I got laid off from an up and coming biotech company 3 years ago. That company was where I got significant experience with that technology and all the activities around tech transfer.

About 2 years ago I was able to secure a job at a startup using a not so profitable technology with a significant pay cut and lower title. I was grateful I was back in the industry though and not working at a grocery store.

I recently applied to a position in which the job description was exactly what I did 3 years ago, at a company where I know many people who could recommend me. Not only that, I know the hiring manager personally.

The team loved my personality, and I had exactly the skills they needed! Except when I interviewed with the hiring manager's boss. Her questions were highly technical. But I prepared. My experience was 3 years ago but i used AI to fill in the gaps. I prepared for all the typical questions she would ask me. But I misheard a question, talked about it for a bit, and she redirected me to what she actually asked and then my mind blanked. What also didn't help was my experience was 3 years stale and I didn't remember too many details of what I did because of it.

I know all of this because the hiring manager told me, because he's my friend. He tried to sell me to his boss without giving away that we were friends, but it's out of his hands. I was the most qualified applicant at the time. They reposted the job and the boss is now saying she wants someone more senior. Because she wants the applicant to hit the ground running. Even though my friend said that in this time they reposted the job and interviewed more candidates he could've trained me to do exactly what his boss wanted right now.

I had the best circumstances to get this job that would have given me the pay I had before and I would remain marketable with my skills but I screwed it up.

Rant over.

Oh man, I’m having a hell of a time getting into the regulatory side of things. I’ve applied to over 20 positions at this point, and unfortunately, I’ve been rejected from all of them.

I have about 10 years of experience in big pharma (with 2 of those years at a CRO), including assay development, a variety of cell-based release testing, countless continuous improvement projects supporting production areas, pre-commercialization formulation support, and most recently, managing a stability/release lab.

A lot of my experience and skills seem like they would translate really well into regulatory, but I’m struggling to get my foot in the door. Any tips or advice on how to make that transition? I’ve just started trying to network a little more and I’m also looking into free certifications I can complete online. I’m nearly finished with my MBA as well.

I really appreciate any advice or insight. It’s been a rough couple of years with ongoing health issues and a lot of management changes, so I’m definitely ready for a new direction and hoping to make this transition happen.

Feel free to DM me :)

Is BMS making all the right moves? How is Abecma and what is the future of this company with recent buzz and acquisitions? How is work culture in BMS New Jersey office?

Hi! I have been a long-time lurker around here and I am looking for some advice. I am currently an undergrad university student majoring in Genetics & Biotechnology in South Korea. Finished my third year and realized that I am more fitted to presenting and communicating rather than doing lab work. So, I have been thinking in getting into a career more appropriate to what I am good at. I would like to know how it would look like to get into Biotech Sales? For example, what did you guys do after graduating or before? What types of internships or experience should I look for? Tips or things to look for? Any advice or experience would really be appreaciated!

Is it just me or have things soured even further than what was supposed to be the 24/25 doldrums? Can we post some anecdotes to give people a ray of hope that sometimes things can work out?

I'll start.

Joined biotech by pure serendipity. Had a friend who was starting up a company approach me as I was wrapping up my PhD. Being a young guy with no family and zero awareness of how precarious a seed stage biotech would be, I happily joined because the offer was 3x what a post doc (pre-Obama rules) made.

Transitioned from one subfield of immunology to I/O and had the opportunity to learn a lot of different skills beyond the bench. Being a small company, had a much wider scope and visibility than I was equipped to handle at the time. But had patient mentors and was allowed to make mistakes. Went from being a bench scientist to leading a small team- thoroughly enjoyed being able to reciprocate the mentorship to others.

Not all smooth sailing though. Couple of lay-offs and re-orgs. Lost my team but somehow survived the RIF. Completely aimless for a year or so when the pipelines consolidated. Felt useless but couldn't move on because the job market was frozen. Just kept reading and trying to find somewhere to be useful.

6 months ago it finally happened. The project I've been plugging away at in the background with virtually no mandate from management (except that I stayed out of the way) became a top priority for the company. Feels good to finally have deadlines and goals again; contributing to the mission instead of being a passenger for the ride. Like the good old bad days working somewhere well outside my depth but being allowed to learn.

hope this post helps someone instead of reading like a brag post..

I got workday (Canada)email that my application status has changed, I checked and it was recruiter screen, this was last week and I still haven’t been contacted by the recruiter, is it sure shot that I’ll get an interview or I can still get a rejection and whom should I reach out in this case?Is there anything I can do apart from being patient?

