Can Claude be my new career coach?

Synthesis 

I am graduating from Georgia State University in May 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science and enterprise. I want advice on searching for entry-level positions in either industry science or the industry of wellness. The position will ideally be client-facing with the ability to advance to a management position and future leadership positions after that. I have specific skills that are transferrable across industries that are specified in my resume, and will I tailor each cover letter needed to fit the job description I am applying for. I have utilized my university career center for advice on getting ahead. I have networked with my academic and real-world peers. On top of that, I utilize social media platforms like LinkedIn so I can professionally present my brand and achievements. In an attempt to be the best candidate for a job I “show by doing” highlighting my achievements and skills through examples and explanations, not adjectives. To find the best fit for my career I explore opportunities both in and out of the industries I am interested in. This way I can take advantage of any opportunity that may provide a gateway into the sector I truly want to be in. I search for open positions on a variety of job posting sites. 

Thanks, Claude and Bard ..the more you know

All suggestions between Bard and Claude were specific to my field and essentially what I would find in a resume writing guide – good content but very generic; so I asked for specific examples to coax out a response of value. Again I was offered the usual advice – sites like Glassdoor and Indeed, GSU career center, company websites, and industry-specific job boards. This wasn’t surprising so I wanted to see how creative Bard could get. Turns out not very creative the content focused on encouragement and finished with “Good luck with your job search!”. So I dabbled in the use of Claude software and had a slightly more positive experience. I have highlighted below some of the impactful threads and the reflections I have on those threads. K annotates where I asked questions. B or C are responses from Bard or Claude and [ ] hold my thoughts on the process. 

K: When looking for job postings what position titles do I search that will get me the most accurate listings for my qualifications and interests?

B: Get specific: Gradually refine your search by combining [biomedical science and wellness] broad terms with specific industry areas or roles that align with your skills and interests. For example, “clinical research associate in wellness technology,” “biomedical data analyst for personalized medicine,” or “project manager for health apps.”

[This I found helpful – I haven’t thought to utilize this strategy before]

B: Utilize Boolean operators: Use operators like “AND,” “OR,” and “NOT” to further refine your search. For example, “(biomedical science OR biotechnology) AND data analysis NOT clinical research.”

K: Are there industries outside of biomedical science looking to hire employees with my degree or skills?

[This was helpful but not surprising I got the advice that I did – I have searched outside of the specific industry and come across these same results so at least I am on the right track with my searches.]

B: (Paraphrased)

  • Health and wellness industry
  • Biotechnology
  • Public health
  • Medical sales
  • Environmental regulations

[Finally, as a last effort to get some novel advice I ask for additional steps to take.]

K: Any other steps I should take to find the best careers available and get ahead of my peers?

B: (synthesis)

  • Self-discovery/ introspection
  • Proactive preparation
  • Take initiative and stand out

[I found this advice to be like that of professors’ and mentors’ advice given in career development courses at GSU or seminars.]

 

This was my first time using Bard and it felt familiar like I was using Google to search the web for answers. I didn’t find it exceptionally insightful, so I went on to choose another AI. I settled on Claude because I found that Bing, copilot, and perplexity are all companions with Bing, and I wanted to see if AI software independent of a search engine generated more unique answers. I have used both Claude and chatGPT in the past – neither at length but Claude appeals to me more with its user interface.

[I began more general this time; I was curious to see how much data it pulled from my past questionaries with Claude.]

K: Hey Claude, I have a question about finding job opportunities for myself once I graduate from college in May.

[The results were as expected and exactly what I wanted to quickly rule out before getting specific with my questions. Wasn’t clear or not if it was using previous data but I had used Claude for insights into writing copy for my wellness branding startup called Coral Branding.]

I proceeded to ask initial questions on finding a position post graduate similar to my first question asked to Barb but with some additional specifics to fine-tune the question. The answers were similar if not the same as what was initially generated so I chose to go another direction with my job search and ask about the wellness industry since that is another space I was interested in.

Claude offered general tips my a few helpful ones stood out to me:

  • Consider informational interviews with professionals in your desired fields.
  • Check niche job boards: Welltodo Careers, and wellness-related start-ups on sites like AngelList and VentureLoop.
  • Get certified in relevant skills: personal training, health coaching, meditation, etc to become more of an asset/ more marketable in the industry.

K: What are the best position titles to search to find the right job for me?

[This was a better way of asking the question I previously tried with Bard and I got more specific job titles – most I have been using already and didn’t stand out as significant. They do reaffirm that my job search techniques are on the right track and I have the skills to find what I am looking for it will just take patience.]

I was curious so I went back to Bard and asked the exact same question: What are the best position titles to search to find the right job for me?

B: Instead of relying solely on specific job titles, which can be limiting and may miss hidden opportunities, consider using a combination of strategies to find the right job for you:

[Again, no specific job titles were suggested, and the answer to the previous version of this question: When looking for job postings what position titles do I search that will get me the most accurate listings for my qualifications and interests?]

