Secrets to Success in Industry Careers: Essential Skills for Science and Business Book

Preface     xi
Career Choice Considerations and Job Pursuit
Comparison of academic and industry environments     3
Two worlds and their interdependence     3
Academia: Culture and mindset     4
Skills for success in the traditional academic environment     5
Industry: Culture and mindset     6
Skills for success in the industry environment     7
Trends of merger     11
Identifying the compatible environment     12
Summary of key skills for success     13
Mindset assessment: Choosing an academic or industry career     14
Choosing an industry career     17
Identification of preferred work style     17
Common industry careers and work styles     18
Career match and career mismatch     22
Overcoming career mismatch     23
Summary of key skills for success     24
Mindset assessment: Knowing your preferred work style     24
Professional conduct during the job application process     27
Job description analysis     27
The job application     29
Interview preparation     33
The interview     36
The follow-up     38
Job offer andnegotiation     39
Summary of key skills for success     40
Mindset assessment: Job application, interview and negotiation     41
Professional Conduct on the Job
Business goals and bottom line     45
Scenario and impact     45
Important knowledge     47
Roles and reporting structure     41
The business plan     48
Stakeholder influence     50
Common deliverables     50
Differences between small, medium and large companies     51
Anecdote: Aligning personal and corporate goals     53
Summary of key skills for success     54
Mindset assessment: Business goals     54
Leadership and teamwork     57
Scenario and impact     57
Important knowledge     58
Leadership     58
Teamwork     58
Managing projects and people     60
Colleague and peer interactions     60
Identifying with the company culture     60
Anecdote: Leadership     61
Anecdote: Teamwork     62
Summary of key skills for success     63
Mindset assessment: Leadership and teamwork     63
Communication skills      67
Scenario and impact     67
Important knowledge     68
Oral presentations     69
Written presentations     72
Interpersonal relations     74
Anecdote: Interpersonal relations     78
Summary of key skills for success     79
Mindset assessment: Communication skills     80
Marketing     83
Scenario and impact     83
Important knowledge     84
Signal and response     84
Press releases     85
Annual reports     86
Web pages     87
Meetings     88
Press conferences     90
Anecdote: First impressions     91
Summary of key skills for success     92
Mindset assessment: Marketing skills     93
Discipline     95
Scenario and impact     95
Important knowledge     96
Deliverables     96
Deadlines and punctuality     96
Project management     97
Record keeping     98
Personal conduct     98
Anecdote: Delays     99
Summary of key skills for success     100
Mindset assessment: Discipline     100
Flexibility     103
Scenario and impact     103
Important knowledge     104
Decision points     104
Market forces     106
Company reorganization     107
Company reorganization management     107
Anecdote: Company reorganization     108
Summary of key skills for success     109
Mindset assessment: Flexibility     109
Creativity and out-of-the-box thinking     111
Scenario and impact     111
Important knowledge     112
Context understanding     112
Inter- and multi-disciplinary thinking     112
Innovation and entrepreneurship     113
Metrics and creativity     113
Anecdote: Innovation obstacles     114
Summary of key skills for success     115
Mindset assessment: Entrepreneurship     115
Ambiguity management     117
Scenario and impact     117
Important knowledge     118
Causes of ambiguity     118
Decision-making under constraint     120
Psychological effects of ambiguity     120
Anecdote: Time, quality or cost?      120
Summary of key skills for success     121
Mindset assessment: Ambiguity management     122
Intellectual property     123
Scenario and impact     123
Important knowledge     124
Confidentiality agreements     124
Materials and technology transfer agreements     126
Inventions and invention disclosures     127
Classification of intellectual property     127
Patents     127
Publications     129
Permission to publish     129
Inventor/authorship of patents and publications     131
Documentation     132
Anecdote: Patent ownership     133
Summary of key skills for success     134
Mindset assessment: Intellectual property     134
Specialty technology and knowledge     137
Scenario and impact     137
Important knowledge     138
Practical experience     138
Licenses     139
High demand technology in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries     139
Anecdote: Staying competitive     142
Summary of key skills for success     143
Mindset assessment: Technology in biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries     143
Quality     147
Scenario and impact     147
Important knowledge     149
Quality in research vs. production     149
Standard operating procedures     149
Regulatory requirements and compliance     150
The Quality Unit     152
Quality management     152
Deviations and preventative/corrective actions     153
Human error prevention     154
Anecdote: Impact of out-of-specification test results     155
Summary of key skills for success     156
Mindset assessment: Quality in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries     156
Ethics     159
Scenario and impact     159
Important knowledge     160
Project ethics     160
Character ethics     162
Anecdote: Crisis     164
Summary of key skills for success     164
Mindset assessment: Ethics     165
Globalization     167
Scenario and impact     167
Important knowledge     169
Cultural differences     169
Comprehension of differences     170
Creating an optimal environment      172
Anecdote: International merger     172
Summary of key skills for success     174
Mindset assessment: Cross-cultural understanding     174
Expectation management     177
Scenario and impact     177
Important knowledge     178
Self-assessment     178
Performance review     181
Supervisor's assessment     182
Reputation     182
Demand and promotion     183
Anecdote: Assessing excellence     183
Summary of key skills for success     184
Mindset assessment: Expectation management     185
Career management     187
Scenario and impact     188
Important knowledge     190
Comparison of company and personal goals and priorities     190
Strengths and weaknesses     191
Need and options for change     194
Assessing marketability     194
Anecdote: Dynamic career management     195
Summary of key skills for success     190
Mindset assessment: Career management     196
Epilogue     199
Index     201