Career advice for new bio-(x)-ists, Dec2024.pdf

Career advice for new bio-(x)-ists, Dec2024.pdf

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  Career advice for newbio-X-ists* *bioinformaticians, biostaticians, epi-informaticians, health data scientists, genomicists ... Paul Agapow London, October 2025 [email protected]
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  Axioms & assumptions ●I’m talking to crunchy, number and data focused people working in squishy biological fields ● Make choices or they will be made for you ● Don’t waste time on self-pity or second-guessing ● There is no such thing as “one weird trick”
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  You need astrategy not tactics because: ● Most tactics are just tricks ● Circumstances differ and change and thus specific advice is difficult and incomplete ● It’s a noisy, complicated, random process, so you need an efficient, optimized approach ● Having a structured process is always good
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  There’s a lotof luck but it’s not just luck ● A job search is a random effects model ● Circumstances differ and change and thus specific advice is difficult and incomplete ● Take some chances - if you can be unlucky you can also be lucky ● Maximize the ways you can be lucky
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  The first jobis often the hardest to find ● You’ve got less to sell yourself on ● There’s a lot of other applicants just like you ● You’ve got a smaller network ● Hirers distrust fresh recruits & university graduates So solve for each of these variables
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  Show or getuseful experience, stand out
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  You don’t haveproof of experience or that you can work, so get some ● Internships, studentships, vacation scholarships ... ● Do you have relevant projects, extra-curricular activities or a previous career ● Do an MSc / PhD / postdoc and do it with the end in mind ● Show that you can solve business problems
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  What’s different aboutyou? ● Do you have a previous degree / career / specialization that stands out? ● Do you have a portfolio / github profile / visible project to show off ● Is there some valuable or rare skill / toolset that you’ve mastered?
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  Finding and applying forjobs
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  What sort ofjob should I look for? ● Don’t look for your dream job ○ Look for something that gets you closer to your dream job ● Careers are zig-zags, not straight lines ● What are you going to learn, who are you going to meet, how will this set you up for the next job? ● A job only has to be good for ~2 years
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  Where can Ifind jobs? ● Best approach changes across career ○ Graduate schemes, internships ○ Ads on job sites (LinkedIn, Jobs.ac.uk) ○ Open job banks for companies ○ Company job sites ○ Networking / soft contacts* ○ Recruiters* ● Ask around universities - maybe a research assistant is a good place to start ● A non-bio job might be OK to start
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  Build a network ●Best way to get a job, long-term investment ○ Becomes more important later in your career ● Build social media / internet visibility ○ Recruiters look for people with the right skillset ○ When you apply for a job, people will search for you ○ “Open to work” on LinkedIn ● Publications, talks, etc. ○ And uploading / publicising those
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  I found anad for a job I want, now what? ● If you’re an 80% fit, apply ● Read for keywords & requirements, highlight them in your application ● Quickly research employer ● Apply now ● Write a cover letter ○ Sometimes a silent requirement ○ A chance to sell yourself ○ T-format is an easy solution
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  Your CV isbad and you should feel bad ● 2 pages max, no fluff, leave out anything irrelevant ● Make it easy to read: sections, bulletpoints, sentence fragments, whitespace ● Lead with your strongest material ● Tell stories: what was the problem, how did you solve it, what was the result? ● Write it now, don’t wait until you need it. Make it an iterative, living document ● Include relevant extra-curriculars ● Customise for every application
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  The interview ● Aninterview can always be practice ● Be confident, relaxed, don’t apologise ○ The best attitude to have is “interested but sceptical” ● When answering questions: ○ Take your time, don’t spew out an answer ○ Ask clarifying questions if needed ○ Tell stories, be thoughtful ● Ask questions
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  Be efficient &kind on yourself ● Balance effort & returns - what is working? ● Keep your morale up ○ Don’t take it personally ○ Don’t try and read into things ○ Don’t just apply for everything ○ Apply and move on ○ Timebox / restrict your search ● The best time to search for a job is when you don’t need one
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  Unsolicited random advice
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  Unsolicited random advice ●Answering tough question: important thing is to be thoughtful ● Big companies vs small companies ● Industry vs academia ● (How long) Should you stay in academia? ● You’ll advance more and learn more if you move around ● Use other advice and help (but don’t listen to everyone) ● https://agapow.substack.com/
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  Distilled ... ➔ Makechoices, have options ➔ Maximize your luck surface ➔ Fix your damn CV ➔ Be a person who solves problems