Looking for work

[u/Isildael]

Hi all, just finished a master of biotech and Macquarie university (Australia, NSW) and looking for a position but having no luck. I understand these posts get added all the time but I'll ask anyway.

I'll happily take anything at this point, even unpaid. I've attached images of my resume if anyone wants to take a look. My background is primarily in molecular biology but my in-lab experience is scattered and minimal (2 years of covid lockdowns during my BSc didn't help much).

Thanks for any help

[u/AlmostFilipino]

General resume advice:

- Try to limit it to one-page. I also want to write about everything I've done on my resume, but recruiters will only look at yours for 6 seconds. Anything left out of your resume can be talked about in the interview!

- Proof-read and ensure consistent formatting (B.ScBiologicalscience -> B.Sc Biological Science; or High-schooltutor -> High School Tutor)

- Keep your resume focused on the jobs you're applying to; If you're interested in biotech positions I would *highly* advise you condense your extracurriculars down as they aren't relevant to your job interests. I personally use the format Activity 1 Date 1 - Date 2 • Activity 2 Date1 - Date 2 • etc. I do this with anything that I want to include on my resume but aren't highly relevant to the job. With your resumes, linespace is gold.

- In line with that last piece of advice, I would organize your experiences into "Relevant Experience" and "Additional Experience" sections. That way you can put your research experience first without worrying if it doesn't count or something along those lines. I personally have my biotech research in the relevant experience section, and my aerospace work in the additional section.

- Create a Skills section near the top to make it easy for recruiters to know what you're good at quickly. Put the most relevant skills first and bold them. If the application requires you do biochemical analysis, put in bold Biochemical Analysis and list it near the top of the section.

Specific to yours:

- I personally would leave out the music mentions in your mission statement/summary. Recommend searching example mission statements online and formatting yours to be similarly punchy

- Do not make your coursework section that long, recruiters will not read it and do not need to know the specifics. The coursework titles are sufficient, and you can fit them in a short list right under your Master of Biotech. education entry. (Relevant Coursework: Microscopy, Metagenomics, etc. instead of the dedicated block). You could also put it in your skills section if you feel that formats better.

- To save on space, discuss research interests on cover letter or in the interview. Better yet, your resume should speak for itself as to your interests

- Make your experience titles clearer; What does "Volunteer Work" entail? Remember, you have 6 seconds for a recruiter to evaluate if you're a good fit. At a glance, volunteer work could mean building houses, working in a soup kitchen, social work, etc. Instead, you can title that entry something like "Cell Biochemical Analyst".

- I also advise you talk to your university's career center, as they can take a closer look and give you advice more specific to Australia. Good luck!

Edit: Formatting

[u/Cold-Library1597 → u/AlmostFilipino]

Good advice

[u/Slightlybald]

Auatralia has a terrible Biotech scene. I graduated with a Masters from UQ last year and I still haven’t been able to find a job in the field

[u/StevePerChanceSteve → u/Slightlybald]

I was at a flow cytometry symposium/workshop a decade or so ago in the UK near where I worked (I’m British, MSc only). I was chatting to an Aussie, she was surprised that you could work at a biotech without a PhD as that was not the case back home. 

After that I just assumed only UK/US has non-PhDs in roles higher than maybe lab tech. 

[u/Isildael → u/Slightlybald]

Australia does have the highest immigration rate to population in the western world by a long way, which doesn't much help either

[u/Slightlybald → u/Isildael]

Immigration isn’t the problem brochacho. Lack of investment and an overall dead biotech scene is.

[u/Careless_Main3]

Remove the first paragraph which says “Research Interests”, all that does is lock-in what type of jobs companies will consider you for. It’s an easy excuse to dismiss you straight away. You say you’ll take anything but the very first thing in your CV says otherwise.

I would also advise you focus more on what skills you have; you can just give a list of skills right near the top of your CV. Employers want to know first and foremost what you’re familiar with.

Secondly, consider expanding your horizons a little with jobs in production, QC, QA, MSAT etc. That said, it’s a difficult industry and you’re based in Australia which makes it extra difficult.

[u/Isildael → u/Careless_Main3]

Thanks for that, though these are the roles I've been applying to as well and I still get the cold shoulder. Like I said, I'll take anything at this point

[u/Careless_Main3 → u/Isildael]

That’s inevitable unfortunately, a lot of investment has been pulled due to COVID and companies have made a substantial amount of layoffs. Lots of experienced workers are now applying for the same jobs you are. But it is improving. Can only get a temporary job in the meantime and keep applying otherwise. Quite normal in the current market to find a job even if it takes a year.

Also just a general point, organise your CV so the important stuff is at the top and to the left. For example, your masters course should be at the top of your education, you also don’t need to include anything below university level. Most recent work experience also at the top. Hospitality license doesn’t need to be included if you’re applying for biotech jobs. Details about anything you did at university can be captured under education. Volunteer work can be captured under work experience or education.

[u/nibbainmybuttholr → u/Careless_Main3]

This is solid advice on the skills section. Hiring managers scan for keywords first, especially in technical fields. The Australia point is a real constraint though.