by: Dharm Patel
GENEWIZ, Inc. is a contract research organization, with headquarters in South Plainfield, NJ, that provides research services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, clinical, academic, and government institutions worldwide. Most Rutgers researchers know Genewiz as the place to send samples for DNA sequencing. However, they also offer services in other areas of molecular biology, including gene synthesis, construction of shRNA plasmids, plasmid DNA preparation, site-directed mutagenesis, and DNA cloning; genomics, including mutation analysis, SNP discovery sequencing, fragment analysis, and transgenic mouse genotyping; and next generation sequencing and bioinformatics. They also provide regulatory and GLP (good laboratory practices) services for FDA-level applications and submissions. And lastly, they have formed a new subsidiary company, Admera Health, which provides advanced molecular diagnostics testing with a focus on personalized medicine and non-invasive cancer testing. As such, it is an employer of PhD-level scientists in all scientific areas mentioned above in addition to project management, marketing, and business development.
A recent iJOBS site visit to Genewiz provided a great opportunity for Rutgers graduate students and post-docs to learn about career opportunities available there. The two-hour visit began with a breakfast spread, which was followed by talks with HR representatives, scientists, and divisional managers. (For privacy purposes, names of individuals employed at Genewiz will not be given, although iJOBS may be able to provide contact information if needed). Below, you will find information of what was discussed during the talks with some insight into Genewiz hiring practices. The information is broken into hiring process and what each employee at Genewiz discussed.
Hiring Process at Genewiz
The HR representative at Genewiz began by outlining a typical interview process employed at the company. The process begins when a hiring manager reviews applications for an opening and provides 5-10 candidates to HR. HR will call these individuals to review applicant interest in the position, salary requirements, and other HR related questions (i.e. no technical talk). HR provides feedback to the hiring manager, who then calls the applicable candidates for an on-site interview. The on-site interview consists of 3-4 interviews with appropriate staff at the company and a 45-minute candidate presentation. Technical questions will be part of this interview. Following a background and reference check, an offer will be sent out to accepted candidates. The process takes approximately one to two months. Interesting tidbits specific to Genewiz include:
- Training is provided for customer service following hire.
- Compensation is the same for bench and non-bench positions of the same job title.
- Customer interface roles typically don’t require a postdoc.
- 1-2 years of postdoc experience preferred for bench scientist positions.
- Entry-level PhD level positions include Associate Scientist/Scientist I.
- Internship postings go up in March.
1. Next Gen Sequencing Manager
Next generation sequencing (NGS) services at Genewiz encompass all steps from initial project consultation to bioinformatics support post-completion of a NGS project. Operational stages include preparation of samples, sequencing, data management, and delivery of data to client. Thus, the NGS division requires all aspects of knowledge, both technical and customer interface. Genewiz is known for their quick turnaround, thus multiple projects are running at the same time with samples being processed, data being acquired, and constant customer contact. Therefore, it is important to distinguish yourself as a multitasking team player during your interviews.
2. Marketing Manager
The role of the marketing manager is to provide all aspects of marketing support to various departments at Genewiz. For example, a marketing project may begin with customer segmentation and targeting. If a niche is identified, this is communicated internally to business development and technical staff who may then develop a product or service to fill the niche. The marketing team will then outline a marketing strategy, help identify revenue goals, assist in product launch, identify a promotional campaign, provide educational material, and provide sales with internal sales training/collaboration. Thus, marketing has both internal clients (divisions that require marketing support) and external clients (end-users). The manager with whom we spoke to arrived at their current position following a consulting career in competitive intelligence in the pharma sector.
3. Project Management Scientist
The project management scientist serves as a liaison between different business units and customers with regard to all aspects of project management, from initial inquiry to quality control to final delivery and support. The PM group is the ‘customer facing’ department of Genewiz. They have to be in constant contact with customers regarding issues that may arise with particular projects. PM scientists interact with all other departments and business units at Genewiz including marketing, sales, IT, and technical units.
4. Marketing Director
The marketing director at Genewiz provided an interesting take on her PhD career path and shared some advice on how to market yourself as a PhD trained scientist transitioning to industry. She was a marine biologist who, after applying to hundreds of industry positions, was hired at Genewiz as a scientist. She rose through the ranks and took on challenges of managing the opening of Genewiz facilities all over the US (and now overseas). The main takeaway from the presentation was to turn your negatives into positives. For example, take your 2 years of troubleshooting a particularly terrible assay and turn it into method/process development experience. Turn your collaborations into experience as a multitasking team player. Always LEAN IN and take on difficult projects you may think you’re not ready for. Persevere, network, and take pride of ownership in your work. Mistakes will be made, money and time will be lost, but develop yourself as a well-rounded thinker and be able to communicate your development. PhDs are trained to basically be relentless in figuring it out. So, leverage that skill to build new skills and acquire new knowledge in areas you have no experience in; as in her case, turning a PhD in marine biology into a career in marketing.
Additional information and Genewiz job postings can be found on their website, Twitter, or LinkedIn.