Bill Emker, Lei Wang, Helena Fan, and Dean Grimm, The Lotus Group
Dear Future Biostatistician,
If you are finishing your PhD and trying to enter pharma or biotech right now, you have felt how difficult this market has become.
From 2020 through 2022, biotech grew fast. Capital flowed, companies hired aggressively, and entry-level positions were abundant. Then funding slowed and hiring contracted. Early-career candidates felt it first. But markets cycle. Early signs of recovery are already visible, and as capital returns, hiring will follow.
Between the four of us, we have spent decades recruiting and hiring biostatisticians. We have seen strong candidates struggle and less traditional ones move quickly into good positions. The difference is rarely technical skill.
Your PhD shows you are capable. Hiring managers already know that. What they are trying to determine is your potential.
Your PhD shows you are capable. Hiring managers already know that. What they are trying to determine is your potential.
What Hiring Managers Are Actually Evaluating
Hiring managers are not testing how much theory you know. They are asking one practical question: If we hire this person, will they grow?
Your dissertation does not answer that. How you present yourself in the interview does.
Candidates who ask thoughtful questions signal curiosity and continued development after hiring. Candidates who stay calm under pressure signal they can be trusted in cross-functional meetings. Candidates who explain their thinking clearly show they understand the job—not just running analyses but helping people make decisions.
Listening matters, too. Many early-career candidates are eager to demonstrate what they know, but answering before fully understanding a question weakens the response. Hiring managers notice candidates who listen carefully, confirm what is being asked, and then respond. That habit signals maturity.
These strong signals matter because bad hires are costly. When managers see them, candidates advance. When they do not, strong technical profiles are passed over.
Why Industry Experience Changes Perception
Candidates who have completed an internship interview differently, not because they know more statistics, but because they have seen how decisions are made inside a company. A candidate who can describe real applied tradeoffs is easier to picture on a team. The perception gap between that candidate and one who can only speak to methods is often larger than the actual difference in experience.
If you are still in school, an industry internship is one of the highest-leverage things you can do.
Why Professional Visibility Matters
Organizations such as the American Statistical Association, Eastern North American Region of the International Biometric Society, and International Chinese Statistical Association exist because biostatisticians benefit from being around other biostatisticians. Candidates who participate in these communities signal they are not waiting to be developed but are actively seeking growth.
Engaging with the broader field also makes you easier to evaluate. The more you have practiced explaining your work to others in the field, the more confident you will be in interviews.
On the Job Search Itself
In a slow market, it may take longer than expected to find your first role. That is not a signal of your capability; it is a timing problem.
Treat each interview that does not result in an offer as data. Refine how you describe your research. Practice connecting your methods to decisions, not just results. Candidates who approach the search this way improve quickly and move faster when conditions shift.
The industry will need you. Every clinical trial depends on biostatisticians to interpret evidence and support decisions. As programs expand, hiring will follow. The opportunities will go to those who are prepared.
Editor’s Note: This is reprinted with permission from the ASA’s Biopharmaceutical Report.
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