Last week, iJOBS hosted a career panel featuring professionals from WuXiAppTec. This panel operated slightly differently than previous ones in that the panel featured a single company rather than showcasing a single career with individuals from different companies. There were two PhD scientists, an HR representative, and a recruitment officer at the panel-this allowed for a well-rounded view of the company. 
WuXiAppTec is a global company that performs contract research for a variety of clients including biotechnology companies such as Merck, small companies started by academics, and business partners in China. The sheer breadth of research that they perform is astounding- from pharmaceutical services, medical devices, biologics, gene therapy, small molecules…the list goes on. Historically, they provided services for the beginning stages of research, but they are moving into end-to-end research services. WuXiAppTec is also growing very rapidly- when the company started in 2000, they had 48 employees. Now in 2016, they have over 10,000 employees, with a multitude of locations in China and th US. Locations include Shanghai, Tianjin, Suzhou, and WuXi in China, and St. Paul, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and San Diego in the US. This rapid growth does not appear to have affected the small-feel of the company, however. The panel members were congenial and had a light-hearted dynamic. Currently, there are approximately 120 open positions at WuXiAppTec, 20-25 of those positions are PhD-level openings. Positions vary from specialty bench scientists (such as knowledge in biologics testing, cell-based assays, and cell therapies) to non-bench PhDs in Business Development groups. Panel members not only spoke of the great work environment at WuXiAppTec, but also shared their career paths and advice. All agreed that their career paths were convoluted, with Julia Neusch mentioning, “We all end up taking different paths than we thought we might, and that’s okay. It’s part of the ebb and flow of life.” Julia has a bachelor’s degree in Physical Chemistry, went to Rutgers for HR management, and is now the Senior Director of Human Resources. Eric Johnson and Gautam Agnihotri, both PhDs, are now Directors of Cellular Biology and In Vitro Biology, respectively, but each took meandering paths through post-docs and industry positions before arriving at those roles they have today. Ken Schneider’s background is in recruiting for a multitude of scientific industries, and is now the Senior Technical Recruiter at the Philadelphia location. There was also plenty of advice imparted, and covered three main topics: resumes, interviews, and experience. First of all, it is “really, really important” to have good English on a resume, with Julia stating, “It shows how serious you are.” The panel members recommended having at least two people read over your resume. Furthermore, tailoring a resume to a job ad is vital, and that you must keep in mind who will be reading it- if an HR person will be looking at it, you can’t be too technical in the resume. You want to highlight and describe your relevant experience and skills. And cover letters? If you do include one, it should be brief and highlight what is in your resume. The overwhelming consensus on interviews was to practice. For those whose first language isn’t English, this means practicing with a native English speaker. For everyone, you want to write out your talking points, and be able to expand on what’s in your resume. In terms of experience, the panel members agreed that having a post-doc or internship is important for experience, and, if described well, helps to differentiate you from other applicants. When asked about publications, they said they’re important, but not as much as in academia. Eric stressed that getting a position is both “who you know AND what you know.” Eric emphasized that for the last two positions he held, he heard about them from someone in his network. Everyone agreed that LinkedIn was important for networking, with the following caveat: if you send a message to someone, you need to change the generic message. Julia also had good advice for applying for a job: “Be brave about what you apply for. If you’re 80% qualified, go for it!” She touched briefly on how many women will think they aren’t qualified for something when in reality, they are. She highly recommends the book “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg. The overarching message was that you need to be able to speak many languages in industry- Eric mentioned that he discusses a wide variety of diseases on a daily basis, while Julia stressed that you need to be able to connect with clients about their science and their experimental goals. In short, you need to communicate with people from a wide variety of scientific backgrounds. Overall, the career panel was jam-packed with useful information- not only for those who are interested in a career at WuXiAppTec, but those interested in transitioning from academia to industry in general. Useful links: WuXiAppTec’s website: http://www.wuxiapptec.com/ Event podcast, notes, and speaker bios: http://ijobs.rutgers.edu/events.php#past-events under 9 February 2016.
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