It's so hard to find a job as a MSc new grad in Vancouver

[MavisY]

I graduated from a MSc in Biochemistry last Aug and moved to Vancouver hoping to launch a job here. So far I think I've applied for more than 200 jobs. I've also been trying to network by going to various events. Had 3 in person interviews and 2 phone interviews since last July. I'm even willing to enroll in an unpaid internship just to get experience. But things I've been doing didn't seem to work. And I feel very scared, discouraged and lost now. Can anybody here help me please?

[Deals Deals Deals]

I graduated from a MSc in Biochemistry last Aug and moved to Vancouver hoping to launch a job here. So far I think I've applied for more than 200 jobs. I've also been trying to network by going to various events. Had 3 in person interviews and 2 phone interviews since last July. I'm even willing to enroll in an unpaid internship just to get experience. But things I've been doing didn't seem to work. And I feel very scared, discouraged and lost now. Can anybody here help me please?

What skills/experiences do you have?

[bomba]

Hate to tell you, but there's not many job prospects for young people in Vancouver. That's why I got out of there and moved to Alberta. Income tripled overnight.

[sixteen12]

Hate to tell you, but there's not many job prospects for young people in Vancouver. That's why I got out of there and moved to Alberta. Income tripled overnight.

Well triple 0 is still 0...but nice to hear!

OP I'm sure as bomba pointed out you could get a job in the oil industry assuming you have a chemistry masters.

[Syne]

I think it's amazing that you've got an M.Sc. in biochemistry. I have much respect for people who can take a science degree to that level and in a respectful and challenging field. Why employers fail to share my sense of admiration I may never know.

[rgz]

You're in a very un-employeable group. I could break your title down as follows:

-It's so hard to find a job in Vancouver
-It's so hard to find a job as a MSc
-It's so hard to find a job as a new grad
-It's so hard to find a job with no relevant experience
-It's so hard to find a job when you believe that education is the key to success in the work force

I believe that you've hit a dead end. You can improve your employment prospects if you go back to school for something with higher job prospects (pharmacy for example) or try to find another field to work in.

[Syne]

^ That's rather defeatist, is it not? That list could go on forever, no matter who you are.

Here we have someone who is among the top 8% educated in Canada (and given the difficulty of the field I'd put that number much higher) and we're telling him he's unemployable because he didn't pick one of the three or four hot majors that happen to be vogue right now?

Has it really come down to saying that the only people eligible for employment are those who meet several ideal conditions?

[niroopg]

Get out of metropolitan areas - simple as that. Move to Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and you'll be picked up pretty quickly. Why not see what is available there and apply. You don't have to take it but having you can't live without income forever.

[rgz]

Ok, maybe I could've have been a bit more optimistic, but the OP hasn't set himself up for success to the extent that some people his age do. He's lacking in experience and in knowledge of the job searching process and is confounding these problems by searching in a competitive market.

The OP hasn't fully outlined what he has done in much detail, but if I were him, here's about what I might try. Get a job waiting tables. This will free up your days and allow you to make some money and network. The free days are key. During the days you can go to interviews, talk with business people, volunteer and meet with employment counselors (school or government, they're usually free). I would first try to track down a few people that have the job OP wants using linkedin or other places on the internet, meet up with them and ask them lots of questions. If you can't get paid work experience, try to get relevant volunteer experience, then start trading up.

OP seems to personify this article pretty well: www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/margaret-wente/educated-for-unemployment/article2432419/

[Mark77]

Get out of metropolitan areas - simple as that. Move to Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and you'll be picked up pretty quickly. Why not see what is available there and apply. You don't have to take it but having you can't live without income forever.

Biochemist in Saskatchewan or Manitoba? :lol:

[niroopg]

Biochemist in Saskatchewan or Manitoba? :lol:

LOL. Its gotta be better than metropolitan areas.

[jillaryit]

Any work experience? First thing that came to my mind is over-qualification. But I also remember my science friends telling me it's normal to do a master before getting any work experience in science.

And I've searched for work in Vancouver before, so I understand how hard it is relative to other places.

[spike1128]

Move to California. They got a big base of these companies who need your skills.

[anon666]

Biochemist in Saskatchewan or Manitoba? :lol:

yeah it's hilarious! saskatchewan is booming and has world class quality research programs and facilities in the life sciences while Manitoba has one of the world's only level 4 labs. Vancouver has insite. so funny!

[sleepyguy]

I have no idea of the job market for that kind of education but I'd say if your area is hiring in that sector then the only option (if you still want to pursue this as a career) is to locate somewhere that has more options.

