No response from Industry Internships?

[Auriel619]

Hi all,

Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm doing anything wrong or if this is the general process, but I've sent out ~30 applications to Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, Merck and Roche with pretty much no response. It's pretty discouraging submitting all these applications with no response from anywhere. With a decent GPA, retail, leadership and research experience, I had no idea it would be this difficult just to get an acknowledgment from companies.

Another fellow P1 student I've talked to did an internship with Bayer last summer, and his advice was to spam the companies with applications. He mentioned he had sent out ~50 applications and only heard back from 2 phone interviews. Is this what everyone else's experience has been like?

If anyone already has a Pharmacy industry internship locked down, Congratulations! Can you tell us what your application experience was like so we know what to expect?

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[WhiteSnows]

I know it is very difficult to get an internships now. SO you are not alone. Keep calling the company.

 

[dingerx]

Hi all,

Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm doing anything wrong or if this is the general process, but I've sent out ~30 applications to Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, Merck and Roche with pretty much no response. It's pretty discouraging submitting all these applications with no response from anywhere. With a decent GPA, retail, leadership and research experience, I had no idea it would be this difficult just to get an acknowledgment from companies.

Another fellow P1 student I've talked to did an internship with Bayer last summer, and his advice was to spam the companies with applications. He mentioned he had sent out ~50 applications and only heard back from 2 phone interviews. Is this what everyone else's experience has been like?

If anyone already has a Pharmacy industry internship locked down, Congratulations! Can you tell us what your application experience was like so we know what to expect?

They are pretty much non-existant now. I am starting a fellowship with Rutgers this summer and there were only 35 positions or so for the fellowship program. Companies like Roche were down to a few positions from 10 or more. It's slim pickings. Industry is having a rough time because "Obamacare" is leaving many things unanswered. Sorry I can't help anymore.

 

[Argentium]

First round interviews are starting now. Process at almost all companies is that 60-100 applications are received; 10-30 are screened through a 15-30 minute phone interview; 5-10 are invited on campus for a 2-3 hour round of interviews with several managers and directors.

I am fairly intimate with the interview process ... PM me.


PS: Obamacare is only scratching the surface of the problems that are facing the pharmaceutical industry.

 

[dingerx]

First round interviews are starting now. Process at almost all companies is that 60-100 applications are received; 10-30 are screened through a 15-30 minute phone interview; 5-10 are invited on campus for a 2-3 hour round of interviews with several managers and directors.

I am fairly intimate with the interview process ... PM me.


PS: Obamacare is only scratching the surface of the problems that are facing the pharmaceutical industry.

True. I don't have hours on end to go into the issues/politics/global economics of problems pharma is facing.

 

[ChaiTea]

Hi all,

Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm doing anything wrong or if this is the general process, but I've sent out ~30 applications to Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, Merck and Roche with pretty much no response. It's pretty discouraging submitting all these applications with no response from anywhere. With a decent GPA, retail, leadership and research experience, I had no idea it would be this difficult just to get an acknowledgment from companies.

Another fellow P1 student I've talked to did an internship with Bayer last summer, and his advice was to spam the companies with applications. He mentioned he had sent out ~50 applications and only heard back from 2 phone interviews. Is this what everyone else's experience has been like?

If anyone already has a Pharmacy industry internship locked down, Congratulations! Can you tell us what your application experience was like so we know what to expect?

I have sent out about 60 applications (30 for industry [Roche, Merck, Pfizer, J&J, even ones I have never heard of] and another 30 for hospital) For retail, I sent out about 14 applications. No phone calls. I am getting kinda desperate at this point. Is submitting applications online even worth it? Many times, I would do a google search to see if I can get a name and email address. I need a job for the summer very badly, and I am willing to relocate. Heck at this point, I am willing to do an internship totally unrelated to pharmacy........bills have to be paid.

Just like the OP, if anyone has any advice, please let me know (or you can PM me)

 

[owlegrad]

I have sent out about 60 applications (30 for industry [Roche, Merck, Pfizer, J&J, even ones I have never heard of] and another 30 for hospital) For retail, I sent out about 14 applications. No phone calls. I am getting kinda desperate at this point. Is submitting applications online even worth it? Many times, I would do a google search to see if I can get a name and email address. I need a job for the summer very badly, and I am willing to relocate. Heck at this point, I am willing to do an internship totally unrelated to pharmacy........bills have to be paid.

Just like the OP, if anyone has any advice, please let me know (or you can PM me)

Dude, that's rough.

My advice (for retail and hospital, I have no experience with industry) is follow up, follow up, follow up. Particularly in a hospital, your application can end up in the bottom of a pile. Don't let it happen to you. Call, drop in for a visit, whatever it takes. I am sure it is the same everywhere.

 

[bacillus1]

Dude, that's rough.

My advice (for retail and hospital, I have no experience with industry) is follow up, follow up, follow up. Particularly in a hospital, your application can end up in the bottom of a pile. Don't let it happen to you. Call, drop in for a visit, whatever it takes. I am sure it is the same everywhere.

I agree, and follow up multiple times over the course of a month or more if needed, and then follow up after the interview.

If I did this starting P1, I'd have a hospital job. My city is just so overwhelmed with interns right now that applications get lost. I only realized this for my last hospital position that I applied for, getting an offer half a year after I applied for it, but by then it was too late (P3 in the end of December with them not realizing this).

 

[dingerx]

I agree, and follow up multiple times over the course of a month or more if needed, and then follow up after the interview.

If I did this starting P1, I'd have a hospital job. My city is just so overwhelmed with interns right now that applications get lost. I only realized this for my last hospital position that I applied for, getting an offer half a year after I applied for it, but by then it was too late (P3 in the end of December with them not realizing this).