I wonder if Google is more worried about data collection than generating the best AI content.

 

Job Reconnaissance

What happens once the graduation cap comes off? 

My research was focused on finding career opportunities in the biomedical sales field. This is not my first time looking into the career so I was able to do quite an extensive search for opportunities. Usually, I dabble with LinkedIn just to keep track of the skills and qualifications companies are looking for but I expanded my search radius for this particular search to encompass other job posting sites such as Glassdoor, indeed, WayUp, google, and The Center for Global Health Innovation career search. Using this mix of specialty sites and generic job listings allowed me to analyze where different companies post their listings and how they appeal to new talent. After looking into these listings and taking note of the expectations involved with hiring a sales representative for a biopharmaceutical company I feel well-equipped to navigate finding a position after graduation. 

What is biomedical science? 

“The biomedical sciences are a combination of disciplines that are used to develop treatments, technology, and inventions that will benefit public health (Indeed career guide).”  

“Having a degree in biomedical science can lead to a career in public health, research, crime investigation, sales, education, and much more. (https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/guide/biomed-careers/).”

The Search 

My research was focused on finding career opportunities in the biomedical sales field. This is not my first time looking into the career so I was able to do quite an extensive search for opportunities. Usually, I dabble with LinkedIn just to keep track of the skills and qualifications companies are looking for but I expanded my search radius for this particular search to encompass other job posting sites such as Glassdoor, indeed, WayUp, google, and The Center for Global Health Innovation career search. Using this mix of specialty sites and generic job listings allowed me to analyze where different companies post their listings and how they appeal to new talent. After looking into these listings and taking note of the expectations involved with hiring a sales representative for a biopharmaceutical company I feel well-equipped to navigate finding a position after graduation. I have a master resume I am able to pull from depending on the values of the company and the qualifications they most value. On top of my master resume, I have professional headshots, which some companies require, I can use my LinkedIn account for recruiters to reference. No other documents or videos were listed as necessary. 

My search included biopharmaceutical companies in and around the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. Companies who employ anywhere from 500 to 10000+ employees. I am most interested in smaller companies with high ratings among their employees for the ability to move up in the company and have a respectable work/life balance. However, looking into all future opportunities gave me more perspective and allowed me to reflect on the values I find most important in the companies I want to work with. 

Companies of Interest

Companies (glassdoor) – in Georgia – mainly Atlanta metro area

Biopharmaceuticals

            4.0 rating and above – 1000+

Johnson &Johnson

Takeda Pharmaceuticals

Boehringer Ingelheim –partners with GSU

Pfizer

Sanofi

Merck

Stryker

            500-1000 employees

Sage therapeutics – disorders of the brain

Incyte – oncology

 

The role

Medical Sales Representative

Average base pay: $62,789 A Medical Sales Representative sells medicine and medical equipment to hospitals and doctors. They must have extensive biomedical knowledge of the products they are selling and explain why their products can improve the lives of patients (https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/guide/biomed-careers/)

The qualifications, responsibilities, and software expectations? 

Bachelor’s in health/science-related field

Making and maintaining relationships

Comfortable with product demonstrations/ product education 

Customer support and assistance are a must; able to speak with a range of demographics

Ability to adapt and handle a fast-paced work environment

Communication: verbal and written, able to work through difficult situations

Detail-oriented and proficient in time management

Previous Sales/Marketing, B2B sales experience preferred

 

Serve as a scientific resource

Planning/execution on projects with cross-functional teams 

Record of successfully achieving sales goals and building effective customer relationships

Written and verbal communication skills are a must

Willingness to travel, a plus 

Software expectations

            Salesforce

            Microsoft Suites

 

Let me introduce myself,

I’ve had many career aspirations during my college experience and settling on one may never truly happen but I have narrowed down my choices to a reasonable and achievable list for now. As a Biomedical Science and Enterprise major I find I have a range of both hard and soft skills, as well as real world experiences, that all contribute to a promising career in industry science.

Now here’s the kicker.

Biomedicine, science based-research, and health are passions of mine. I have an entrepreneurial spirit and drive for creativity that has le


d me to pursue  the start-up space. For the last six months as a passion project and future endeavor I have been working to launch a wellness branding partnership. This branding agency specializes in design and strategy for companies in the industry of wellness. We’re equal parts left-brained strategists and right-brained creatives, disruptive yet heart-centered. This is where digital publishing comes into play.

 I need to know the trends in the digital world and be able to navigate publications online. It is a skill that will be invaluable for any field but especially valuable in setting me apart in the science industry and in managing client relations as part of my branding company. Writing and publishing are skills that I have but can consistently be proven upon. Other goals for success include building my network of connections and searching for companies and positions that align with my core values. Ideally, finding a position for a health and wellness company working with accounts and clients will strengthen my ability to run my own company in the future.

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