I'm a former scientist who shares which career paths for scientists exist and how to identify, apply for and get your dream job.
Share
Science Careers – More Than 200 Applications? Yes Indeed.
Published 1 day ago • 5 min read
Hi Reader, let’s prepare you for your next applications.
If you want to move from academia into industry, you will probably have a hard time - much harder than you expect right now.
I have been posting about these challenges previously, but there are a few tricks that can make it much easier.
Let’s go through them and realign your expectations:
What Awaits You In Your Job Search
Let me just say it without fancy words or graphics: on average, it takes 4–8 months to receive a first job offer.
However, anything up to 12 months is considered standard.
Click to enlarge. This is what your inbox will and should look like. As we will discuss, it's a numbers game. You only need one yes, so just go for it!
Within these months, you may write between 150 and 300 applications.
From all of these applications, you will probably hear back from only around 20 and get 3 interviews. And the positions you are applying for are entry positions, and often not those you dream of.
Of course, these statistics assume that you tailor a cover letter specifically to each position.
I know it’s extremely tough to digest, but I’ve found that many people are thankful for this kind of information because it shows them: your struggles are completely normal.
However, my goal is to help you get your next position much quicker:
Why Does It Take So Long?
There is no single right answer, but most people simply waste 2–3 months.
They apply with completely inappropriate application documents, which get them excluded right away.
Indeed, the application process in academia is very different from the one in industry. The CV on the left can be several pages long, whereas for industry resumes, one normally doesn’t go beyond two pages, even for senior applicants.
In the former, a six-page CV is not uncommon, while the latter probably excludes everything above two pages without even looking at it.
The second key is to understand what you are actually applying for.
In contrast to academia, it is not about the potential of the person. In industry, it is about the person who can most reliably and safely do the exact job that is needed.
However, what I rarely hear anyone talk about is that most scientists don’t know what positions actually look like.
This is why I am organizing these interviews and webinars for you - so you can get a concrete idea of the day-to-day work in different positions. A common example is consulting. Many people have great difficulty understanding what a consultant actually does, even though consulting is quite common and well accepted within industry. We can say the same about positions like marketing or sales, where the average student often struggles to understand the difference between the two.
If you don’t know what the day-to-day work looks like, how can you prove that you are a good fit?
It's About Changing Perspectives
It might be instrumental for your career to take a new perspective:
In academic research, we are used to novelty and publishing papers.
At the same time, how money works is very obscure to most scientists. “It’s all greed,” “it’s less prestigious,” “it’s about pushing sales.” This is what many people automatically associate with money.
There is no doubt that money drives large parts of our economy, and not always for the better. However, it’s also pharmaceutical companies that translate treatments for genetic or rare diseases into real therapies, and it is companies that advance the resolution, sustainability, and functionality of our instruments – as for HPLC columns like in the example above). Few scientists have a sense of how our laboratories are actually supplied or what our papers ultimately contribute to. In other words, we do not really understand the larger scientific system itself. It’s scientists who work on advancing science and its methods outside of academia.
While there is some truth to it, there is a larger picture you should not miss:
People have visions — to fulfill them, they need help — a company produces or offers that help — money is exchanged so that the company can serve more people.
This is why industry is about effects - your product or service must have a perceived impact. Revenue is a good measure of such impact.
Therefore, embrace lines of thought that combine delivering value and impact to unlock a new perspective that goes beyond "novelty". Once you see it, you will be amazed by what you have been missing.
The Absurd State of Hiring
The economics of applications is also something we should mention.
For literally any open position, there are normally a few hundred applicants within a few days.
Take the data with a grain of salt, but these 2025 BioSpace data reflect what most applicants feel: there are many more applications than jobs in biopharma. Remember that these data come only from BioSpace - that represents just a fraction of the applicants applying there. And even if there are only a few thousand more applicants than jobs on that platform, many applicants apply to more than one position, which leads to these huge application numbers.
This is why hiring staff often spend less than a minute on the initial screening and probably not more than three minutes even on the second screening.
The second important takeaway is that about 30% of all applications are completely inappropriate. Another fraction does not frame itself properly, as we discussed before.
But even then, there are still probably 50 to 100 suitable applicants for each position - forcing them to make somewhat random decisions among the best candidates.
Another factor to consider is that sometimes positions are advertised online even though they have already effectively been filled. It is important not to be discouraged by this. There is often networking and background communication happening where positions are essentially given to someone through contacts, but they still have to be publicly advertised because of legislation. This means that some positions are technically open but practically already filled. To break in, read Never Eat Alone - it’s at times holier-than-thou naïveté, but it contains many good ideas. This data again comes from BioSpace showing that after all the COVID hype, pharma and biotech face harsher conditions nowadays.
In essence, there are simply too many science students, making the market extremely competitive. However, few of them really build connections that can help them down the line.
Therefore, if you have the opportunity to build a network or get an introduction, always go for it.
A Personal Tip
I know that all of this may feel overwhelming and negative.
But remember: you are now going through the low point that otherwise lasts for months or years for others.
My tip: try to apply for your dream position and never give up on that dream. However, if you have bills to pay, start treating the job hunt as a task in itself. It's a numbers game.
This graph, displaying one kind of unemployment number, should simply remind you that it is all just numbers. Think of yourself as offering a service. It is not about you, your worth, or your intelligence. The more applications you send, the better - and the better you become at presenting yourself. You therefore need to learn how to play this game without exhausting yourself. Many people struggle with the low response rate. However, you need to understand that if there are hundreds of applications for a single position, it is simply not feasible to send detailed feedback to everyone.
The key is to realize that your first position is just the starting point. New doors will open with the experience, skills, and contacts you gain there.
We often think that after our studies, or after doing a PhD or even a postdoc, we are educated and ready for a job. But we aren't at all.
This is why this series exists. And this is why coming up we will discuss whether a PhD is worth it and what other options you have.
Hi Reader, how do you convince others of your value? Go back to get an idea what is included in cover letters because the following gives you concrete tips on how to express yourself. The principles behind the writing style focus on what is truly valued in academia. Therefore, you can apply them to any other application document too: What You Want to Convey In industry it is about proving that you fit a particular position, but little beyond that. In academia, it’s much more about your...
Hi Reader, another heads-up for you: Register for our fifth edition of the career paths webinar! But now back to our weekly lesson: Bachelor’s, master’s, PhD, postdoc, group leader, or tenure-track, you might need to prepare a cover letter. However, there are significant differences depending on your level of seniority that you should be aware of. So, let’s look at what makes a good academic cover letter. The Purpose of a Cover Letter Your cover letter should prove why you are the right...
Hi Reader, are you considering applying for academic positions? You will need a CV that convinces. Academia has its own set of values and expectations. The challenge is that they differ depending on seniority. The following is not exhaustive, but it should contain the most essential elements for creating a winning CV: The Fundamental Idea of CVs An academic CV (Curriculum Vitae) is a comprehensive overview of your educational and professional journey. Academic CVs can be very basic - there...
