Making the Most of Networking Resources for Scientists

Please STOP relying solely on job boards to advance your clinical research career. I see too many clinical researchers applying to dozens of roles online without networking, which often leads to frustration and missed opportunities. Yet, they’re still repeating the cycle of applying and waiting for a response. If you’re already actively seeking new opportunities, try this instead: 1️⃣ Engage with clinical research professionals on LinkedIn. Comment on their posts, share insights, and start meaningful conversations. 2️⃣ Join structured networking groups like the Clinical Research Referral Club to connect with peers and mentors who can refer you to opportunities. 3️⃣ Attend industry webinars and events to meet people and stay updated on trends. 4️⃣ Optimize your LinkedIn profile to highlight your unique skills and experiences, making it easier for recruiters and peers to find you. For example, instead of sending 20 generic job applications, spend an hour building relationships with employees at companies you're interested in. A personal connection often opens doors that job boards can't. You’ll achieve career growth much faster by focusing on building relationships and visibility rather than relying solely on online applications. Try this approach for the next 30 days and see the difference it makes. What’s your biggest challenge with networking in clinical research? Let’s talk in the comments!

Networking feels fake when you're in STEM. Here's why👇 You walk into that industry event and think you need to: * Hand out business cards to everyone * Talk about yourself to strangers   * Ask for LinkedIn adds within minutes * Set up "coffee meetings" that feel weird * Mention important people you know * ...the uncomfortable small talk continues We're all so focused on what networking "should" look like that we forget most of us chose science and tech because we love solving problems, not selling ourselves (I'm no exception). Building work relationships matters - 85% of jobs come through people you know. But unless we also treat networking like sharing ideas... We'll always feel like we're being pushy. And because it feels fake and salesy, we'll skip it completely - then wonder why others get the opportunities. Here's what worked for me after 15 years in tech leadership: Instead of: "Can you help me get this job?" Try: "How do you handle [work challenge they mentioned]?" Instead of: "Let's meet to talk about job openings"   Try: "Your point about [topic] was interesting - I'm seeing that too in my work" Instead of: "Who can you introduce me to?" Try: "I've been working on [specific problem] - have you dealt with this?" Instead of: "Can you connect me to your contacts?" Try: "You might find this [article/tool] useful based on what you said" The best work relationships I built happened when I: → Asked about their actual work, not their connections → Shared what I learned from my own projects   → Helped others before asking for help → Followed up with helpful resources, not just requests → Made every chat about learning, not asking for favors Stop networking for jobs. Start networking to learn. The job opportunities come naturally when people see you as someone who adds value, not just someone asking for things. ♻️ Repost to help more women in STEM build real professional relationships

Networking is one of the best ways to learn about unadvertised jobs in biotech. But how do you network? What are you supposed to say? This is one of the most common questions I get from scientists, so let's dive into it. ---------- First, don't just start asking people for informational interviews because someone told you to do it. Instead, identify who you want to connect with and build a relationship with them.  To do that, use the steps below ---------- 𝟭) 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 Perform a LinkedIn search using keywords associated with skills you have Example -you are a scientist -you know IHC -you know flow cytometry -you know CRISPR Search: "scientist"" AND ("ihc" OR "cytometry" OR "crispr" OR "molecular biology") Select the jobs filter. Click on each job description and read through If you meet 80% of the criteria, you might be a good fit for this role. Make a list of roles you could be a good fit for. Write down the name of company & location of role. Do this for at least 20 roles (100 is better) 𝟮) 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝟱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 As you start making your list of roles you will see patterns in companies that come up. Identify the top 5 companies that keep coming up 𝟯) 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝟭 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝟮 Connect with people who are in the role you think you want, as well as those that are one level above the role and one or two levels below the role. Example: For Sr. scientist, one level above could be Staff sci, and one level below could be Sci 2 Add 5-10 connections per company per week, each with personalized notes in your invitation request. 𝟰) 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 Get to know the person you connected with. Don't try to sell them on you. Don't ask them to mentor you. Don't ask to pick their brain. Don't ask for an "informational interview." Don't ask them about their journey. Just explain to them that you're interested in working within their business unit and you'd appreciate any information they could provide to support that. 𝟱) 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 If the relationship organically goes toward the direction where you'd like to get to know the person even better, ask if they'd be willing to get on a call sometime to chat. When you chat with them - don't tell them your life story, don't talk endlessly about your research, and don't try to sell them on anything. Just get to know them, be honest about where you are in your career, what you want for yourself, and if they offer to help have a clear ask for them. Things you can ask for if they offer help -referrals -connections with others -periodic check ins to see if anything new opened up That's it. It's that simple. Try the steps above and see if they help you get to where you want to be. #biotech, #biotechjobs, #scientist