Post-Midyear... what can I do prior to the AIFA offer date?

So you have now conquered Midyear - whether that’s completing in-person interviews, grabbing meals with the team from your top companies, or connecting with programs at reception… now what?

As you may know, many academic-affiliated fellowship programs are apart of AIFA, which states “Recognizing that the choice of a Post-Doctoral Industry Fellowship is an important decision, members of the Academic Industry Fellowship Alliance (AIFA) have agreed to extend offers for Fellowships no earlier than December 13, 2023.”

The consensus date in 2022 fell on the last day of Midyear, while this year’s consensus date is ~1 week after Midyear, which leaves both candidates and companies in uncharted territory. While waiting around for an offer can be anxiety-inducing, here’s some things to keep in mind:

  • First off - be proud of how far you’ve come so far! While waiting for the 13th may feel like you’re stuck in some sorta fellowship purgatory, be sure to give yourself some credit for all the interviews you’ve completed and navigating through months of the fellowship application process. Going through multiple rounds of interviews isn’t easy, but it’s a valuable learning experience that has sharpened your interpersonal communication and professional development.

  • Reach out to your top company to maintain a warm connection and thank them for their time at Midyear. This is a good opportunity to re-iterate your interest in the program and to highlight any memorable conversations you’ve had.

  • If you don’t hear back immediately on the 13th - don’t panic! Companies may begin offers then, but candidates usually will have 24-48 hours to accept or decline the offer before an offer is extended to the next top candidate.

Sending good vibes your way :-)

The Student Series: Tips for Surviving Your 1st Pharma Experience

Getting your foot into the biotech door is intimidating – especially for student pharmacists. Opportunities to venture in that direction don’t come very often—so when they do, you want to make the most out of them. This is from the perspective of a P2, who still feels overwhelmed sometimes in a sea of foreign industry terminology and acronyms. For those who still have a couple years before applying for fellowships, here are some key takeaways from my time working at a biopharmaceutical company.

  1. Colleagues and preceptors appreciate learners more than knowers. It’s great to start the job with a lot of background knowledge on the company and your roles and responsibility, but it’s okay to be curious!

  2. Something that my preceptor said to me that I really valued was that the more questions asked during a presentation, the more colleagues were invested and engaged. As students, we’re constantly fixed with the mindset that we must cover every information on our topic, and that if we’re bombarded with questions, it means we’ve failed to thoroughly deliver our presentation. It’s important to remind yourself that in the workforce, not everything is going to be a test!

  3. Network to make genuine connections. This may sound obvious, but I believe it’s one of the most crucial takeaways. Networking shouldn’t be like a web where one stretches him/herself thin and reaches as many people as possible. Going the extra step to check up on how colleagues are doing is what networking should be about––almost like planting a seed. The more effort you put into helping others, the more likely they will want to help you in return.

Function Area Snippets Part 5: HEOR

Health Economics Outcomes Research (HEOR): STRATEGIC VALUE, REAL WORLD EVIDENCE, MACHINE LEARNING, MARKET ACCESS, FOCUS GROUP, VALUE BASED AGREEMENTS, BUDGET IMPACT MODEL, COST-EFFECTIVENESS, VALUE DOSSIERS…what do these words really mean? And what the heck is Health Economics Outcomes Research? Well remember how they taught us in pharmacy school that clinical trials are done to prove safety and efficacy? What happens after that? Lets say a drug doesn’t kill anyone and moderately works to decrease your raging blood pressure (due to all those caffeine drinks you take on a daily, yeah I’m looking at you). So what? What makes your drug different…what makes it desirable? Like the tv show the Bachelor, each eligible bachelor (medication) must show how they are truly unique and be able to portray the value that they bring to the table in order to be chosen [or the quality of life (QALY) increase haha…that one is for the HEOR nerds]. HEOR helps show how the drug is efficacious in the real world by using evidence generated outside the clinical trial to helping show payers what the impact your drug would have on the market. HEOR is like your third cousin, second removed from your dads side. You don’t remember their name or exactly what they do, but when you meet each other at that family reunion you realize how well you get along and how the family could not be complete without them.

