Crosswalks into BioScience - Use Your Skills

The bioscience industry needs people with diverse skills. And while education is a good way to get those skills, you may have some of the skills already from your previous work experience.

Here are some examples:

• People who have worked in the food preparation industry understand clean production environments. This skill is critical in making drugs and medical devices.
• People who worked in machining environments understand how to maintain precise tolerances. This skill is also critical in making drugs and medical devices.

Know How to Market Yourself

If you find you do have great, transferrable skills, the key is to learn how to talk about your skills in a new way. Just like any industry has its own language, the bioscience industry uses “jargon” that is only used by people employed in that field.

For example, a food preparation worker may talk about keeping a clean work environment. In a bioscience job, keeping a clean work environment is called an aseptic environment. Same concept, same idea, just different words.