Biotech Career Coach

Most bench scientists think breaking into computational biology means going back to school. Dean Lee proves otherwise. Dean went from neuroscience PhD student at Harvard to Principal Computational Biologist at Novartis by teaching himself to analyze scRNA-seq data in stolen scraps of time alongside his bench job, and now he helps thousands of scientists make the same move through his online commun...

AI agents, skills, and automations. You keep hearing these terms, but nobody has clearly explained what they mean for someone actually working in biotech. In this episode, Carina sits down with Stu Angus, founder of Scriptome. AI and an AI consultant who works with small biotech companies every day, to break down exactly what each of these tools is, when to use one over another, and why getting th...

Are you walking into biotech panel interviews and talking to every person the same way? That approach can cost you the offer, even if your science is solid. In this episode, Carina Clingman and returning guest Stacey Tannenbaum, PhD break down how to build rapport with each type of interviewer you'll meet on a panel day, from the VP who hasn't read your CV to the peer scientist who feels threatene...

You keep hearing about AI, but nobody is telling you how it actually fits into a biotech career or a job search. That changes today. In this episode, Carina sits down with Heather Karner, a bench scientist with a background in RNA biology who works alongside machine learning researchers in the Bay Area. Heather is actively job searching and has quietly become the go-to AI resource for her lab and...

Are you holding yourself back from biotech roles because you don't check every box on the job description? You're not alone, and it's costing you opportunities. In this career chat, Carina sits down with Heer Shah , a Scientist in cell and gene therapy at Ensoma , a Boston-based biotech developing precision gene therapies using synthetic viral vectors and gene editing technologies. Heer has over s...

Your technical skills might be perfect, but if you can't present them clearly, you won't get the job. Most scientists treat presentations like data dumps, and it costs them opportunities. In this episode, I sit down with Stacey Tannenbaum, PhD, a presentation skills consultant with over 25 years as an industry pharmacometrician and leader. Stacey has coached scientists across biotech to move beyon...

January brings fresh biotech hiring budgets, energized hiring managers, and real momentum after a tough 2025. If you've been waiting for the right time to level up your biotech career, this is it. In this episode, you'll discover: Why January is the best month to apply for biotech jobs after a slow December How the December Networking Challenge helped members grow their LinkedIn reach and profile...

Networking in biotech doesn’t have to feel awkward or transactional. In this episode, Carina shares how giving first is the simplest way to build authentic biotech networking on LinkedIn that actually leads to stronger relationships and better opportunities. If you’re an introvert, early-career professional, or making a career change, this is your practical roadmap to connect with confidence. In t...

Biotech networking doesn’t have to feel random. In this video, I’ll walk you through a 28-day biotech networking challenge you can actually stick to. Perfect for biotech job seekers who want a clear, daily plan to grow their biotech career network in December and beyond. Here’s what you’ll learn: -Why December is secretly a powerful month for biotech networking -How to track your LinkedIn analytic...

Does your biotech resume pass the six-second test? That's all the time most recruiters spend deciding who gets rejected and who deserves more attention. In this episode, we show you how to build a resume first page that survives the scan and wins interviews in today's biotech job market. Carina breaks down exactly what needs to go at the very top of your resume so a busy recruiter can see you meet...

AI can completely change how you write resumes, cover letters, and networking messages for biotech roles, but only if you use it properly. In this episode, I show biotech professionals exactly how to use AI to improve applications and outreach without creating generic AI slop. If you're spending more than 30 minutes tailoring each resume, you're wasting time. And no, you will not be blasting out t...

Is a hidden LinkedIn setting making you look disorganized to recruiters? In this episode, I show you the LinkedIn setting that quietly pulls messy CV text into your profile in the LinkedIn Recruiter view, and makes you look less professional than you really are. If you have carefully curated your LinkedIn profile for job searching, you might be shocked to learn that recruiters often see a complete...