"I think it's amazing that you've got an M.Sc. in biochemistry. I have much respect for people who can take a science degree to that level and in a respectful and challenging field. Why employers fail to share my sense of admiration I may never know."

It's all all about adding value to the business... his career outlooks I assume in this field is very narrow.

[giCe]

have you tried working with a recruiter?

[nhasan3]

I'm in the same boat. Graduated with a MSc in physiology but I still can't find a job anywhere. I've tried retail, sales, labs with no luck.

[yangxu]

OP, I'm on the same boat as you. I also have a M.Sc. in biochemistry, currently unemployed (it's been almost 3 months now).
What some of the above posters said is true. Alberta definitely has more job opportunities than BC for biochemists, but only in academia.
On top of that, more than half of the jobs posted on university career sites are "fake", in the sense that they've already identified their internal applicants, but they have to go through the bureaucratic HR process to get their candidates hired (of course, they won't tell you that on their ads). So if you don't have any networks in the department, your chance of squeezing in is low.

BC has more biotech companies, but most of them aren't hiring. At least they don't advertise to external applicants.
I've applied to STEMCELL multiple times since they constantly post up new ads, but every time I follow-up on my application, I was either told that they haven't started reviewing the applications yet, or they're in the process of doing so. How they're still "reviewing" applications in May when the job ad was closed in November last year is anyone's guess.

I heard that many biotech companies are downsizing their R&D departments. You're more likely to find a job as a sales or marketing rep than a research associate.
Don't limit yourself on what you think you're qualified to apply, apply to everything. As long as you can get your feet into the door, transferring between departments in the company should be fairly easy.

Personally, seeing how poorly the biotech sectors are performing at the current state, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to switch careers.
I'm thinking of doing this, but I still haven't decided on which field I should be heading into next. There are lots of opportunities related to environmental science, which might be something to think about.

[chevron]

Biochemist in Saskatchewan or Manitoba? :lol:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosafety_level#List_of_BSL-3_and_BSL-4_facilities

National Microbiology Laboratory Canada, Manitoba, Winnipeg Level 4 Located at the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, it is jointly operated by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory Canada, Saskatchewan, Regina Level 3 Officially opened in May 2010, the new building for the Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory is located at Innovation Place Research Park, on the campus of the University of Regina. It is operated by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health.

Contrast with

Canada, Ontario, Toronto Level 4 This facility never opened due to community opposition in the 1990s.[12]

Gee, I wonder why its so difficult to find a job in the GTA?

Have a nice day :)

[rekearb]

Did you guys do a good job in MSc? Such as publish a few papers/your thesis or win awards?

[kuhai2001]

A former u of t grad student myself (pharmaceuticals). Done it for half a year, had a fight with boss, quit.

Going to study Regulatory Affairs in college in september. I heard the career outlook is not bad, plus you can use all your research/ writing skills.

Try clinical research/quality assurance as well. So as marketing research is getting big. If possible, try to get a job in cali, but I have not heard of MSc getting job in state. Tell me about it if you know of someone, bc everyone is trying to get a piece of it

[niroopg]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosafety_level#List_of_BSL-3_and_BSL-4_facilities

National Microbiology Laboratory Canada, Manitoba, Winnipeg Level 4 Located at the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, it is jointly operated by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory Canada, Saskatchewan, Regina Level 3 Officially opened in May 2010, the new building for the Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory is located at Innovation Place Research Park, on the campus of the University of Regina. It is operated by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health.

Contrast with

Canada, Ontario, Toronto Level 4 This facility never opened due to community opposition in the 1990s.[12]

Gee, I wonder why its so difficult to find a job in the GTA?

Have a nice day :)

Well, to be fair, the rejection of a Tier 4 lab is a unique circumstance. That facility handles Ebola, Anthrax, etc - some of the worst pathogens known to man. Not exactly the brightest idea to have that facility anywhere near a very dense population.

[spike1128]

Well, to be fair, the rejection of a Tier 4 lab is a unique circumstance. That facility handles Ebola, Anthrax, etc - some of the worst pathogens known to man. Not exactly the brightest idea to have that facility anywhere near a very dense population.

Well, that's why it's called a containment facility. People don't just walk out of there without fully decontamination. If they can build a propane storage plant in a middle of Toronto (the one that exploded a few years back), then I am sure the government can put up a level 4 in the city. The US put up a lot of level 4s in their cities, we just don't know where they are. Plus it's can range from government to private industries who put up these facilities.