A life sciences career down under Viewpoint careers advice blog

A life sciences career down under Great expanses of white sandy beaches, barbecues every night and guaranteed sunshine; well, that’s the dream at any rate. At this time of year, it’s no wonder that those of us in the northern hemisphere start dreaming of a life in the southern hemisphere. But what would a move down under mean for your career in life sciences? What is the relocation process like? What are the life sciences employers in Australia looking for? We can help answer those questions and give you our unique insight into a life and career down under. Advice from an expat Martina McDermott, a Senior Business Manager for Life Sciences based in our Sydney office, is particularly well placed to advise international candidates. Martina relocated to Sydney six years ago from the UK and so has first-hand experience of the process. If you are thinking of relocating to Australia, Martina advises everyone to have a good read through the Hays 2014 salary guide for Australia and New Zealand. “One of the first things I’m asked by people looking to relocate is ‘what are the salaries like?’ so arming yourself with information from our salary guide is a good place to start,” explains Martina. Martina also gives us her most valuable piece of advice for anybody considering the move to Australia: “If your plan is to apply for jobs before relocating to Australia, bear in mind that you will need an outstanding CV to compete with local candidates and compensate for long notice periods. In Australia, notice periods are about four weeks, which gives local candidates the edge when you take into consideration relocation time as well as a three-month notice period. So employers are more likely to take your application seriously if you are already in the country.” Sarah Walmsley, Atlantis Healthcare But before you put your house on the market and book your one-way ticket to Australia, there’s a lot to consider. Sarah Walmsley, Director of Strategy at Atlantis Healthcare in Sydney, who made the move to Australia from London less than a year ago, has this advice: “Try and speak to people in your network from a similar role or industry who can provide some insight into what it’s really like to live and work here; and make sure they don’t just talk about the beaches and barbeques, but focus on the realities of work.” The Life Sciences Industry Insights with Hays LinkedIn group is a great place to start your networking campaign, as you’ll be able to connect with professionals living and working in Australia. The life sciences job market in Australia The Hays Quarterly Review is another essential research tool. It provides detailed insight into the skills our teams in Australia and New Zealand have flagged as being top of employers’ wish lists. The life sciences industry in Australia has remained relatively stable over the last quarter, with a recent feeling that employment confidence is rising, especially within smaller companies. Both large global and smaller Australian owned CROs continue to grow as more businesses outsource and the pharma workforce shrinks. With this comes newly created and more specialist job functions within business development, feasibility and Study-Start Up. The challenge is that pharma companies that for a long time were the training ground for entry-level candidates now only hire experienced candidates for contract roles. In addition, given demand from sponsors on quality and cost CROs are also only hiring experienced CRAs. This is leading to the shortage of CRAs with around two years of experience. Contract opportunities still drive the pharma landscape at all levels, with permanent opportunities existing within the CRO space. Do you think Australia might be the place for you? Do you have the pioneering spirit necessary to make an international move a success? Have you already made the move to Australia? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Join the Life Sciences Industry Insights with Hays LinkedIn group to share your thoughts and stay up-to-date with the latest on business, employment and recruitment news in the life sciences industry. Join the conversation Visit our website to search and apply for life sciences jobs in Australia. Visit our website