Most biotech professionals dread networking because it feels like cold calling, pushy, or inauthentic. If you've ever avoided reaching out because you didn't want to seem transactional or you felt stuck not knowing how to start a conversation, this episode is for you. Carina breaks down a strategic, human-centered approach to networking that leverages your natural curiosity as a scientist and turn...

Your LinkedIn headline is one of the most valuable pieces of real estate on your profile, but most biotechnology professionals are wasting it. In this episode, Biotech Career Coach Carina Clingman reviews real LinkedIn biotech professional headlines to show you exactly what works and what doesn't. You'll see why leading with job titles or acronyms like "VP at Company X" or "Ex-FDA" falls flat, whi...

Overthinking shows up as research without drafts, resumes that never get sent, and weeks of “planning” with nothing shipped. In this episode, I map out concrete ways to move from thinking to doing without burning out. We walk through fear types (failure, rejection, judgment, and even success) and simple reframes that keep you moving. You’ll learn how to turn rejection into useful data, set one cle...

When an interviewer asks about a layoff, a resume gap, or a short stint that didn’t work out, the goal isn’t to defend the past. It’s to show judgment, growth, and readiness for what’s next. In this episode, we walk through a simple narrative framework you can adapt to any uncomfortable situation: set the context briefly, name the decision you made, highlight the skills and results you built durin...

AI is changing the hiring process, but not in the way most candidates fear. In this podcast episode, Carina breaks down how applicant tracking systems are actually using AI today, why automated resume “fit” scores are often inaccurate for scientific roles, and where simple automations still drive real decisions. You’ll learn what recruiters really do when hundreds of resumes flood in, how Boolean...

This episode is a practical playbook for biotech job seekers and career climbers who want to interview with clarity, energy, and impact. Carina breaks down 25 common mistakes that quietly cost candidates offers, from rambling to over‑indexing on technical detail to skipping metrics. You’ll learn how to answer the actual question asked, thread a positive through‑line across job changes, balance “I”...

This week, Carina shows how to turn a short recruiter phone screen into a competitive advantage across the entire hiring process. Learn specific recruiter screen questions that uncover role must-haves, disqualifiers, and success criteria in the first 90 days, plus how to identify the tools, platforms, instrumentation, and assay techniques used by the team. Learn to gauge scope, autonomy, cross-fun...

In this career chat, I had a fun conversation with Nicole Gampp, Senior Alliance Manager at Compass Therapeutics. Nicole shares her unique, non-linear career journey from research to HR and medical affairs, eventually leading to alliance management. We discuss the intricacies of an Alliance Manager's role, the importance of networking, and career transitions. Nicole emphasizes the significance of...

We're revisiting a powerful episode from our earlier catalog because it's a good reminder as we move into the fall job-seeking season. We discuss whether your job search is on the right track by examining key metrics. I give a blueprint for a gold-standard job search, informed by a decade of experience and interviews with thousands of successful candidates in the biotech industry. We review metric...

This week I’m sharing some exciting news: we’ve officially launched our new community on Skool, and it’s free to join. I created this space to make job seeking and career development less isolating and more actionable. Inside, you’ll find resources, tools, and a network of peers who understand exactly what you’re going through. Here’s what’s waiting for you when you join: The 7-Day Interview Accel...

This week, I participated in an American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) panel discussion with Brandon Miller on salary negotiations. We answered audience questions that explored creative strategies for successful negotiations, addressing topics such as counter offers, flexibility beyond base salary, and handling 'best offer' scenarios. We also discussed the importance of understan...

This week, join me for our monthly Ask Me Anything event where I address your questions about the biotech job market, effective networking strategies, and making successful career transitions. I discuss the impacts of the NIH and HHS funding uncertainty, tackling employment gaps on resumes, leveraging connections after a bad interview, and which to update first: LinkedIn profile or resume. Additio...

Ready to make 2025 your most organized and productive year yet? In this episode, I'm sharing a powerful Notion template that transformed my own annual planning process. Whether you're a Notion newbie or a seasoned pro, you'll discover: • A step-by-step system for setting meaningful goals that align with your values • How to leverage AI prompts for deeper self-reflection and creative problem-solvin...