Biotech and pharma professionals share job hunt challenges after being let go, while a recruiting expert discusses why hiring managers prefer candidates without employment gaps and how to address gaps in interviews.
As the industry has grappled with issues including funding woes, patent expirations and tariff threats, layoffs have hit biopharma employees hard, based on a BioSpace LinkedIn poll. It found that 64% of respondents have been let go in the past five years, and just over 1 in 5 (22%) have lost their jobs at least twice.
For those who experience layoffs more than once, which can lead to multiple employment gaps, the impact on their careers can be significant. Several respondents to a BioSpace survey, all of whom have been let go twice in the past five years, touched on that challenge. One noted that their career has stopped. They had a senior role but now can’t find a full-time job and have turned to part-time consulting.
Another commented that repeated layoffs due to organizational restructures have disrupted their professional trajectory. They explained that being let go has created uncertainty and made it more challenging to maintain their career continuity and long-term professional growth, despite their experience and contributions.
Yet another wrote, “Many recruiters and hiring managers don’t want to bother with someone frequently let go.” Getting through HR screening and being taken seriously by the hiring manager is harder, they added.
In one case, however, being let go twice led to a positive outcome. A survey respondent shared that it gave them the push they needed to start two small businesses. Multiple participants in a BioSpace survey last year shared similar stories of becoming their own bosses as the upside of being laid off.
Why multiple layoffs make it harder to get hired
For those striving to move from laid off to employed, it can be a challenging endeavor. Bryan Blair, vice president of biotech and pharma recruiting at GQR Global Markets, told BioSpace that when all things are equal, his clients almost always choose candidates who have never been let go. While employers can be understanding about layoffs depending on the circumstances behind them, he said, being let go is generally viewed as a blemish on someone’s resume and is probably one of the most common reasons candidates are rejected.
When it comes to multiple layoffs, Blair noted that they can affect someone’s chances of getting hired “in an astronomical way.”
“If we all put ourselves in the shoes of a hiring manager, you’re going to be responsible for this person that you’re bringing in,” he said. “You’re going to have to answer to their performance. You’re going to have to get signoff on approving their offer and everything. That stuff becomes so much easier when you have a resume that you’re presenting that is a linear progression through job titles with no gaps of employment.”
That said, layoffs are not always evident on resumes. Blair noted that some biopharma professionals, especially those let go for the first time, will make it look like they’re still employed. Instead of listing an end date for their most recent company, he explained, they state “present.”
“The gamble pays off for them on most occasions,” Blair said. “It really kind of makes you think: Is the current way we evaluate these things super fair, because when somebody is doing something deceptive like that, it can work to their advantage.”
When considering resumes he receives for open positions, Blair estimated that the practice of using “present” for roles that ended in layoffs has increased probably five times in the past five years.
Addressing layoffs during interviews
Once biopharma professionals who have been let go multiple times are at an interview, Blair recommended against bringing up their job losses while also being prepared to talk about them if asked. One tip he shared is that if someone was part of a large-scale workforce reduction that involved public information about the cuts, such as a news report, they should make sure they communicate their layoff’s scope.
“It makes it clear that it has nothing to do with your performance,” he said.
If there isn’t public information on the layoff, Blair noted, things can get tricky. For example, a hiring manager may wonder if the person is saying they were let go, but they were actually fired, he said.
If a biopharma professional wasn’t part of a large-scale workforce reduction that made headlines, Blair advised they do their absolute best to explain the nature of their situation. If their former employer eliminated the entire pharmacovigilance department after a drug failed in a clinical trial, he noted, they should share that information.
After they explain the reason they were let go, Blair recommended biopharma professionals talk about the layoff being a valuable learning experience. They could share what they took away from it and how it made them recognize that they can’t take jobs for granted, he noted.
“I think that when you can bring those elements in and show that it was a positive for you, that’s going to be your best chance,” Blair said.
