Dr Nadine Müller

VectorBuilder Inc.

What was your main area of research?

• Molecular biology
• Genetic toxicology
• Gene editing

What is your current job?

• Territory manager at VectorBuilder

How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?

• After my PhD I worked for Lonza as a scientist in Cologne (job search online, accepted due to scientific background in CRISPR gene editing)
• Team leader at Lonza (internal promotion)
• Applied for territory manager at VectorBuilder (job search online)

Why did you decide not to pursue a career in academia?

• I wanted a more secure position than in academia (permanent contract)
• Better work-life balance
• Better working conditions
• More alternative job pathways (not only in RnD)

What advice do you have for someone getting his or her PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

• Figure out what you want, prioritize and be honest with yourself (field, position, location, big versus small company,  family versus job…)
• Define options (A-perfect, B-good, C-okay, D-doable but only for limited time…)
• Apply only for positions you want to do
• Create a modern CV (mother document)
• Adapt your CV specifically for each position, don’t put the effort of writing a motivation letter if you don’t have to
• For companies you like a lot try out writing unsolicited applications
• Set yourself a time limit for e.g. only focusing on option A, then increase to A+B…
• Have faith and don’t give up
• The more flexible you are location-wise, the higher the probability of finding a fitting position
• Start as early as possible but not more than 1 year before finishing your PhD
• Set automated search filters for various job platforms
• Manually check the open positions of big companies you’re interested in (they usually don’t advertise on other platforms)