Work in biomedicine
Interview in a new format
The Biomedtech Job Fair was held for the fourth time in the Hypercube of the Skolkovo Innovation Center, which again allowed companies working in the field of biomedical technologies and applicants to get to know each other. Students and graduates of Moscow State University, RUDN, Pirogov RNIMU and other universities in Moscow, as well as the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, had the opportunity to learn about open vacancies and internships both in leading international pharmaceutical and research companies in the biotechnology sector, and in actively developing startups of the Biomedical Technologies Cluster of the Skolkovo Foundation.
"For four years, this event has been organized by the BMT Cluster together with the Skolkovo Open University. We have reinvented the fair, now with an absolutely open format of communication between the applicant and the employer without the heavy atmosphere of the interview and with high-quality profile information content of the business program. No one has held highly specialized job fairs of this level before us, I can tell you with confidence, because I myself am a graduate of the medical faculty," Polit said.ru Sana Kagermazova, Senior Project Manager of the BMT Cluster of the Skolkovo Foundation.
During the day, the participants of the job fair moved around the two first floors of the Hypercube, where initial interviews with representatives of companies were held. Introduction sessions were held in the hall on the fourth floor, where representatives of companies could talk about their work in a dialogue format and answer questions of interest to applicants. The event was attended by such organizations as Quintiles IMS, AstraZeneca, Stentex, BIOCAD, Knomix and many other representatives of the biomedical field.
Elena Zelentsova, Vice President and Director for Urban Environment Development of the Skolkovo Foundation, delivered a welcoming speech to the participants of the Job Fair.
"The most important thing in today's event is that representatives of the industry in which you plan to work will see you and, most importantly, will be able to communicate with you. In the modern world, where almost every event becomes interactive, not only a person needs a company to earn money, but also people themselves with their talents, abilities and motivation become the main resource of the company and promote one or another direction in biomedical technologies," Elena Zelentsova emphasized.
According to the Vice-President of the Skolkovo Foundation, the Job Fair is an important event for the innovation center. "One of the main criteria for the development of the city is the presence of a large number of events of various formats. This is exactly what we are striving for. And in addition to leisure and social formats, such as, for example, a jazz festival, we really need professional conferences and meetings, because Innograd is, of course, an intellectual center. That is why the meeting of representatives of industry and youth is a very important element of the formation of the urban environment in Skolkovo," Elena Zelentsova told <url>.
When asked why employment in the field of biomedicine is so popular, Elena Zelentsova replied: "The fact is that biomedicine penetrates into all spheres of life today. This is a new look at a person, his world and his way of life. Therefore, it is not surprising that biotechnologies are of great interest today." According to the Vice-President of the Skolkovo Foundation, the experience of holding previous Job Fairs in such a unique and not like a regular interview form turned out to be very useful for both one and the other side of labor relations.
And indeed, the event hardly looked like a typical meeting of a personnel officer with an applicant. At the sessions, representatives of the companies talked about themselves, shared their achievements, touched on topical issues of biomedicine.
What is especially important for young people just starting to build a career, many companies speaking at the sessions emphasized their willingness to take a person without experience into their ranks and teach him everything on the job. Such a project is offered, for example, by M&S Decisions, whose field of activity is scientific support and consulting of global pharmaceutical companies in projects for the development of original medicines using mathematical modeling methods. The company provides an opportunity for everyone to study at a special school, which will be held in Skolkovo in December this year, and then to be selected for an internship.
The company "R-Pharm", specializing in high-tech medicines, offers its career development program to novice specialists. "Our company has a large program for the selection of talented students, the best of whom are awarded scholarships and sent to our branch in the USA. We are willing to accept new employees. And if we have a mutual interest in each other, then we develop an individual development plan for a particular employee, according to which he is trained," Shorena Archuadze, head of the R–Pharm oncology drug development group, told the participants of the event.