I'm curious how many of you have had to leave your family for a job. After 2 years of unemployment I'm having to take a job on the opposite coast because I can't find one locally. My wife and kids are staying here because we want them to stay in their schools. Man, I'm scared, overwhelmed and a bit angry it has come to this.

I think people are attracted to biotech because it offers the opportunity to work on life changing treatments with exciting science.

A common saying is do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life. Another is that even a dream job becomes just a job in the end.

For people who have been in the industry a long time, are you still passionate about your work and its purpose? Or has the shine worn off and it’s just become another corporate job?

When you’re evaluating a human biospecimen provider, beyond simply checking whether they have the samples you need, what do you typically look at first?
Is it the quality and completeness of the metadata, collection history, turnaround time, documentation/traceability, or something else?
Curious to hear what factors people in biotech prioritize when comparing providers.

can u tell me the time frame when they got back to you? i did my interview ( 3 rounds) 3 weeks ago and i am still wait.

Hi everyone,I am from the Caribbean and will be choosing my undergraduate major next year. I find biotechnology absolutely fascinating, but I am having serious second thoughts after reading mixed reviews about the job market, low entry-level pay, and the risk of a "useless degree."I want a career that is intellectually interesting but also guarantees a stable, comfortable, and good living. Because of my concerns, I am torn between two paths:

●Biotech Abroad: Moving abroad to pursue a dedicated, standalone B.S. in Biotechnology (my local university only offers a Biology degree with a biotech specialization)

●Pivot to Healthcare: Pivoting to a more stable, in-demand medical field (like medicine, nursing, or medical laboratory science)

My questions for the community-

1)For those who did a standalone Biotech B.S, did it give you a significant edge over a standard Biology/Biochemistry degree, or is it better to study a broader science or engineering field (like Chemical Engineering or Computer Science)

2)Which countries offer the best balance of affordable undergraduate tuition, robust biotech hubs, and viable post-grad work visas for international students? (Thinking about the US, Asia Canada, or Europe)

3)Is the financial return on investment (ROI) for a biotech career realistic for someone who wants to earn a strong living early on, or should I choose a structured healthcare field if financial security is my top priority?

I appreciate any brutal honesty and guidance you can provide!

I am interviewing for a role at the Tarrytown office. I currently live in Jersey city and would need to reverse commute. Wanted to get feedback and feel of what working there is like. I would work on business side…I am also interviewing for a similar role at BMS based in Madison, NJ that would be hybrid but pay less than Regeneron. Both jobs would be for promotion

Abstract

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues complete response letters (CRLs) after completing a review when it determines that it cannot approve a drug or biological product application in its current form. Historically, the FDA has treated CRLs as confidential, leaving sponsors largely in control of how non-approval decisions are described publicly. This approach has been criticized for relying on an expansive view of confidentiality, which can obscure safety, efficacy, and quality-related concerns, and for enabling selective or incomplete sponsor communications. In 2025, the FDA shifted course. On July 10, 2025, the FDA posted more than 200 CRLs tied to applications that had subsequently been approved, consolidating information that was often already embedded in the approval action packages. On September 4, 2025, the FDA released 89 previously unpublished CRLs for pending or withdrawn applications, and committed to real-time disclosure of newly issued CRLs going forward. Using a comparative FDA-European Medicines Agency (EMA) lens, we assess what these initiatives changed at launch and how early implementation through May 2026 affects their durability, legal footing, and information value. By May 2026, the FDA’s CRL initiative had evolved into a functioning yet unsettled disclosure infrastructure: openFDA now offers searchable access to CRLs for approved and unapproved applications, while the FDA’s FY 2027 budget request simultaneously seeks clearer statutory authority to disclose certain information in CRLs. We argue that FDA CRLs and EMA assessment outputs are complementary, and we propose lessons that FDA can learn from the EMA to maximize the value of CRL disclosure: codifying timelines and redaction standards, adding neutral decisional summaries where redactions or technical language would otherwise obscure the basis for non-approval, and standardizing the classification and discoverability of prior-cycle CRLs in approval packages. These reforms can protect legitimate confidential commercial information while enabling learning from unsuccessful applications.

The dreading day is coming very soon. Sue to budget cuts, my position is about to be part of layoff. It’s very stressful and depressing to know that even after having PhD and working in industry for last 10 years, you still have no job security. I know a lot of people on this group are struggling with this. Appreciate if you can help me with any pointers in how to go about job search. There is not much out there at all!

EDIT: Thank you everyone for encouragement and support. Preserving mental health nd keeping emotion sin check is the priority and by far the hardest thing to do so far. Testing time for sure!

Has anyone been laid off while taking a course that was eligible for reimbursement from your employer? What did you do? Did you still get reimbursed?

Went down a little rabbit hole after working on recombinant DNA