 

Functional Area Snippets Part 4: Pharmacovigilance (Safety & Risk Management)

Pharmacovigilance/safety: the unsung hero of pharma and arguably the most applicable to our pharmacy expertise. Pharmacy school trains us to be the final verifiers of safety before medications are in the hands of patients. Safety and risk management involves looking at what happens after administration. By analyzing cases from sources such as clinical trials, literature, and postmarketing data, safety scientists work to identify adverse events, determine causality, and if applicable – mitigate the risk. It is sort of like playing detective but instead of finding the criminal, you’re working to determine if a crime was even committed. If an adverse event (“crime”) did occur, what can we do to ensure it does not happen again, lower the frequency of occurrence, or lessen the intensity of the event? When an adverse event of particular interest (observation/alert) is determined to be related to the study drug, it is validated as a Signal, which is then either verified or refuted as a risk. Verified signals are characterized to determine the appropriate response, which could be anything from updating the medication label to listing it in the Risk Management Plan. There is plenty of opportunity to work cross-functionally with Drug Safety Operations, Drug Safety Epidemiology, Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, and Medical Affairs as safety and risk management teams will usually include 1 representative from each functional area. Listed below are a few responsibilities of safety scientists:

  • Signal detection and management activities including review of individual case safety reports

  • Interpreting and presenting safety data in internal forums to cross-functional teams

  • Supporting authorship of aggregate safety reports such as Periodic Benefit-Risk Evaluation Reports (PBRERs), Drug Safety Update Reports (DSURs), and Risk Management Plans (RMP)

  • Conducting literature reviews to identify new safety information

reflections on a Covid application cycle

What had more cinematic value: Tiger King, or Virtual Receptions?

We kid, we kid, but there's no doubt that this cycle of fellowship application cycle has been on brand for 2020. But, as with any other disruptor that seems out of this world at first, years from now, we may be saying "I can't believe we ever did it differently"

When it comes to fellowship applications, here's some hot takes on what should stick around from this godforsaken year, and what should be cast aside along with our pants that don't fit anymore.

Keep: CV Paper choice being... totally irrelevant

There's a lot of advice out there about paperclip selection, how many copies of your CV to print off, etc. In a digital (and climate changing) world, it was high time that these things are phased out. The real ones know that the correlation between superior candidates and superior paper choice is pretty weak, so why were we all still participating in this charade? We petition to save the earth and have programs pull up CVs up on an iPad if/when we interview in person again.

Cancel: Zoom 1:1s with everyone and their mother

Covid has really shown that geography need not be a barrier anymore. What that resulted in, though, was a "why not?" attitude to any and all 1:1s. Instead of banking on meeting fellows at conferences or school visits, zoom meeting after zoom meeting could be set up because it would be virtual anyway. The result? Overbooked fellows, and candidates maybe putting their foot in the mouths (see our last post)

JVN really says it best:

q4h3s8wplm551.jpg

Keep: Nonstandard application timelines

Okay, we fully acknowledge the timelines being all over the place were a nightmare on both sides, so call us controversial, but when else will you be applying for jobs that all follow the exact same timeline as each other? Yes, it could be ruthless at times when candidates were snatched or timelines accelerated, but this is exactly how the real world functions. If fellowships are truly to prepare you for a JOB, should the application process not mimic that? That being said...

Cancel: Recruitment starting earlier

Recruitment has officially crept into September. What's next, P3s applying? Listen, this creep up does not do anyone any good. Candidates have had fewer rotation experiences, and less time to figure out what they actually want. The result is companies having less to judge a candidate on. First year fellows, who coordinate the bulk of recruitment, also have less experiences under their belt to talk about when courting potential candidates. It's also just that much further out from their start date, making it harder for companies to make calls about what projects the fellow will be working on and, by extension, the best fit for the role. We know we said we don't need to align on schedules, but we can all agree starting earlier every year is hurting, not helping.

