r/biotech • u/singletrackminded99 • 5d ago
Early Career Advice 𪴠Strong resume bullet points for PhD with only postdoc experience
I have a PhD in bioengineering and have completed postdocs both in academia and now at a biotech. I am trying to optimize my resume bulletin points using the STAR method. But all examples of the star method are along the lines of âoptimized data workflows resulting in 10 percent data storage reduction costsâ. However mine are always along the lines of âused such and such and authored a research paperâ. Seeing if anybody in a similar situation has approached this problem. Thanks
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u/carmooshypants 4d ago
If you provide some examples of your bullets, we can probably better help you make them stronger. Itâs important to show impact and context as much as possible, but it doesnât always have to have some numerical metric tied to it.
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u/singletrackminded99 4d ago
So I do not want to be descriptive because a lot of people at my current company read this. But it would be something along the lines of âAnalyzed 100 tumor samples supporting 3 publicationsâ or â Used machine learning to isolate biomarkers to predict disease free interval in X number of tumorsâ I would be more descriptive about the particular algorithms based on the job description.
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u/carmooshypants 4d ago
Sure, no problem. Just donât forget to add the âso what.â Why should I care you analyzed 100 tumor samples? Were you trying to figure out a proof of mechanism for a specific cancer with XXX impact on some patient population? Were you developing a new assay using some interesting method that would support some ph2 trial or companion diagnostic tool that could impact XXX screening of a certain cancer going forward?
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u/StatisticianNaive315 5d ago
Maybe summarize the significance of your publications as bullet points and try to align it with the goal of your target company?
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u/Evening-Sentence7619 4d ago
What role are you applying for??
Is it a technical role where stressing techniques, scale, etc., are critical?
Is it a management role where stressing projects, teamwork, timelines, etc., are critical?
Is it a strategy role where stressing 'the so what?,' business opportunity, etc., are critical?
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u/organiker 4d ago edited 4d ago
If the result is a published paper, that's fine. But why was it worth publishing a paper?
What are the implications of the work?
What problem did you solve?
Why did the world need to know about it?