Midyear & Fellowships

Posted by Eric Zhao at Friday, February 24, 2012

Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships
Since a majority of Michigan students pursue a post-graduate residency, I’ll post a bit about industry fellowships (there were only 3 of us who applied). Before I begin, please take a look at a previous blog post by Michigan alumnus, Jeffrey Huang, a clinical research fellow at GlaxoSmithKline. His advice and wisdom was instrumental in helping me succeed.

Midyear PPS
Where do I begin? The Rutgers Industry Fellowship program could be one of the most intense interview processes I have ever experienced (14 interviews and 6 receptions over 4 days; see schedule at end). Before you are allowed to sign up for interview slots, you have to watch a 30-minute crash course about the Rutgers program. You can bypass this and sign up for interviews immediately if you attended the Fellowship Information Day at Rutgers in New Jersey about a month before Midyear. I did not attend Fellowship Information Day, so despite being one of the first people in line, I was sent to the middle of the pack after watching the video onsite.

This line is silly

Get there early! I got there about 2 hours before opening and there was already a line forming. I guess it doesn’t really matter, but interview slots are given out on a first come, first serve basis.

Interview Tips
Mock interviews: Do at least one mock interview with another fellowship candidate and ask all the tough questions. You’ll thank yourself later.

Curriculum Vitaes: They say to bring 50 copies, but I only handed out 21. Future candidates can get away with only bringing 30 or so. If you can, print at least 10 (ideally all of them) on resume paper and paper clip them instead of stapling them.

Between interviews: Space your interviews out by 30 minutes, so you can take notes and breathe. Bring some snack foods because sometimes you won’t have time to go eat. There can also be a lot of sitting and waiting if you scheduled your interviews far enough apart.

Presentations: While this isn’t necessary, you can print off any past presentations or materials to show to interviewers if they ask for it. It really drives the point home when you’re talking about your past experience while they are actually viewing it. I brought my PharmD Project, seminar, and pharmaceutical industry presentations.

Research the companies: Be smart.

Interview Process
First round interview: These are with the current fellows and last about 15-30 minutes. They want to see if you have the qualifications and desire to be in the industry. Practice answering “tell me about yourself,” “why a fellowship?” and “why this company?” Sign up and get these out of the way early. If they like you, they’ll set you up for a second round.

Second round interview: These interviews can be either with a fellow or preceptor or both, depending on the company and can last anywhere between 30-60 minutes. The questions are more difficult and typically involve behavioral questions.

Tell me about a time when…

Third round interview: After passing second rounds, the third round is with the preceptors and directors of the departments (one company brought in a vice-president!). Again, the majority of questions are behavioral. If they like you, they will extend an invite to their reception.

Reception: If you want to succeed, you’d best go to these receptions, even if it’s just for 30 minutes. Most will have hors d’oeuvres (pronounced HORES DE' VORES*) and an open bar, but it’s not a time to party. Make connections and try to meet everyone at the company, as they may be potential supervisors and mentors. Here is where pharmacy student business cards might come in handy…but they are not necessary.

*not really, but I petition for an alternative pronunciation…Kudos to Bernie Marini, Andrew Wechter, and Brian Dekarske for this wonderful pronunciation.

Thank you cards: Send one to each interviewer. They had a basket at PPS for these, but I ended up mailing all of mine once I came back from New Orleans. I don’t think it matters either way, but if I had to do it again, I’d bring a set of blank cards to Midyear.

Sample Schedule
To give you a taste of what to expect, here was my schedule for PPS:

Saturday

• 12:00pm PPS Opens
• 4:00pm 1st round

Sunday

• 8:20am 1st round
• 9:30am 1st round
• 10:30am 1st round
• 11:30am 1st round
• 12:30pm 2nd round
• 3:30pm 2nd round
• 4:30pm 2nd round

Monday

• 10:15am 2nd round
• 11:30am 3rd round
• 1:00pm Residency Showcase
• 3:00pm 3rd round
• 4:00pm 3rd round
• 5:30pm Reception
• 6:00pm Reception
• 7:00pm Reception

Tuesday

• 8:30am 1st round (non-Rutgers)
  
• 9:00am Residency Showcase
• 1:00pm Residency Showcase
• 3:00pm 1st round (non-Rutgers)
  
• 6:00pm Reception
• 7:00pm Reception
• 8:00pm Reception

Wednesday

• 8:30am Breakfast Reception
• 11:00am Sleep until 4:00pm

I had a fantastic time at Midyear and had no regrets going through the process. I liken it to running a triathlon: the training and actual event is very tedious, but once you are finished, you feel a great sense of accomplishment. I will leave you with some words of wisdom for all you future candidates out there.

Clinical Pearls

• Get to PPS early.
• Go to Fellowship Information Day to skip the line at PPS to sign up for interviews. Plane tickets can be expensive, so perform a cost-benefit analysis. I didn’t think it was worth the cost and did just fine.
• Mock interview with a friend.
• Print CVs on resume paper and bring past presentations.
• Bring a set of business cards and about 30 blank Thank You cards.
• Snacks on snacks on snacks.
• Go to receptions.
• Get some sleep.
• Reward yourself and sight-see after it’s all done.

That’s all folks!

Sincerely,
Eric Zhao

Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships: ASHP Midyears and On-site Interviews

Posted by Jeffrey Huang at Friday, February 12, 2010

I would like to dispel some of the mysteries that surround the application process for pharmaceutical industry fellowships and hopefully clarify some of the steps for future students interested in applying. The process is quite a bit different from the format for residencies, which is generally the trend for most of our class seeking post-doc opportunities.

