Biotech jobs in Boston (how competitive?) (Harvard: health insurance, school, universities)

[EF031]

Hi, I was looking to move to Boston with my boyfriend in a month or so but I'm worried about finding a job (he already has one but not me). I've heard that while jobs in the biotech/science area are plenty in Boston it's very competitive due to the graduates from universities around there and that employers prefer those so it ends up being very difficult for "outsiders". Is this true?

I just graduated from a uni in Louisiana, a Masters in cell bio and have been sending out my resume for a month now to no avail. I don't want to make the move w/out lining up some prospects first.

[ChunkyMonkey]

There probably is not a conscious attempt by employers to exclude graduates that are not local. Keep in mind that some of the universities around here are among the best in the world. So, naturally, employers will snap up those graduates first before others. On the other hand, there are a lot of biotech jobs around here. Good luck.

[CasebyCase]

You shouldn't have an issue as long as your school, grades, and research are up to par with the competition. I work in biotech and we have employees from all over the world, but we are very competitive and that will include being up against those from MIT and Harvard.

Best of luck!

[clevedark]

I wonder if having a Boston area address and phone number on your resume will make a difference in getting called back for interviews. I'm sure Boston biotech cos. are targeted by recent grads all over the country and it makes things simpler to deal with candidates who are already here.

I'm no expert in the biotech industry, but I remember when I was working in NYC and looking to hire people I would never consider responding to the resume of someone who wasn't already living in the NYC area, esp. for entry-level jobs.

[mw_ch3_ch2_oh]

If you're not receiving replies from the companies by applying directly, I'd recommend using a biotech/research staffing firm in the area. Two I know of are AeroTek and HireMinds. The staffing firms usually have relationships with a lot of the local biotech/research firms. After looking over your resume and looking at your skill set they'll only consider job opportunities that pertain to your line of work. I've used one of the aforementioned companies and was placed within a couple weeks.

[mw_ch3_ch2_oh]

I must mention, HireMinds usually deals with a lot of the start-up and smaller companies, while AeroTek usually deals with mid to large companies.

[Beantown_mama]

You should also look at Ranstad - they provide temporary services into a lot of the biotech companies and you could go temp to perm.

[mw_ch3_ch2_oh]

Yes, I forgot Randstad also, they were the staffing firm that payed for my 3 summers of internships at a great company.

[ScituateAl]

Biotech folks have faced layoffs just like everyone else, so there's going to be both experienced hires and kids out of college in competition. However, as bad as it may be, it probably helps a tiny bit that it's not May with a flood of college grads.

I agree 110% about using a firm - they have good relationships with employers they have cultivated for years. WinterWyman does a lot of high-end placement and they did a great job polishing me up when I got my last job (non-bio tech).

As for listings of jobs, my new fav is indeed.com as it aggregates listings from all other sites...very convenient!

[Braunwyn]

As others have mentioned, I think temping, if you're willing to do that, could land you a job quicker than applying to the black hole abyss of HR at whatever company. I used Lab Support (or something similar, can't remember) to get my foot in the door at a larger biotech. Eventually a perm position was available, but it took almost a year of temping/contracting at the co. It's also easier for departments to gather money for contract gigs rather than perm positions, and that's something to consider in this economy. Keep in mind that in MA you have to have health insurance. A number of these agencies offer subpar plans if you don't have insurance.