Random Ramblings about stuff I see going on in biotech, internet and the stuff I read.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

What is after application scientist?

From comments in the last post...
I was just reading up on all your comments about Application Scientist positions. I have just joined a company in Boston as an Application Scientist after a 2yr post doc in NYC. I like my job so far, but I am at a loss as to what is the next step in the career of an Application Scientist... Is there anyone out there who has successfully transitioned into a better position from being an Application Scientist? I would be very interested in knowing since I am looking to start a family in about a couple of years or so and would like to spend a lot less time travelling

I talked a little bit about this way back here, but worth talking about again.

You do a lot of things. I went from App scientist, quickly through marketing, and in to business development. A LOT of people go to marketing next and stay there for quite a while. I would say marketing is the number 1 destination really. I have seen some go back to the lab (uncommon but not unheard of), seen 2 leave science completly (the travel made them hate the whole concept of science and I would agree that was odd), and a couple of others go to sales.

In really thinking through the previous paragraph, Sales and Marketing are really the top choices, with marketing having a sizable lead there. The others are just random things that occur.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can anyone tell me what the salary structure for an Application Scientist usually is? I'm also curious as to how many rounds of interview does one have to go through before an offer is made? I am speaking with a CA-based company at this moment; I've already been through two rounds and I have two more to go through (if not more). Is this normal?

yes said...

Flat Salary.

Some form of bonus/commission but not a huge component

Normal benefits etc...

4 rounds seems extreme, but were some of them on the phone? I would see 2 seperate phone interviews (with 1 person each) and then coming in to an office to meet some people.

Or some version like that.

4 rounds of multiple people each time would be a bit above and beyond from my point of view. Not out of the question, but definatly out of the ordinary. Possibly happen at a smaller company where they are worried about culture and are still in the "everyone meets everyone" phase of growth.

Anonymous said...

I keep chiming in just because I love the concept of this blog. This will be the last time for awhile (I swear!)

I just accepted an application scientist position in CA and I'll be making a flat salary with no commission on sales but there's a yearly bonus for everyone based on company performance. I've heard from other companies that commission is involved though they were more structured and larger establishments.

My new company is smaller, and followed the 'meet everybody' scenario for hiring. 2 phone interviews (though the first one was more a meet-and-greet) followed by an on-site interview process with several dept. heads. Very lax and polite, just know what you're talking about and don't bullsh*t beyond your capability. NOT the time to find your boundaries.

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

All the information on this blog is so wonderfully helpful. I am a Masters degree graduate currently in the workforce under laboratory conditions but eager to join the application scientist community. I am also Canadian living in Toronto. Is it harder to near impossible for me to find an application scientist job in the States, let alone Canada for the opportunities available and the foreign relocation? I've been applying to various places (US and Canada) for months with no call backs...Any advice would be so graciously accepted!

Anonymous said...

I am also wondering about typical salary ranges. I have field application scientist friends who say that $55,000 is typical for medium-expensive area, for a PhD applicant.
however, some companies list FAS positions that only require BS degree, and for at least one of these, I was told that a salary of $55,000 was way too much (it was in the outer suburb area of new york city).
how does this compare with what other people have experienced?

Anonymous said...

Just in case this information is relevant to anyone out there.

Hired in October of 2008 with a large multimillion company. 2 rounds of phone interview, followed by inhouse interview. Job was offered that same day after a long day of interviews and a presentation by me.

Credentials: PhD in Molecular Biology from a solid research University, BS in Chemistry, BA in Spanish Literature

7 publications, several in high immpact journals (PNAS, Nature, EMBO)

Pay salary: 85K plus about a 5-6% commission for entry position with no Post-doc experience, based in the tri-state area.

Unknown said...

This was very helpful! I have been an application scientist with a company for a year and looking to renew the contract. Also a Canadian with PhD and high impact publications, ,I wast sure how high I shoudl pitch my raise!

Also, anyone know a good way to calculate compensation for international travel? I am currently servicing the US but have been asked to go work wide with the company for teaching purposes. any advice would be great!

Anonymous said...

Look at the following links below. It has the salary info from the indeed.com & simplyhired.com websites for FAS in the U.S. and can also be broken down into State and even cities to know what the current pay rates are in your area.



http://www.indeed.com/salary?q1=Field+Application+Scientist&l1=


http://www.simplyhired.com/a/salary/search/q-Field+Application+Scientist



-your Fellow FAS

patrick said...

Really nice blog... web application

Kamagra said...

I think there is not another step in this carrer, you only need to get imagination to grow professionally. Your future depends of you.

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