"Determination and commitment to the path chosen is a must"

Mahesh Jagtap, senior manager, product development, VARDA Biotech, Mumbai

In any institute or industry, it is the quality of human resources which determines the levels of achievement. The quality of human resources is all the more important in knowledge-based industries like engineering, biotechnology and IT.

With the increasing speed of technological advances, corporates have to cope up with the changes to sustain and excel in business. And employments become more challenging in this industry.

Before moving to what employers look for, we shall have a broad view of what options are available for job seekers today.

There are various options available to biotechnology students and others who have done related courses.

Biotech careers can be broadly divided into two segments, the research (lab) oriented and field (market) oriented jobs, which further can be divided into the following types/sub segments:

Research

Immunologist (veterinary virologist/vaccine researcher for humans); brewery microbiologist; food microbiologist; fermentation scientist; human geneticist; genetic counselor; plant pathologist; medical biochemist; environmental biotechnologist; agricultural biotechnologist/ plant breeder/ plant molecular biologist; bioinformaticist; conservation geneticist/molecular taxonomist/phylogeneticist; bioprocess engineer; clinical laboratory science professional; biological forensic analyst; enzymologist; and patent attorneys (supplemented by law).

Management/marketing/sales

Marketing for healthcare industry; marketing for biopharma industry; marketing for biotech industrial/research equipment; marketing for biotechnology research reagents, tools and services; international trade in biotechnology.

Many of these options are still unexplored by many job seekers. All of these positions need domain specialization with subject clarity and core interest of the candidates for the position.

Requisite qualities

What employers basically look for in candidates are conceptual clarity of the subject; ability to express and apply the gained knowledge; and determintaion and commitment towards the path chosen.

In research, subject clarity and applicability, analytical abilities, creative thinking matters a lot whereas in management and marketing related jobs, apart from the subject knowledge, interpersonal skills like communication, expression, and leadership abilities are very much essential.

VARDA Biotech, a knowledge and technology driven enterprise, being into core technology marketing, has maintained the balance of domain experts and career beginners. We follow the effective HR tool of recruitment matrix, which is multi-dimensional tool, which measures specific content strength, generic business strength, people strength, mental strength of the candidate. Freshers undergo rigorous training and management tools supplemented by independent assignments. We look for people who come with thirst for knowledge, ability to learn, adopt and transform
themselves.

According to Charles Darwin, "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, not the most intelligent but the one most responsive to change."

Here are a few tips for freshers which will make them comfortable in any specific field.

• Identify your core strengths and opt for suitable jobs.

• Know your value.

• Don't talk big money too soon.

• Also, remember there is more to a job than money. Take into consideration the experience gained on the job, career advancement opportunities, work/life balance and other important factors to help determine the true value of the offer.

Next Page : Knowledge of diverse domains will be relevant