Not only large companies, but also startups showed interest in young specialists. "We pay for internships in our company because we want young people to develop, but at the same time we select the most talented," said Dmitry Alekseev, CEO of Knomix, a resident of the Skolkovo Foundation and engaged in the creation of an electronic system for analyzing human gut microbiota data.
Representatives of Quintiles IMS, which provides its clients with services in the field of clinical research and also offers a summer internship program for graduates and students, noted that the Russian pharmaceutical market remains very attractive for all its participants. "According to forecasts, the pharmaceutical market in our country will grow at a very high rate, by about 8 percent in the coming years," said Nikolai Demidov, CEO of Quintiles IMS.
Speakers at the sessions raised not only highly specialized topics, but also touched on global issues directly related to the future career of graduates. "Today, the education you receive at the university is, of course, the basis, but it is not enough to build a successful career. We need to constantly develop. It is necessary to study languages, the basics of IT, master related specialties. And it is especially important to understand how and in what area you want to grow. New professions are constantly emerging, so you need to always keep your finger on the pulse," said Alexandra Sazonova, Manager of talent attraction at Quintiles IMS.
Representatives of the international pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca in their speech also paid much attention to the issue of competencies necessary for successful career development. The director of the medical department Vladimir Bulatov told about what skills an employee of the medical department of a pharmaceutical company should have: "The backbone of the medical department is doctors, pharmacists with higher medical education. In the company, they act as a source of scientific medical expertise, help in the promotion of goods and share information with the outside scientific world – key experts of the scientific medical community. To qualify for the role of a medical adviser, you need a deep knowledge of medicine. A PhD degree is necessary because it is an indicator that you have the skills to work with literature and communicate with older comrades. Also, undoubtedly, communication skills are needed that allow you to conduct a competent dialogue with experts and persuade the interlocutor in your direction. And, of course, digital communication savvy is an undoubted plus for a candidate."
In turn, Konstantin Gudkov, director of the clinical Research Department of the company, shared his thoughts on the necessary competencies of a specialist in the field of clinical research. "For Russia, the clinical research market is an emerging market. Therefore, the main thing for a specialist working in this field is readiness for challenges and changes. In addition, since pharma is becoming more and more complex from the point of view of science, we value very much good specialists – doctors with clinical experience. We also value their openness and ability to cooperate internationally in the candidates," he stressed.
The opportunity to gain international work experience is one of the most attractive moments of working at AstraZeneca. "To get an international appointment, our employee needs a desire, a focus on results, as well as the support of a direct supervisor. Within our company there is a very important tool for career advancement – an individual development plan in which each employee prescribes their goals, specific steps for development and discusses this both with the HR department and with their supervisor," said Alina Mantseva, Director of the AstraZeneca HR Department.
Answering a question from the audience, does it make sense for yesterday's student to start a career right away with a large company, or is it better to first get work experience in a small organization, Konstantin Gudkov noted: "Any company, of course, prefers people with experience who know how to develop the market. But the most important thing is to decide what exactly you want. You can work in a large company in a low position, or choose a startup in which you can really open up professionally. On the other hand, a large company has a well-coordinated system of organizing quality and quality training. Most importantly, do not agree to any compromises with yourself." Vladimir Bulatov, for his part, gave the following advice: "If you want to do science and medicine, but they don't take you to a large company, go to a simpler company. This way is more preferable than if you were trying to break into the medical department through the sales department of Big Pharma."
However, working in a large international company for yesterday's student is not a fantasy at all. "We are aimed at young employees. The main thing is to have the potential and the desire to move on. Big companies are open to this and are ready to help young people," Alina Mantseva encouraged the applicants.
The next major event for biomedical students will be the School of Mathematical Modeling in the field of Drug Development, the enrollment for which has already been opened on the website of the Skolkovo Foundation. In 4 days, participants will be able to get acquainted with the basic methods of mathematical modeling and learn how mathematical modeling helps to solve R&D problems at different stages of drug development. In addition, participants will undergo a communication training on the specifics of effective work in interdisciplinary teams.
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26.09.2017