# entering the Pharmaceutical industry



## Tomodinhio (10 Mar 2009)

Just wondering if i wanted to enter the pharmaceutical industry at any level sometime in the furture, which would be completely different to where i am now (banking). Does anyone have any adivce on where to start.

going to college full time not an option as i have a mortgage to pay, but i am willing to invest time in re-educating myself. 

would be very interested for any adivce or opinions.


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## One (10 Mar 2009)

*Re: entring the Pharmaceutical industry*

I worked in the pharmaceutical industry for a few years. I am not sure what you mean when you say "the pharmaceutical industry at any level". There are lots of different types of jobs in pharmaceutical companies, especially in the larger companies.

For example the Elan website states that "Professional Staff in our Irish facilities include Formulation Scientists, Analytical Chemists, Engineers, Accountants, Legal Professionals and Business Development Professionals". (I don't work for Elan, but I am just using them as an example).

So I find it hard to answer your question. You may already be a qualified accountant and may not need to qualify again at all.

Did you mean what qualification could you get if you want to work in a laboratory and can only do a part time course? If so, I could make some suggestions that might be helpful.


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## CCOVICH (10 Mar 2009)

*Re: entring the Pharmaceutical industry*

Sales rep would be one place to start I suppose.  No formal qualification needed, but you certainly need to be able to demonstrate certain abilities.

But, as the previous poster suggests, you really need to define what it is you want to do in a bit more detail-'the pharmaceutical industry' is too vague a term.


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## jobsguru (10 Mar 2009)

*Re: entring the Pharmaceutical industry*

Tomodinhio.  I'll give it to you straight.  I'm going to assume you are talking about sales.  Why am I assuming that?  Because the world and his mother are trying to get into Medical Sales of some sort at the moment.

Current jobs on the market mostly require 2-3 years (min) experience.  Pharma is the more likely option to get into as a rookie.  Sales managers will look for a medical or a Sales background (preferably both).  There is a lot of competition out there.  Even within sales backgrounds there are some that would not be looked at quickly eg. car sales.  For people with a medical background it can be equally difficult to get in. It costs about 70k to put you on the road.  Companies can ill afford to hire somebody that changes their mind about the job 6 months in.

You need to be able to prove that you eat, sleep and drink pharmaceutical sales.  Any sign of it being a whim and you have blown it.  How do you prove it?  Here are some pointers.

1. Join the  as a student member.
2. Get some specific training under your belt.  In your case you would need both sales and medical training. (try googleing medical sales training)
3. Shadow some reps.  Get out there on the road with a Medical Rep or two and write reports on the day.  That will give you a feel for the job.  It is not all that easy to get to do either so it impresses people.
4. Have the right personality.  You either have it or you don't.  This is too large a topic to go into in detail.  Different areas require slightly different personality types. A lot of companies use psychometric testing as part of their hiring process.  In a nutshell, shy retiring, non-assertive people need not apply.  Likewise over-assertive, aggressive and domineering people are equally unlikely to get far.  It may seem like a cliche but confident good listeners who are naturally charming and put people at ease but are also driven to succeed, dynamic and motivated with a ready smile make good candidates.  That is over simplifying it, but you get the gist.  Don't think you can fake it either... you will be found out.

The internet is a great place to do some research.  A simple search for "medical sales" should set you off in the right direction.  Look out for forums too like cafepharma.com. A lot of Irish reps use it.  Subscribing to their twitter feed should give you a good insight too.

The hard truth of it is that even if you do all of that your chances are still not all that great.  It only takes one other candidate with the right some relevant experience to knock you out of the running.  I said chances are not all that great... but it's not impossible!

Hope that's helpful to you.


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## Tomodinhio (11 Mar 2009)

*Re: entring the Pharmaceutical industry*

Thanks for your replys.
Sorrry for being a bit vague with my first post, but i was thinking along the lines of being in a lab and producing batches of medicines say, To that end i think id need to have knowledge of how to operate machinery, knowledge of health and safety practices etc.


