If you can have that too, I think it is good. But I am afraid not everyone has the same opportunity to have experience in industry in this economy. In fact, I asked few of my professors who had worked for major company, they said it is very difficult now to get a job in industry.
However, try our best to get any type of research either in school or anywhere else is another alternative way.
Yes, in this day and age it is difficult to get a job in the industry because many companies are not hiring and most of those who are hiring are looking for candidates with specific experience. Number of internships offered has been cut, as far as I am aware, though some may have reappeared in the last year or so, since we all realized that the patent cliff can be survived.
Most pharmacy schools do not offer pharmaceutical industry rotations.
I'm a P2 currently and my school does not have a huge focus on industry. However, ever since I learnt about the industry, I've been keen on it. My question is- as a student, what is a good way to get your foot through the door? I'm looking for an internship next summer. How do I go about looking for one?
However, there are still things one can do to prepare for a career in industry. The specifics will vary depending on the specific career choice.
If you don't know what exactly you want to do, I strongly recommend at least reaching out to the individuals employed at different roles in the industry to understand what they do. Because marketing is very different from early clinical research from regulatory from project management, etc. Reaching out to the programs that interest you and arranging for a half an hour or an hour to speak with the fellow over the phone would be a good start. Once you have an idea on what you want to do, it gets easier.
If you want to work in a medical information role, make sure you get a drug information rotation or two, every school offers them. Yes, it is rather different in industry than it is in the hospital, but it will give you some skills and some understanding of the role, as well as something to talk about in the interview.
If you want to work in research, get involved in research projects with your professors. Usually you can get it as independent study credit, or, if they have grant money to spare, you may even get it as a paid part-time job.
If you want to work in managed markets, getting a rotation at a PBM would be a good idea. Or even a VA or IHS rotation can be useful for that.
If you want to work in marketing, get involved in all kinds of fundraising and recruitment efforts at whatever organizations you belong to at pharmacy school.
Essentially, the interview comes down to showing that you:
- understand that the job is about
- have the skills to do the job or can develop these skills fairly quickly
- are committed to the job and enthusiastic about it
There are many ways to get there. It's up to you. And if you spend effort figuring out exactly how to do it, it will help you in more ways than one.