I remember coming out of my first job and thinking how easy it would be to change positions. I had developed this “interesting” (actually, rather unfocused) blend of communications experience and science training, and it was my belief that I could apply this as a science writer for any kind of business that would have me. But no one appeared interested! I remember thinking that I had concocted the perfect blend of education and early experience, and yet after many weeks the entire stack of job search responses could slip into my shirt pocket.
 
That’s right – in the prehistoric days, replies from your job applications were on postcards and not in a nice email form letter. Although it’s still a minority of companies which reply to applications in any way at all. For me, over 300 resumes went out for a return of about five or six postcards over the following weeks. Let me tell you, if your numbers get that poor, it can be depressing. That will make you doubt yourself, and in a few weeks you’ll be in a deep state of fear.
 
Perhaps you’ve experienced today’s version of the above and you’re feeling like you need a burst of inspiration. In this article, I’m going to address the job search and describe how it is possible to “steer” your project by the frame of mind you have when approaching it. Want to land in the perfect, next job? Of course, you do. That’s why you must recognize and move away from the fear of failure and take this project on with an unprecedented degree of persistence.
 
The Fear of Failure will Limit Your Job Search Prospects
My first thought after an initially disappointing turnout of interest is that it was somehow my fault. Like many Contract Pharma readers, I was brought up in a family unit that reinforced my expectations of success. I was the oldest, the fellow who was going to succeed and provide an example for my young siblings. Throughout my early education I had been told how smart I was, how successful I would be, and the “just wait” factor was constantly reinforced.
 
And then, quite suddenly, nothing that I did in my career fit that picture. My education, grades and first jobs didn’t matter, or the fact that I was a pleasant colleague who would work hard for an employer. It seemed that I was thrust onto the losing side in a process that I knew little about. For me, that job search brought about the onset of a deep-rooted fear. Instead of moving ahead through the process of finding my next job with a positive expectancy, I shrank back and waited for it to come to me. That’s the worst attitude you can have if you need to find new, fertile ground for your career. Despite the job market having improved a great deal in the post-pandemic world, the good jobs don’t always come to you. You must go find them.
 
The fear of failure can be debilitating. The first thing to remember if you are feeling like this is to keep moving – don’t stagnate. Taking action acts like a balm on your fear, and almost any kind of action can have that effect. My mistake at the time was to think that people actually read what I was sending out – my resume, my intricately detailed and time-consuming cover letters. Just as with employers today, thirty seconds of attention is about all you’re going to get on a cold introduction via an online application. Putting a little piece of yourself onto an application form can quickly feel like a losing game. That’s why taking action has such a positive effect—you’ve put the ball back onto your court!
 
Afraid of failing with those darn website applications? If so, stop applying! That’s right. Completely get off those company websites. Instead, pick up the phone, attend a webinar, buy someone a cup of coffee, and put the personal touch back into the process. People get hired because they are liked. There’s no way to “like” you if they are simply reviewing a PDF that you’ve uploaded to their database.
 
Action Steps Require Both a Plan A and a Plan B
The first thing to consider when making that decision to seek greener pastures is your Plan A. The ideal environment for you would be, what? What’s the best type of boss, the ideal company culture, the level of responsibility? See it in your mind and visualize yourself getting there, successful and happy with the change you made, months later.
 
Of course, use this Plan A to build your job search action list, which I’ll cover in the next section. But along the way, it’s important to remember that there could be other attractive options as well, and they may end up requiring you to be a bit more flexible. Don’t wait until the last possible moment to develop a Plan B. My suggestion is that you develop this strategy at the same time as your Plan A. Have strategic actions bubbling along from day one. Those may be a bit low key in comparison with Plan A, but this secondary path could later prove to have been a very important add-on to your process.
 
Having a Plan B doesn’t mean that you’ve given up on your life’s passion. But if you have skills that can apply to another kind of career choice, why not drive that along at the same time? You’ll ensure that you see these opportunities (as opposed to never knowing your options).
 
Action Ideas for the Job Seeker
Regardless of whether these suggestions fit best into Plan A or Plan B, take them into consideration for your own process. Ramping up a strategic plan to get you off the “company website job search” is the only way to expose yourself to the entire world of opportunities available, and not just a one-off job that may or may not fit from a company website.
 
Interview Preparation
• Practice discussing your key accomplishments. Focus on three elements, the problem you faced, the approach you took, and the results you achieved. Learn to speak succinctly about these and the abilities you bring to the table.
• Make a chart of talking points, so that none of “the good stuff” gets neglected when interview stress time hits.
 
Networking and LinkedIn
• Update your LinkedIn profile. Maximize the detail you show, paying particular attention to a short, powerful headline and strong “About” section.
• Develop a “per day” minimum number of new LinkedIn contacts. If you’ve been getting one a week, shoot for one a day. You may need to loosen up your definition of whom you link to and why.
• Get associated with your local bio/pharma organizations. Whether it’s for your scientific discipline or your local community BIO affiliate, each region has organizations who will be very intent on getting back into in-person meetings now that things may be coming back to normal. They’ll need volunteers.
 
Responding to Job Ads
• Review your CV each time it goes out to ensure that key points related to the job at hand are towards the top of the document.
• It’s OK to regularly scan company websites – just don’t consider this the major direction of your job search.
• Forget applications where you are not at least a 75% fit to their specs. Your time could be used more effectively elsewhere.
 
Headhunters
• Don’t rely on one headhunter connection despite what that person says about the qualities of their connections in your field. On the other hand, don’t start blasting your material out to dozens of them. Select a half-dozen or so good firms and reach out to them professionally.
• Start being more responsive to headhunter calls and messages. Sure, some of them will be worthless, but a nugget could be left on a voicemail message. This isn’t the time to be overly discriminating.
 
In Conclusion – Keep it Positive
As you might imagine, there are many kinds of action steps that one can take to get themselves out there, and my short list above serves as a simple reminder to put yourself in the position to be seen as someone who is integrated into his or her discipline and their community.
 
Approach everything you do with a degree of positive expectancy, and things will happen. Don’t forget, companies hire people who they like, and who would be good colleagues. So much of that decision is based on the impressions you leave behind during your job search!