Cancel: Applying for a ton of fellowships because you don't have to use all your time physically going to interviews

If we had a dollar for every time a cover letter had the wrong company name, our student loan burden would be more bearable. The previous advice about number of fellowships to apply to wasn't just based on how many receptions you could reasonably get to in a single night. You still want to keep your quantity manageable so that you can adequately invest in all of your applications, including cover letters and interview prep. Just because you don't physically have to be there doesn't mean that you can't still get overwhelmed and forget critical details. Plus, we all talk, and we all know you hit send on 30+


Keep: Separation from Midyear

C'mon, was this ever really necessary? We're over the registration fees.

Cancel: Google Form thank you cards

You know who you are

Should I reach out to the fellow for the positions I’m applying for? A Shakespearean tragedy.

As recruitment season starts ramping up here is a hot take you may or may not think heavily impacts your chances of crossing that threshold into becoming a fellow. Fellowship recruitment has normalized the harassment of associate level PharmD graduates of the pharmaceutical / biopharmaceutical industry with questions that have been thrown together to fight for the attention of the fellow. No other job application process is like this, where we revere professionals, with only 3-4 months of experience may I add, to speak on their function and company as if they are distinguished drug developers. We continue to reinforce this broken cycle of recruitment every year simply because that is what was done in previous application cycles.

Before hitting send on the list of 10 questions that you have generated for the 20 positions that you are currently applying to please think twice about why you are reaching out to a fellow on LinkedIn.

Here’s why you likely should not reach out to the fellow for the fellowship position you're applying to:

  • A lot of the questions asked can be answered via the brochure, website, or company website. Do your own research- as you can’t expect the fellow to mama bird you the information. By not knowing the basics about the fellowship you’re going to be applying to, it makes you look unprepared and unprofessional.

  • To this point further: if you make a mistake (i.e. sending a thank you email addressed to the wrong company), you've ruined your application before its begun.

  • If you reach out, only ask questions that will help you make a decision to apply for that position. If you are asking questions about the candidates’ path to industry, rotations in their P4 year, or even their decision to pick industry over residency then why ask? These are questions that provide 0 value to you and YOUR rationale for why to pick that program so please curb your social media addiction to Tik Tok.

  • Oftentimes, P4s want to chat with the fellows before applying to learn about the culture. While this is understandable, in a real-life job application process, you would not be able to interact directly but through other channels. Find ways to creatively research the company and how their culture translates into their outputs. Review the companies externally facing material on their company website, Youtube, social media (LinkedIn). Also check out their publications, posters, and review available clinical trails on Ct.gov.

The main point of all this? No, we’re not just trying to be mean while also driving our LinkedIn requests down. Most fellows genuinely like spreading information and helping P4s out during the process. Many of us will respond because we want to help, that doesn’t mean our time and advice should be used as a thinly veiled attempt to copy our interview question responses. Pro tip: don’t send out a mass message to every fellow you can connect with to get advice: we all talk and it will look bad on your part for just trying to talk to anyone and everyone you can get ahold of. Ultimately, you are welcome to reach out and ask appropriate questions to fellows, but do so with caution.

Do I need industry experience to land a fellowship?

Contrary to popular beliefs, sometimes the “Pharma Bro” (no, not this one) isn’t the first pick to fill the role of a fellow. You know who we’re talking about-  the P4 who flexes their industry internships, APPEs, and co-ops, who posts on LinkedIn about how they’ve changed the brand by working side by side with a certain J. Shmalexender  🙊

Whether your lack of industry experience stems from being in an industry “desert” or maybe you couldn’t land that internship, it really doesn’t matter. Ultimately, your experiences matter only in HOW you spin them. While we certainly don’t want to belittle industry APPE experiences and/or internship opportunities, it really boils down to what you did during those 4-8 week experiences and how you can speak to them.  

