Writing a Winning Biotech Career Summary

Gone are the days when you'll find experts recommending that you add the once-trusted objective statement to your resume. This is because hiring managers and recruiters are much more intrigued by the other resume tools used to grab their attention.

One tool that is regularly recommended is the career summary. As a biotech professional, it's good for you to consider this option as well. It not only summarizes your most important professional accomplishments but also gives the reader a quick guide to help him or her decide whether to add you to the 'keeper' or 'denial' file.

Why Experts Are Moving Away From Objective Statements

If you've written a resume in the past, you're probably familiar with the objective, which is a one- or two-sentence statement explaining what you're objective is in applying for the job. Usually, it looks something like this: 'Seeking to showcase my skills, achievements, and talent in hopes of joining XYZ Biotech Company.'

The problem with an objective statement like this is that it comes across as bland and too broad. It doesn't break down what you can actually do for that company, forcing the reader to dig through your resume to find this information. The career summary, on the other hand, offers the information right at the top of the resume, ensuring that your career highlights are easy to find.

How Do I Write a Great Biotech Career Summary?

So how can you create a winning biotech career summary that will entice a hiring manager or recruiter? Similar to writing a summary for any other field, your job will be to highlight standout aspects of your career that make you shine and also line up with the position for which you're applying.

To get started, it's good to look over the most significant moments in your career to date. Try to come up with about 10 (e.g., winning a clinical research award, being published in a scientific journal, discovering a not-yet-discovered organism, etc.), then narrow your list down to no more than five.

To help you narrow down the list, think of what is most impressive to you or others and what you are most proud of. Then come up with as many details for those highlights as you can while trying to keep each bullet-point item to one sentence (e.g., 'Winner of Leadership Award with XYZ Biotech Company for exceptional site technical leadership in cell culture process and management of tech transfers of new processes in manufacturing').

Really take time to think about what you want to add to each summary you write for each resume you submit. In other words, don't just use the same summary over and over again, tailor it to each position. This way, you can create a resume that genuinely shows you are the right person for the job.