First off, it’s a tough process. No lie. But if you can successfully get through the initial stages, there are definite benefits. Let me explain:

Interviews

At ASHP Midyears, interested students begin by registering for the Personal Placement Service (PPS). This service is a great way for both students and employers to quickly search through resumes and job descriptions. And through its internal messaging service, many interviews can be set up prior to Midyears. It’s kind of similar to an online dating service – or so I’ve heard.

Now here comes the tough part: interviews. For industry fellowships, candidates will go through the initial formal interviews at Midyears. With the Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program, there were eight companies potential candidates could interview with, ranging from Marketing, Drug Regulatory Affairs, Health Policy & Strategic Advocacy, and Clinical Development. The Rutgers Fellowship is probably the only opportunity you will ever find in which you will be guaranteed an interview with industry representatives – you just have to sign up!

First-round interviews with Rutgers usually begin with first-year fellows. Immediately following the half-hour interview, you will be told if you are invited for a second-round look, usually with second-year fellows. If you are invited for third-round interviews, they will usually be with industry preceptors or directors. Questions range from specific questions about your CV and projects, to really tough situational questions where the interviewers try to assess how you would behave in the work environment, “tell me about a time when…” or even see if they can get you flustered, “why are you applying for this position, it doesn’t look like you have any past experience” (real question).

As one can apply to several companies, the number of interviews that you can potentially have quickly add up. There are also several receptions or lunches that candidates are invited to as a meet-and-greet opportunity but of course, you are constantly evaluated as a candidate in every situation. I think by the end of the week, I think I had about 18 interviews and receptions, with a total of at least 12 hours of evaluation by the different companies.

Post-Midyears

The hardest part is done once Midyears is complete. Shortly after, candidates will send in their application materials, which include letters of recommendations, motivation letter, and an updated CV. Sending thank-you letters is also highly recommended to all those who interviewed you, and gives you another opportunity to express your interests and qualifications as a candidate.

After this paper work is complete, it’s basically the waiting game to see if you are invited for an on-site interview. I felt very fortunate to have been invited by one of the industry partners through the Rutgers Fellowship, as well as three companies associated with the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Clinical Research Fellowship.

On-site Interviews

As I had mentioned earlier, once you get through the initial formal interviews at Midyears and are invited on-site, there are its definite benefits. The interviews are completely organized and funded by the industry partner. Flight, hotel, and transportation are arranged and your itinerary will be sent to you a few days prior to your arrival.

Usually, the current fellows will also meet you for meals and take you out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is a great opportunity to ask them questions in a much more informal atmosphere. As described by one of the fellows, their role was to screen the candidates at Midyears and help determine whether you should be invited on-site. Once on-site, it is out of their hands and they just want to make sure the candidates are comfortable and prepared for the interview day.

And overall, the interviews at the company are much more relaxed and casual. As a candidate, you have already been screened and meet the qualifications to be able to perform the work. The on-site interviews are to determine how well you mesh with potential preceptors and directors and see if they would like working with you.

But keep in mind, it’s also a two-way street. While the directors and department heads are interviewing you, you are also interviewing them as well. The meetings are to determine if you ‘click’ with a certain individual and can see yourself being productive, challenged, and happy while working with them at the company.

And finally…

..the acceptance offer. I feel extremely fortunate to have been accepted by both the Rutgers Fellowship as well as UNC-Chapel Hill – I actually just received the offer from Rutgers earlier this afternoon! J It has been really difficult to decide which offer I would like to accept, as both are very well respected, established, and a great pathway into the pharmaceutical industry. I have spoken to a lot of people – family, friends, preceptors, residents – and as one of my rotation preceptors advised, “go with where you think you’ll be the happiest, not only at work but also with where you will be living”. And I think the determining factor for me will be quality of life and which location fits most into my lifestyle. I love being active and outdoors, near the water and sand, and have definitely missed the warmer weather and sunshine.

I think I will be trading in the Maize and Blue to become a Tar Heel!

The Next Step

Posted by Shannon Hough at Saturday, January 16, 2010

January already.

December came and went with the ASHP Midyear Meeting, the holidays

and residency applications. This year's ASHP Midyear Meeting was held in Las Vegas, NV. I attended the meeting in order to learn more about first year (PGY1) residency programs. I could not believe how many people were at the meeting, including the number of pharmacy students looking for residencies. The photo at the right was taken at a student poster session. The majority of people in the room were students! It was a great experience to be at such an impressive meeting.

After weighing all of my options, I decided where I wanted to apply. So I polished up my applications and sent them off. I requested letters of recommendation and transcripts. Most pharmacy residency programs stopped accepting applications in early January. Over the next few months, I hope to receive invitations to interview for a PGY1 placement, and keep my fingers crossed for a good match.

This month, I also started my rotation in inpatient hematology and oncology at the University of Michigan. This rotation is unique in that there are two hematology/oncology teams, each of which sees both types of patients. Each team spends half of the morning rounding with an oncology attending physician, and the other half with a hematology attending physician. I am on one of the teams, and follow all of the patients that one of the physicians on the team sees. So far, I can see a huge role for a pharmacist with these patients. Cancer can change how the liver, kidneys and bone marrow function. Chemotherapy regimens alone have complex, highly individualized toxicities requiring patient-specific therapy. I have had to consider all of these factors in learning about the care of this patient population.

The team that I round with is quite pharmacy friendly. My fellow P-4-parter-in-crime and I reply to many "Hey Pharmacy..." questions from our residents and medical students. The residents often times make changes to the patient medication profiles as we make our recommendations. (Just one more reason we need to be very accurate in our recommendations!) I'm looking forward to learning more about the pharmaceutical care of hematology/oncology patients as the month continues.