Updated: I HAVE now found a job here after more than 2 months. (Sanford: headhunters, find a job)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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I have a PhD in your field. I actually gave up looking after 3 years of looking (for industry positions), here and in another biotech hub. PhD and BS are very different worlds, and it's actually a heck of alot easier to get a job at the BS/MS level. Once you get to a PhD you actually are overqualified for a bunch of jobs. For example if I ever want a career in science I just couldn't take a technician job, because I am trained to be a research scientist, who supervises techs. And also for some jobs you are just not going to get it without a PhD. But dont make the mistake of thinking all you need is a PhD to become marketable, you would educate yourself out of more jobs than would become open to you.
Maybe what you need to do is visit the universities and go to the labs and see who needs techs. Turnover is high and recruitment is hard, every university has less than stellar HR departments. Go talk to the bench scientists, see if they need people. Some jobs just aren't really advertised.
There are a few manufacturing companies in Treyburn (Merck, Bio-Meriuex and a few others). My husband had the same issue, PhD with only academia experience. It was sooooo hard to break through to industry. Finally it became about who he knew and found a great job through a contact person. Good luck to all job seekers! It's so sucky to be unemployed. My heart goes out to all the jobless right now.
Thanks everyone for the replies, I appreciate hearing other point of views. I am being considered for one of the Novartis positions right now. My husband works at BioMerieux and we do not want to put all of our eggs in one basket as we've done that before and it does not make for a healthy relationship.
I'll keep plugging away. In the meantime, I'm thinking of Plan B, I've applied to UNC to their med tech program to get certified to work in a hospital lab. This would be a big pay cut but at least it would give me some job security and I would like the work.
those of us in wyeth (now Pfizer) in Sanford and RTP are all kind of wondering whether we'll be transferred, laid off, etc. in the next few months. i know some people who are leaving to go to Merck, Novartis, various small places. I got a call from Duke out of the blue today. I think there's jobs out there, it's just hard to find the right ones. i'm also a non-MS research assoc/low level scientist with 5 years experience, so perhaps not as much experience as you... but still looking for not entry level, but not phd stuff either... that's the problem. i can hope my dept remains intact, then my contract job can be turned into a real job, with 10k more + benefits. or i can try to jump ship now for a more secure job making 10k less than i make now. or i can wait till i know for sure, and hope i can find a [good] job quickly (yeah, right) if i'm being laid off.
still not thinking of moving... i mean, it's not like there's a ton of biotech jobs everywhere else except here. anyways, sorry for the rant. good luck on your search!
Indeed. I've been unemployed 5/mos and counting. ERP Software Consulting. I've responded to and applied to >250 jobs, locally as well as mutiple states. I have been frustrated but not given up hope. I know you'll continue to work with your recruiters ( as I have) to do all you can to land something. I wish us all the best in this search and market.
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