Urgency, flexibility during Q4 job search among keys to success

In an improving yet competitive job market, biopharma professionals can take several steps during the fourth quarter to make their job hunt as successful as possible, starting with moving fast, according to experts BioSpace interviewed.

Angie Allen, managing partner for pharma/biotech at executive recruiting firm Kaye/Bassman, told BioSpace the final quarter of the year always starts out very active for hiring. She also noted that not all companies that budgeted for workforce additions this year have completely spent their budgets.

“From what I’m seeing on my desk, it’s going to be a very busy Q4,” Allen said.

If biopharma professionals want to make a move now or at the very beginning of Q1, she noted, it’s critical that they are active early this quarter.

Irwin Tran, owner of NextLeader Coaching, which provides leadership and career coaching to life sciences leaders, agreed that timing is important given the fourth quarter’s typical hiring cadence.

“If there are jobs to be filled, they’re probably coming out about now,” he told BioSpace.

Both Allen and Tran noted, however, that hiring tends to slow as the quarter progresses due to factors such as the holidays. BioSpace data for the past three years generally supports that assessment. Average job postings live on the BioSpace website declined over the fourth quarter in 2023 and 2024, with the fewest positions in December. In 2025, however, October was the slowest month and November the busiest.

Danielle Deel, director of clinical recruiting at scientific resourcing firm ClinLab Solutions Group, told BioSpace she doesn’t see a reason for biopharma professionals to slow their job search during the fourth quarter this year.

“There’s still deadlines to be met, there’s still budgets that need to be used, there’s still hiring that needs to be made,” Deel said. “So, don’t assume that just because it’s fourth quarter and the holidays are around the corner that hiring isn’t going to happen.”

Allen has seen people get offers during the final week of December. Given that can happen, she emphasized the importance of job seekers, especially the unemployed or those very actively looking, being reachable throughout the fourth quarter.

“If someone is seriously engaged, they should make sure they’re not leaving to go to Bali for a month and leaving their cell phone behind,” Allen said.

Even if hiring slows during the fourth quarter, Tran said biopharma professionals should not completely disengage with the job search process. He recommended taking any downtime to ask themselves questions such as “Why are you in the role that you are right now? Why do you want that next role? What does that role look like?”

Tran also recommended job seekers consider which trade-offs they’re willing to make for their next position. For example, he said, if they want to work from home due to their family situation, would they take a remote job in a therapeutic area they don’t like?

Deel offered similar advice, recommending that job seekers be flexible when considering their options. For example, she said, is someone who didn’t previously travel much open to roles where they travel 10% to 15% of the time? Is a person who worked remotely OK with being in the office two to three days per week? Is someone willing to take a different title or salary than what they originally targeted?

“The people who are being flexible in this market are those who are landing the position,” Deel said.

In addition to taking early action, staying engaged and being flexible, Allen, Deel and Tran said job seekers should network during the fourth quarter. Tran noted that any additional edge they can get, such as securing a referral to a prospective employer, is helpful. If someone recommends a candidate to a hiring company, he said, that might tip the scales in the applicant’s favor.

Regarding best practices, Tran advised that job seekers review their network and evaluate whether it can get them their next job.

“If not, you need to consider things like is your network diverse enough?” he said. “Are the right people in your network? Are there people in your network that you don’t need to talk to at the moment? So, it’s just trying to be more intentional about your network and setting up the meetings or expanding it in the way that is going to help you with that next role.”

Deel recommended that job seekers stay in touch with former hiring managers and past colleagues for potential opportunities down the road.

“The connections and the relationships that you’re making now could lead to hiring in the first quarter next year,” she said.

Allen noted that the fourth quarter can be a good time to network because people may be traveling less for business and are more able to connect. She also highlighted networking’s importance to getting hired at a time when job seekers are using AI to tailor resumes for job descriptions created by AI at companies evaluating applications using AI.

“Human beings talking to other human beings is always the top shelf way to do this,” Allen said.

Once biopharma professionals secure interviews, Tran recommended practicing truthful, authentic responses to behavioral questions using the STAR method, which involves describing a situation, task, action and result. However, he said, it’s important to avoid practicing responses to the point where they sound robotic. Interviewers can tell when someone has a very rehearsed answer, Tran added.

The “why” questions he suggested biopharma professionals ask themselves can also serve as practice, according to Tran.

“When you’re in those interviews and they ask that question ‘So, tell me about yourself,’ you kind of already know why it is that you’re looking for this job, and you have that authentic story to be able to tell about why you want that job and why that job is right for you,” he said.