Most hospitals only want to hire students starting their P1 year. It's too expensive to train somebody and then only have them around for a year. The best thing to do is either stop by the pharmacy and talk to or call the pharmacy director and ask about positions.

 

[SovietPistol]

I have sent out about 60 applications (30 for industry [Roche, Merck, Pfizer, J&J, even ones I have never heard of] and another 30 for hospital) For retail, I sent out about 14 applications. No phone calls. I am getting kinda desperate at this point. Is submitting applications online even worth it? Many times, I would do a google search to see if I can get a name and email address. I need a job for the summer very badly, and I am willing to relocate. Heck at this point, I am willing to do an internship totally unrelated to pharmacy........bills have to be paid.

Just like the OP, if anyone has any advice, please let me know (or you can PM me)

I am in the exact same boat as you. It's horrible out there. I just had a phone interview with CVS and they kept talking about how terrible the market is right now. I can't even get a tech position in Buffalo. I would intern for no money if that was possible and get a second job. I think I've applied to around 15-20 retail stores, 30 hospital positions, and a nuclear pharmacy, and I've reapplied and followed up with everything, and still NOTHING.

It's seriously making me depressed. I can't even get basic pharmacy experience. The only people I know who've gotten anything were in the right place in the right time. Now when techs or interns leave a pharmacy, they don't hire anyone new it seems.

Blech. This sucks.

 

[bacillus1]

If anyone is in Philly, I might know of a job opening, if it's still open. Just let me know your GPA and year and I'll see if you're eligible.

 

[Auriel619]

Wow, amidst all this doom and gloom, anyone have any good news?
If you have an awesome internship/job locked down for the summer, feel free to brag so the rest of us can share

 

[owlegrad]

Wow, amidst all this doom and gloom, anyone have any good news?
If you have an awesome internship/job locked down for the summer, feel free to brag so the rest of us can share

Two - one at my local hospital and one at CVS. Well they're not industry though, so perhaps it's not germane to this thread. Also "awesome" is probably stretching it.

 

[ChaiTea]

I am in the exact same boat as you. It's horrible out there. I just had a phone interview with CVS and they kept talking about how terrible the market is right now. I can't even get a tech position in Buffalo. I would intern for no money if that was possible and get a second job. I think I've applied to around 15-20 retail stores, 30 hospital positions, and a nuclear pharmacy, and I've reapplied and followed up with everything, and still NOTHING.

It's seriously making me depressed. I can't even get basic pharmacy experience. The only people I know who've gotten anything were in the right place in the right time. Now when techs or interns leave a pharmacy, they don't hire anyone new it seems.

Blech. This sucks.

I called pharmacy directors and managers at 4 major NYC hospitals. I would have been hired BUT they are looking for interns to train with them the whole year not just during the summer months. I attend school about 400 miles away, so working through the whole year in NYC is not gonna happen. Maybe I should just apply for intern permits for like all 50 states (at least the ones that have free applications) so I can up my chances of getting a summer position. The students in my class who have jobs lined up have been pharmacy techs since they turned 18, OR their parents are pharmacists or doctors, OR their parents are execs at some pharmaceutical company. I do have clinical experience BUT just not in pharmacy.

The market is past terrible right now. And whatever tech positions that were available were snatched up by my fellow classmates before even entering the school.

I guess I will just keep hunting a good hunt

 

[IndustryPharmD]

There are few industry internships offered now, and they attract a lot of candidates... the odds for getting one are worse than they used to be, say, five years ago. Anyway, good luck!

 

[Auriel619]

some great CV/Resume tips here and phone interview advice from a good resource. Hope it helps all of you!

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ftpim/reddit_can_we_compile_a_list_of_tips_for_creating/

 

[dingerx]

I don't have a lot of time to research for this but here you go:

http://careers.pharmacytimes.com/articles/B66094EC.asp

 

[Goliath90]

anybody heard anything yet?

 

[iluvtennis]

Are you set on getting an internship? The reason I ask is a lot of companies will have summer contract positions through temp agencies. Obviously its not the same thing as an internship, but if you are set on a career in the pharmaceutical industry these types of positions will give you experience and add to your resume.

 

[iluvtennis]

Not to mention the networking opportunities.

 

[greenteapanacea]

They are pretty much non-existant now. I am starting a fellowship with Rutgers this summer and there were only 35 positions or so for the fellowship program. Companies like Roche were down to a few positions from 10 or more. It's slim pickings. Industry is having a rough time because "Obamacare" is leaving many things unanswered. Sorry I can't help anymore.

That is pretty scary! I'm an incoming P1 student at EMSOP, and it seems that the news has been increasingly negative since I've gotten into the 6-year program here. Is there any way to make a resume stand out in the midst of 200 other qualified EMSOP students looking for the same internship?

 

[BidingMyTime]

That is pretty scary! I'm an incoming P1 student at EMSOP, and it seems that the news has been increasingly negative since I've gotten into the 6-year program here. Is there any way to make a resume stand out in the midst of 200 other qualified EMSOP students looking for the same internship?

If it were that easy to stand out, than everybody would be doing it. The thing is, what will click with 1 hiring manager, won't click with another, so while something you do might make you stand out and click at 1 place (maybe the hiring manager was intrigued by your listing that you are president of a local golf club....the same thing might turn another another managed who thinks golf is boring.)
Certainly, you want to tailor your application to the specific job you are applying for, but its hard to plan to stand out unless you have some inside knowledge of the company and hiring manager.