Career fairs can help you land a great job in biotech

Career fairs offer access to many companies in one location and enable personal connections with local hiring managers. They’re becoming an increasingly useful tool that job seekers are utilizing to navigate the employment market.

Vernon Shoaf, senior director for the NC Community College System’s BioNetwork program knows first-hand the value career fairs add for both those seeking a job and companies searching to hire the best talent available.

Shoaf has been working with BioNetwork since 2004 and currently leads the Learning Solution Center, which provides training resources across the state. His work spans web development, video production, e-learning, and digital marketing. A big part of his focus is creating community college opportunities to match students with companies that are hiring.

One of the best ways for students to meet employers is by attending career fairs, Shoaf said.

The BioNetwork career fairs are conducted with a variety of life sciences companies in North Carolina and have helped open doors for countless students.

The virtual format of these events allows for increased accessibility for both job seekers and employers. While being virtual was originally borne of necessity from the pandemic, there was such positive feedback about the accessibility, they decided to continue the platform in this manner.

Shoaf said the goal of career fairs is to help students and those looking to make a career transition into the biopharma industry. There is no cost for the career fair for students or job seekers.

The results are impressive. Here are stats from a BioNetwork career fair from April 2022:

Laura Pineda, who lives in the Triangle and now works at Merck in north Durham as an operations technician, remembers how difficult the job hunting process was.

"When I started looking for a job, it was really hard because I was applying to too many companies and nobody called me back," she said.

She decided to give a BioNetwork career fair a shot. She couldn’t be happier that she did. It’s at one BioNetwork career fair that she met a representative from Merck, her current employer.

"Additionally, our career development support program helps students understand that they do have a skill set that is transferable across industries and it helps them primarily with their confidence," Shoaf said. "We mentor them through the process. We spend a lot of time reviewing their resumes and giving them feedback on how to make it better."

While much of the program focuses on technical training, participants learn how to write resumes, apply, and interview for entry-level process technician jobs at North Carolina life sciences manufacturing companies. The instructors want participants to land their dream job.

"I was so nervous before, as the companies were asking me questions that I was not ready to answer," Pineda explained. "But after taking my biotech classes, I was much more prepared. It helped me become more confident. I was feeling nervous, but my teacher really encouraged me."

"BioWork helps prepare students to interact with company recruiters and hiring managers at a career fair by better understanding unique aspects of the companies that are attending the career fair," Shoaf explained.

Shoaf said that BioNetwork’s ultimate goal is to help increase job placement rates in the biopharma industry. With success stories such as Pineda’s, the BioNetwork appears to be achieving its goal.