Have you found yourself stuck in a lab after finishing University and not sure what careers are out there? Maybe it is time for a change.

Changing career paths is a scary thing to everyone, especially when you don’t know what you want to do. The best thing to start with is figuring out what you love doing, but it is also the hardest. Have a look at what you dislike from your current job/industry and work out what you would like to be different.

Research:

Then It’s time to research agency life, you’ll get to talk about the Science you love in a creative and social agency setting working in the complex and competitive world of evidence-based medicine or market access where you’ll remove the boundaries between data and analytics, using your scientific expertise, creativity and digital know-how.

Every agency is different; you will need to research which of your skills are transferable and what you want from your next role. Having transferable skills and experience that can be used in any field is something very valuable, however, not everyone can have that if you’re working in a specialised sector. Once you have figured out what your transferable skills are move onto researching the career you want, agencies offer a massive about of options from Medical writing, Scientific writing, Account handling, real-world evidence consulting, market access consulting and so much more.

Within Healthcare communication you should research Medical Communications, Market Access, Patient Engagement, Real World Data, Public Relations, Brand Communications and Medical Education

Network, network, network

If your chosen career doesn’t use any of your skills you may need to get into it a different way and that is by connecting with people from that industry. Having connections is the best way to get into a new industry, where In-house recruiters can see what you are like without interviewing you. If you share a passion for that new industry, you will definitely be able to get along and share your interest with these connections.

LinkedIn is one of the best places to start as you can connect with people from your chosen industry and you never know, one of them may get in touch with you! Make sure you also follow companies that you have an interest in joining, you can also follow our Pop Science page and follow our blogs which is a great way to find out more about us and keep up to date on new opportunities.

Don’t give up

Changing careers is something that takes time, so don’t think that it won’t happen if it takes longer than you expected.

When searching you need to have a strong CV and a great cover letter that explains why you’re applying to that agency and why you think your skill and experience are right for the role and area you’re applying for. No potential employer likes to see a generic cover letter so take the time to personalise it for the role and agency.

Those are my top 3 tips when you find yourself in the wrong career and want to change. There are many articles, blogs, websites and networking events to help you break into Healthcare communications.

Want to find out more? visit us at www.pop-science.co.uk or reach out to Daniel Laghaney via Linkedin 

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