Stories

Jared Auclair, PhD

Cultural Competence – The Role of Soft Skills in Biotechnology Careers

By Jared Auclair

This May, MassBioEd, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization that supports science and biotechnology education, released its 2018 Job Trends Forecast for the Life Science Industry in Massachusetts, presented at the Life Science Workforce 2018 Conference, hosted at Northeastern University’s Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC). The report highlighted another year of growth in the biotechnology sector, predicting approximately 12,000 new biotech jobs by 2023. But, interestingly, the conference also highlighted a large gap in the preparedness of the workforce – a lack of “cultural training” among new applicants.

Culture skills include working in a group or team setting, displaying leadership potential, and recognizing your role in a company. Since I became director of Northeastern University’s Biotechnology programs in 2016, many companies I’ve spoken to have talked about the importance of these soft skills in identifying new candidates. Organizations say that they can easily find skillful candidates, but many are looking for a “cultural fit” – someone who can seamlessly transition into the company and work with fellow colleagues.

While most college programs, including Northeastern University, incorporate soft-skills training into their curriculum, it is still important to make sure that these skills are on display from the very first communication with a company, through to the interview process and follow-up. Your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile should include examples of strong interpersonal skills, teamwork, and leadership.
Here are some simple tips to keep in mind:

Mention your soft skills in your resume/cover letter
Along with your technical skills, make sure you customize your cover letters to highlight how your soft skills meet the needs outlined in the job posting. One effective way to do this is with a “T format” – where you list the job requirements in one column of a table and your expertise in that area in another. This simple two column table is not only easy to read, but is also a good way to reemphasize your cultural training. And, it can’t hurt to stand out from the rest of the majority text-based cover letters that companies are bound to receive.

Talk about your interpersonal skills at interviews
Interviews are an opportunity for your communication skills, professionalism and motivation to truly shine. Prepare in advance to share specific examples that demonstrate the positive role you played on a team, how you influenced a group’s decision-making process, or resolved a conflict. These can go a long way in helping employers see how you will fit into their existing team structure.

Connect at a personal level
Employers want to be sure you have other interests besides science, and can interact with people on a personal level; be comfortable with some “small talk” and even an inquiry about your activities outside of work. A good way to think about it would be to imagine a conversation you’d have with someone over a networking coffee or drinks – try to bring that feel to the interview, but make sure it’s conducted in a professional way.

April 8, 2020

Do your homework to highlight your creativity
Know what the company does, their core values, and the company culture. Do your research on the companies’ core technology and products and understand how they work and their lifecycle of development, as far as it is publicly available. Your research will not only enable you to ask intelligent and specific questions, but to also think creatively and discuss potential solutions to problems that might arise in a product development.

While soft skills are critical in all fields, in biotech specifically, what makes them even more important is our focus on patients. Everything we do as scientists is for the patient – treating and curing disease, improving quality of life and extending life. Therefore, it is even more important to use your soft skills to engage with patients whenever possible, and to highlight these engagements during interviews.

We are hearing a similar emphasis on the need for well-developed soft skills from employers in the San Francisco Bay Area. As we launch biotechnology programs in California this fall, we hope to leverage our expertise in this area to meet the need of the California market and continuing to prepare future biotech leaders. Read more here.

Jared R. Auclair is the Director of Executive Training and Biotechnology Programs in the department of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern University. He also directs the Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Laboratory, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Center of Regulatory Excellence in Biotherapeutics, and oversees the International Council for Harmonisation training. Dr. Auclair collaborates with both academic researchers and industry in the area of biopharmaceutical development and analysis, as well as international regulators on best practices and new advances in the regulatory sciences for drug approvals.