learning experiences on the path to a final goal, and trust in yourself that if you take the time to find something that feels right, then it probably will be right.

Lastly, good luck!

Acknowledgement: artwork created by Midjourney using my own text prompts.