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## Flexible (11 Mar 2009)

Biopharmaceutical Operator Training


http://www.nibrt.ie

http://www.fas.ie


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## Mel (11 Mar 2009)

The pharma industry is suffering as much as any other at the moment.
There is over-supply of qualified people in most key areas, e.g., engineering and so on. Companies have their pick of staff and of service providers as competition for the existing business is tough. 
I heard that one new plant opening in Cork soon would only accept those with degrees in biotechnology, for operator jobs. This was unheard of before now.
In addition there have been some consolidations, e.g., pfizer buying wyeth recently, there has been another also, which i can't remember off the top of my head. This will mean more squeeze. 
I spoke to an engineering contractor yesterday who told me his rates have been cut back to 2003/4 levels. Many are heading abroad, they have no choice as there is so little work here right now. 

FAS do operator training etc., but do your homework first.


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## One (11 Mar 2009)

In my experience an operator job and a laboratory job are usually different. 

To get an operator job I would agree with the advice given above. I think the FAS training sounds like a good starting point. It is hard to give exact advice on what you need to get working as an operator. I think, as a general rule companies don’t require that operators have third level qualifications, but may prefer that they do. 

To get a laboratory job in the pharmaceutical industry you would probably need as a minimum a National Certificate in Science. The good news is that many people that do have a laboratory job in the pharmaceutical industry are qualified in subjects as varying as analytical chemistry, applied chemistry, environmental science, forensic science, food science, clinical science and microbiology. All the qualifications have one thing in common. They all train the students how to perform analytical testing according to GLP (good laboratory practice) by giving them hands-on experience in the laboratory. I would say in order to get such a qualification you should start by contacting the Department of Science in an Institute of Technology near you and make your enquiries with them. But before committing to do any such course, do meet with the course co-ordinator and have a detailed discussion about the type of job you are looking for and ask whether the course available would suitably qualify you for the job you are pursuing. To get a start in any industry is usually always the hard bit. So again, just ensure that the course is the right one for you. Good luck.


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## Optimist (11 Mar 2009)

One said:


> In my experience an operator job and a laboratory job are usually different.
> 
> To get a laboratory job in the pharmaceutical industry you would probably need as a minimum a National Certificate in Science. The good news is that many people that do have a laboratory job in the pharmaceutical industry are qualified in subjects as varying as analytical chemistry, applied chemistry, environmental science, forensic science, food science, clinical science and microbiology.


 
Masters or Degree (at least) would be recommended now to find work in any sort of technical capacity. PhD's are even ten a penny now and I know of a few who are struggling to find employment....


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## grenzgebiet (11 Mar 2009)

If you look at the listings in, for example, IrishJobs or Recruit Ireland. You will see that all Pharma Lab jobs advertised are for candidates with at least two to five years experience of working in a cGMP/FDA environment.
Despite having a B.Sc., Ph.D. and several years European industrial experience, I have also had negative reactions from any Pharma employer I have submitted a CV to and all the agencies I have spoken with tell me that their Pharma clients will only accept people with experience in the Pharma industry. Not easy to break in to.
Some Training Institutes were offering cGMP courses in Cork for people wanting to work in Pharma - don't know if they're still available.


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## jmalone2 (17 Mar 2009)

I started working in a pharma plant in 2000 with no qualification.

Started in the packaging floor and moved my way up. 

I did the GMP and technology course in Tallaght IT at night. 

3 hours 2 nights a week.

I then did the follow on degree in prarmaceutical science. I am now working in the chemistry lab. I was previously an analyst and now I am an instrument support analyst.

If you are keen on this carreer path I would reccommend doing one of the night courses to further your career and get a job on the shop floor in the mean time to keep paying the mortgage.

most companies will pay for your college fees or at least pay a percentage of them. The course in IT tallaght is about 1500 a year. 
2 years for certificate and a further 1 and a 1/2 years for the ordinary degree.


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## Pope John 11 (7 Oct 2009)

jmalone2 said:


> I started working in a pharma plant in 2000 with no qualification.
> 
> Started in the packaging floor and moved my way up.
> 
> ...


 
I know this is an old thread but where did you do your degree. Any updates appreciated


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