10 Tips on How to Choose the Large Biotech Company to Work For

1. Evaluate the company’s mission. Are your personal and professional goals congruent with the company’s mission? Does it appear that the company actually tries to accomplish its mission? If the answer to these questions is “no,” this biotech company might not be a good fit for you.
   
   


2. Evaluate the company’s ethics. What is the company’s reputation within the community and the industry? Are your values in alignment with the company’s? If you are passionate about certain ethics or values—for example, the environment—it will be important for the company you work for to share those values.
   
   


3. Evaluate your advancement opportunities. In some large biotech companies, it is very difficult to advance yourself within the company. Find out how long your current manager has held that position. That will give you an idea of how long it will be before you have the opportunity to advance.
   
   


4. Evaluate the reporting structure. What will you be required to report, and to whom? Who reports to you? Is the reporting structure so rigid that you are straightjacketed and can’t exercise any creativity or initiative?
   
   


5. Evaluate your job expectations. Large biotech companies tend to have pretty clear job expectations. You will usually specialize in a particular department or area. Do your skills and knowledge match the job expectations? Can you do the job? Is training available?
   
   


6. Evaluate the people. Try to meet some of the people you will be working with. Try to get a read on how friendly people are, how they get along, what the social environment is like at work.
   
   


7. Evaluate your salary package. You can expect a competitive salary from a large biotech company. It should reflect your education and experience.
   
   


8. Evaluate the benefits package. Again, you can probably expect a generous benefits package. You should at least be offered health insurance and some kind of retirement planning.
   
   


9. Evaluate the work environment. Will you work in a lab or an office or a cubicle? What is the physical environment like—will it be easy to work there? What kind of equipment and support staff will you have to help you do your job?
   
   


10. Evaluate worker longevity. If a biotech company is large and established, you can learn a lot about the work environment by finding out how long employees stay and what their turnover rate is. If the company offers adequate compensation, but has a high turnover rate, there is a reason for it.