Any job experience can be spun into a fruitful narrative as long as you are honest and passionate about your experiences. Ultimately, they should demonstrate (in some form or another) that you:  

  • challenged yourself 

  • displayed genuine effort in development professionally (readings, podcasts, etc.)  

  • are a team player (I.e. don’t go on and on about how you ALONE impacted the brand) 

Take any of these experiences (whether it be a clinical APPE that kicked your boody, your secret charm in calming down little sassy elderly patients in at the pharmacy drive-thru, or the random gig you picked up last summer at that brewery with a killer IPA) and focus on the TRANSFERABLE skills you gained- how do your experiences and learning apply to the fellowship you are applying to.  

With that, go fourth and be a BOSS this recruitment season.  You got this.

Functional Area Snippets Part 3: Regulatory Affairs

You might think the Reg Affairs department is full of a bunch of rule followers. And you'd be right. But they're also the people that can strategically navigate the many regulations, guidance documents, and country-specific nuances to ultimately achieve the goal of bringing the drug to the patient. Think of your favorite spy movie where someone has to shimmy through a bunch of lasers to get to the treasure in the middle of the room. The treasure is that sweet sweet approval letter. Because at the end of the day, you need the drug to be approved in order to give it to patients, right?

Reg touches just about every other department (aka they have all the tea). There's several teams within Reg Affairs, including:

Strategy: The ones with the big master game plan. They're submitting applications in multiple countries. They're meeting with Health Authorities like the FDA. They're coordinating the many moving parts of getting a product from early development to approval and beyond.

Ad/Promo: The ones who tell Commercial what to do. jk. But they do help prevent the company getting slapped with an FDA Warning Letter, usually sitting in on meetings with other departments as an advisor of sorts to make sure all rules and regs are followed in promotional materials. 

Labeling: You've read enough package inserts in school to last a lifetime. If you want to graduate to writing them, Labeling is the place to be. The label means a lot to a lot of people - Market Access for formulary placement, Commercial for what they'll be allowed to say, etc. This team has to balance the interests of all these stakeholders while handling lengthy negotiations with regulatory authorities about the final draft.

**Fellowships may focus on one or all of these areas, so make sure you're asking each position what is included in the program. You can also ask if it’s US focused or will have ex-US exposure.**

Now, you might be wondering some SKILLS important for a successful regulatory professional. Glad you asked...

Detail oriented: The obvious one. Honestly, this is a given for most pharmacy students, but it is nevertheless important.

Diplomatic: You might have to tell your colleagues that they need to scrap a brochure they worked very hard on because it doesn't follow the rules. If you're diplomatic, you can reach a solution together and maintain a good relationship. When you're further on in your career, this skill will come into play at regulatory authority meetings

Solution-oriented: It's easy to look at the regulations and guidances and think about all the things you CAN'T do, but a successful regulatory professional will read between the lines and see the possible strategies moving forward. Hone this skill.

Context: What precedents are out there? What have other companies tried and failed? What are the regional happenings/cultural values that will play into a regulator's opinion on your submission? These are the questions you need to be able to ask. 

Like the title says, this is just a snippet. Keep networking and asking questions to learn more, and in the mean time, keep up with those FDA press releases. 

Still alive

Is it already August? It hit us real quick too. 🙈

Have questions about how the COVID-19 pandemic will impact this year’s fellowship recruitment cycle? Or questions in general? Leave a comment below and we’ll publish our take on it.

Pep Talk

“If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is, too. Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.” - Timothy Ferriss

Go submit your applications, nail those phone screens, and put your best self forward at Midyear!

We’re rooting for you. 💃🕺

Functional Area Snippets Part 2: US Marketing

A role that limits you to the package insert (PI). It is your bible. As a marketer, you will eventually have your product’s PI memorized. This is where creativity can work in your favor. How do you utilize every word in your PI to create materials with strong messaging that will ultimately drive business? It’s like when your favorite professor takes a boring ass lesson from a textbook and transforms it into a handout, video skit, meme, and PowerPoint. Marketers do the same with the PI for our patient and HCP audiences. Using what’s in the PI, we create print and digital content, slide decks for our speakers, and booth designs for congresses to engage our audience the best we can. Whether it’s through disease awareness or promotion of our product, we want to ensure patients are receiving optimal therapy for their disease.

