Transitioning from the Lab to a Non-Academic role: How to reframe your skills for any endeavor (Biotech and Law specifics)
By Lexus Tatge, Director of IP Education
If there's one thing I learned from my undergrad days in a scientific networking club (prestigious, I know), it's this: almost anything you learn in one job can be spun into something valuable for another by reframing it as a "transferable skill." But what exactly is a transferable skill? For those who may not be familiar with the term, think of it this way: a transferable skill is an ability or expertise that's not tied to one specific job, industry, or field—it's something you can take with you and apply in a variety of contexts.
For us scientists—whether you're a PhD student, principal investigator, undergrad, research technician, or postdoc—it's about finding ways to translate our academic and lab experience into skills that resonate in roles outside academia. And let me tell you, this might just be the most daunting part of transitioning to a new career. Staring at a job listing with a long list of qualifications can feel overwhelming, especially when you know your days have been spent pipetting, troubleshooting experiments, or analyzing data. How do you convince HR or a hiring committee that you can not only meet but exceed those expectations?
It's tough, no doubt. When you're entrenched in the daily grind of lab life, it can be hard to see how those skills translate to, say, a job in a law firm (as I've discovered firsthand). But here's the good news: whether you're transitioning into law, biotech, consulting, or any other field, you already have the skills—you just need to reframe them. In this post, I'll walk you through how to identify those transferable skills and showcase them effectively on your resume. Because when it comes time to hit "submit," I want you to feel confident as you chart your course into the uncharted waters of a career beyond academia. Let's dive in!
If you find this helpful, that's a win in my book! When I first had to rework my résumé/C.V. to transition from science to law, the formatting really tripped me up. Everyone approaches it differently. Some places encourage a two-page résumé, while others don't have strict guidelines, giving you room to highlight everything you're proud of.
Attached is the outline of my C.V.—feel free to download it and use it as you prepare to take the next step in your career! Typically, if a company is asking for a 2-page résumé, I will shorten my C.V to hit that requirement while maintaining the integrity of key-pieces of my background so that I still can stand out. I then accompany the résumé with a cover-letter that could potentially touch on a few more items that I wasn't able to include in-detail in the résumé. And if you liked this post, check out the first three of the blog series: (1) Why Biomedical Scientists Should Consider a Career in Patent Law; (2) Patent Law Basics: A Brief Guide for Graduate Students, Future Inventors, and Everyone in Between; (3) Networking Tips for Scientists Interested in Patent Law. And tune in next week for post, (5) Top Law Schools for Scientists Interested in Intellectual Property and Patent Law.