People who work in the business arena can usually find jobs through the normal channels. If you work in the science field, even though there are plenty of job available (especially in the biotechnology field), it can be difficult for companies to match qualified candidates with available jobs.
One major reason is that there are comparatively fewer students graduating with science and engineering degrees, vs other disciplines. Another reason is that the few graduates there are often restrict their career searches to the public sector, such as academics, instead of the private sector. Some also speculate that colleges tend to prepare students more for graduate school than the workforce.
However, another reason may simply be that many candidates are not aware that these jobs exist.
The Hidden Science Job Market
If you do a basic search for “Biotech” on Monster.com, it will return a list of over 1,000 positions, many of which are business-, sales-, or management-related. If you refine the search to “Clinical Research”, you’ll receive a list of 155 jobs, many of which are still in the managerial or sales arena. You will find similar results on CareerBuilder.
Some colleges and universities may have clinical, lab, and research listings, but they could also be limited. The same goes for newspaper classified, and local job publications, many of which also use the big online listings like Monster and CareerBuilder.
You can also contact individual employers directly, but there are so many companies and organizations, with so many different scientific needs, that it would be impossible to check them all. Also, individual company job listings might not be set up for an easy or accurate search.
Science staffing firms can give another avenue for finding good positions.
Science Staffing Firms
Like other niche staffing firms, science staffing firms are companies dedicated to placing qualified applicants in jobs in several scientific areas. Unlike a simple job board, staffing firms work closely with employers and applicants to ensure a good match. Some science staffing firms are actually divisions of a larger employment agency, while others may be stand-alone organizations.
In addition to placing you in your desired position, some staffing firms can also assist you in building, and refining, your workplace skills. For example, an agency could offer training to help you brush up on your computer skills, tips for building your resume, and even coaching for a successful interview.
Choosing a Staffing Firm
If you want to focus solely on clinical or laboratory jobs, you may be better off with a stand-alone firm that specializes solely in that type of placement.
On the other hand, if you are interested in applying your skills and knowledge to other areas, such as laboratory management or sales, you may want to consider a firm that is a division of a larger, general employment company, and has access to a wider variety of placement options.
If you need to brush up on your office skills, need help polishing your resume, or need assistance presenting your best face in an interview, you should look for a firm that offers these services in addition to job placement.
Written by Jane Brown