Functional Area Snippets Part 1: Medical Affairs

Think of Medical Affairs as an umbrella term for any function that deals with the exchange of scientific data. Medical Affairs lies between R&D and commercial - it ensures clinical trial data and scientific information are presented accurately and fairly while being delivered to key stakeholders (your HCPs, payers, and patients). This is the most natural place to be for those with a medical background, and while it can vary from company to company, it typically has the following sub-departments:

  • Medical Communications/Publications: Posters, manuscripts, posters, congresses (aka conferences), symposiums, and did I say POSTERS???

  • Medical Information: The Yahoo! answers of pharma, the Janet for your call centers; sends you the tldr in a crispy response letter.

  • Field Medical (Medical Science Liaisons or MSLs): Gathers insights from and explains new data to key opinion leaders (KOLs) – lives at the airport.

  • Medical Education: Makes sure all our internal peeps know what they’re talking about. All facts, no BS.

  • Health Economics Outcomes Research (HEOR): STRATEGIC VALUE, REAL WORLD EVIDENCE, MACHINE LEARNING, MARKET ACCESS, FOCUS GROUP, VALUE BASED AGREEMENTS, BUDGET IMPACT MODEL, COST-EFFECTIVENESS, VALUE DOSSIERS…ever wondered who gets to throw these buzzwords around on the daily? It’s these wicked smaht kids. Typically flex their extra degrees.

Stay tuned for more snippets on other functional areas. 😉

Interview and Mid-Year Prep

As you prepare for mid-year there are a few things you can do that will help you have things to talk about on your interviews.

  • Leverage your required APPE presentations and projects and make them relevant to the type of fellowship you are interested in

    • Even if you have a clinical rotation, have an honest conversation with your preceptor - explain how it will will be both beneficial for the team and help you get a job

  • Start reading industry news regularly, I found google alerts useful. Set them up weekly and READ them – especially in the months leading up to mid-year.

    • These can help even more when trying to do research on specific companies, disease states, and areas of expertise (i.e. reg vs commercial vs HEOR vs med affairs)

Mid-Year and interviews, my tips:

  1. Be yourself & Be confident

  2. Remember: we are [all] dragon energy -🐉🔥  @KanyeWest

  3. Know your CV, what you want to highlight, and be able to speak about everything on it.

    • Practice answering the question “walk me through your CV”

  4. Think of 10ish POWER STORIES💪 based upon your experiences and link them to generic interview questions

  5. Practice interview questions (mock-interviews) with pharmacy friends

    • Mid-year is a very personal journey but the support of my core group of friends who were also applying to fellowships was a great asset

    • Even if they are applying for residencies or entry-level jobs – everyone can always benefit from interview prep

  6. Be respectful and nice to everyone

    • Pharmacy is a small world - you’re probably interviewing alongside/for future colleagues 👨‍👨‍👧‍👧

Choosing a fellowship

As pharmaceutical companies continue to realize the value of PharmDs, they will expand the number of fellowship positions. While this is great news, the paradox of choice becomes a factor in decision making. The more options available, the harder it is to determine your top choice. In the end, choosing a fellowship should boil down to the following considerations:

  1. What are the core values of the company? Do they align with yours?

  2. Will you work well with the current fellows?

  3. What is the preceptor’s management style? Do they have experience precepting PharmDs?

  4. Where is the company located? (Middle of nowhere or in the heart of the city?🌮 )

Whatever you decide, you better love it. 💕

Midyear-ish

Things that do not matter at Midyear:

  1. Paperclip vs Staple

  2. Fancy shoes

  3. Tailored clothes

  4. Backpack vs briefcase/handbag

  5. Quality of business cards

  6. Quality of CV paper

Be comfortable. Spend within your budget.