Today, more and more pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies are tapping into the on-demand expertise of life science consultants.
If you’re an experienced life science professional looking for fulfilling, well-compensated work that excites you, your opportunities are on the rise. Of course, the process of acquiring short-term engagements may seem like a daunting venture at first. To help you find the best consulting positions available, we’ve highlighted what we believe are the most compelling traits of top performing life science consultants.
1. Clear Subject Matter Focus
Hiring practices are leaning away from “how many college degrees you have?” questions and moving toward a deeper evaluation of verifiable skill sets. For this reason, it’s more pertinent than ever to prove your expertise in a particular subject and then stay focused on it. If you market yourself as a ‘do it all’ consultant, you may very well divert attention away from your strongest and most marketable skill sets.
2. Under-Promise and Over-Deliver
Life science projects are never quick, easy, or straightforward. In addition, it’s rare that your other clients and your personal life will not make demands on your time throughout a project’s duration. That’s why it’s important to be conservative when estimating deliverables and timelines.
3. Dependability and Trustworthiness
Build a reputation of dependability. Don’t tell people that you’re interested in a project, and then disappear to explore other opportunities. Be upfront about your availabilities and your upcoming schedule. Life science is a tight-knit industry. Your reputation matters a lot because clients talk to one another and compare notes about who they bring on board.
4. Efficient and Energetic
Companies want consultants to get things done on-time and within budget without compromising quality. This may seem obvious but there are many components and complexities to short-term projects. Be sure to develop a personalized working method that allows you to fulfill these requirements.
5. Make Clients Feel Like They Are Your Only Client
Respond quickly when there is a question raised and set expectations on when they can expect to receive the work that they're asking about. Better yet, try to show that you are anticipating needs before they come up. Don't go a few days without responding to a client, don’t belittle what a client believes is important, and always contribute to a pleasant working experience.
6. Flexible
As a life science consultant, you often need to juggle multiple projects from multiple clients all at once. It's best to outline which days you’ll work on which projects, but keep in mind that you may need to stay flexible, as clients’ priorities often shift.
7. Ability to Keep the Mission of the Company in Mind
More and more often, we are seeing companies place emphasis on their social impact and the ways that they give back to the community. If you are on-site at a company and they see you acknowledge and respect their social mission, they may be more likely to work with you again in the future.
8. Fast Learner/Intellectual Curiosity
Demonstrate that you’ve taken initiative to learn about the company as a whole, not just the project you’re working on. Read up on topics the client’s work revolves around and reference what you learn in conversations. Pro tip: setup Google Alerts for your clients and their competitors so it’s easy to stay in touch with what’s happening in their space. Your background knowledge will often be greatly appreciated by the client, and make them more apt to come back to you for future work.
9. Skilled Negotiator
This is a big one; one that separates successful consultants from super successful consultants. Never underestimate your value. Negotiating the scope of work, timelines, and breadth of work of the project within a reasonable timeframe is a learned skill. During such discussions, be sure to always listen more than you talk.
10. Attention to Detail While Seeing the Bigger Picture
Your client hired you to solve a specific problem. However, to do this successfully, you quite often must recognize and acknowledge the big picture of the project as a whole.
11. Ability to Quickly Build Trust
Building trust with your clients demand regular and concise communication. Be sure to craft short, to-the-point e-mails of the work you have done, the analysis, and what you plan to do next.
12. Is a Realist /Truth Teller
Companies expect you to add value, especially by giving honest feedback about thoughts and ideas. The key is to frame negative comments in a positive light. For example, don’t just say, ‘This is a bad idea’. Instead, provide a rationale of why an idea may be off-base, and then provide suggestions on how to improve on that idea.
13. Analytical Problem-Solver Mindset
Develop a problem solver mentality to address the minute details of a project, while always keeping in mind your strategic vision for the project as a whole.
Whether you’re a life science consultant or looking to hire one, it’s important to be able to recognize the optimal attributes of an all-star agile team member. Have we missed any key traits that you find critical in today’s growing skills-based economy? We’d love to hear your ideas.
