Aspiring candidates navigating the competitive landscape of life science careers understand the pivotal role of a well-crafted cover letter in securing coveted positions within the industry. In the realm of life sciences, where precision, innovation, and a deep passion for discovery are paramount, a compelling cover letter serves as a gateway to showcasing one's unique qualifications, expertise, and enthusiasm for the role. Whether vying for positions in biotechnology firms, pharmaceutical companies, research laboratories, or academia, the ability to articulate one's aspirations, accomplishments, and alignment with organizational values can make a significant difference in capturing the attention of hiring managers and securing interview opportunities. In this article, we delve into essential tips and strategies for crafting impactful cover letters tailored specifically to life science roles. From effectively highlighting scientific achievements to conveying a genuine passion for contributing to the advancement of human health and knowledge, mastering the art of cover letter writing is an indispensable skill for aspiring professionals seeking to thrive in the dynamic and rewarding field of life sciences.
A cover letter is a one-page statement broken up into three or four paragraphs, attached to your application and accompanied by any other required documents. The cover letter should specifically capture why you want to pursue the job.
To effectively approach the cover letter, especially in a life science setting, you should provide information about technical skills and previous experiences that have prepared you for the job you are seeking. Since the point of the cover letter is to express your motivation for the position you are applying for, it may also be referred to as a motivational letter or statement of purpose.
The cover letter must capture the basis for your application because the purpose of the cover letter is to convey to the recruiter your interest in the job opportunity and the top qualifications that make you the ideal candidate for the job. The extra effort also differentiates you from the other applicants by showing your work ethic, attention to detail, and how you fit into the company or lab’s missions, values, research, and interests.
When writing a cover letter, keep in mind that it should not be a duplicate of your resume. A cover letter should delve into specific aspects of your job preparedness in more detail or highlight a specific opportunity and how that experience prepares you for a role. Focus on showcasing your qualifications that are directly relevant to the specific job, lab, or life science role you're applying for. Emphasize your expertise in areas such as laboratory techniques, data analysis, research methodologies, and scientific writing, providing specific examples to illustrate your proficiency and how that translates directly to the position.
Further, use your experience and cross-examine how each one has prepared you for the position in question. It is also good to recall what you accomplished in the position and how these accomplishments are a reflection of your potential in other positions. In simplest terms, below is a list of questions you should ask yourself before writing your cover letter.
Use these questions and as you answer each one, keep your responses. Your responses will serve as a skeleton for your cover letter. The cover letter will then flow and capture these points which the hiring team will be looking for when they read your cover letter.
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In your cover letter, provide details about your most relevant or recent positions, if they are aligned to the position you are applying for. When describing your previous work, your goal is to describe how your past and current positions might impact your abilities to succeed in a new role or how it has prepared you for the new role. Be sure to list previous lab positions, including different lab techniques acquired in these positions such as PCR, Western Blot, working with mice, or utilizing tissue culture. Labs and life science companies appreciate candidates who have previous experience with technical lab work.
When writing this portion, pay attention to the lab or job description. Using this information, pick out portions that you can use to compare to your knowledge. Then discuss how you have applied and will continue to apply your knowledge to achieve this part of the job. To stand out, you might also include percentages, numbers, or statistics of some sort that quantify your abilities. Often, these numbers are used to evaluate the likelihood of your success in the position based on past measurements.
For example, if you are applying for a research assistant position you should describe your role with any previous labs and the skills you used. You then can add what you achieved in this lab position. Tangible skills could include: conducting a literature search, managing a broad set of data, or sustaining a cell culture. The key part is to always specify your impact in your cover letter.
After describing how you meet the job requirements, it is important to include your value in the position and what you will bring to the role being offered. To successfully highlight how you meet the qualifications for the role, ask yourself what you will bring to the position that makes you an ideal candidate. After you identify what you can bring to this position, establish which ones set you apart. You can also use your past experiences to determine which skills could be helpful for the job that are not mentioned in the description.
These technical and soft skills are what make you a standout applicant. Some roles may even make it easy and include a preferred but not required section in the job description. Either way, it helps to hone in on how these skills will contribute to their company's success. Remember that your cover letter is part of marketing yourself. In the same way, companies want to stand out by meeting their customers' unique need/needs. As an applicant, you want to fill a company's expertise.
Highlight your ability to adapt to new technologies, methodologies, and challenges in the rapidly evolving landscape of STEM fields. Showcase instances where you've demonstrated creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills to overcome obstacles and achieve results in scientific endeavors. Further, you should demonstrate you are an exceptional candidate by modeling effective communication. Effective communication is essential in STEM roles, whether it's presenting research findings, collaborating with colleagues, or writing technical reports. Use your cover letter to demonstrate your ability to communicate complex scientific concepts clearly and persuasively, tailoring your language to your audience.
For example, let’s say you are applying for a data analyst position at a life science startup and the company only requires you to know Python. Then, under the preferred qualifications, it also asks for C++. The great part is you might be well-versed in Python, C++, Java, and HTML. The job may not require a multi-code language, but from experience, you know that using one language over another can make a project run easier. Therefore, it is a good idea to mention that you have these skills and can adapt to code languages easily and as needed. Needless to say, the hiring team will more than likely notice that they can hire a single individual who has the required skills, preferred skills, and more.
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Lastly, you should always provide your motivation to work for the specific company or lab that you are supplying your cover letter to. The staff, employers, lab managers, and hiring team will want to know why you want to work with them. Additionally, those in the company will want to ensure they are hiring someone who has expressed a sincere interest in the work and the duties of the job. They also want to ensure that the people they are hiring have the enthusiasm to be part of the team and share their vision.
This part of the cover letter should explain how working for this specific role is significant and will help you to fulfill your career goals. Here, it’s critical to speak with sincerity. You can effectively add this to your letter by discussing a company's reputation or credibility. To captivate the hiring team, do a bit of research about the workplace, lab, or office and weave the findings that stood out to you into the cover letter. This attention to detail shows that you are genuinely interested in the company’s success and contributing to its continual achievements. For research labs, it is highly beneficial to read previous publications from the lab or the PI. This demonstrates that you have a sustained interest in the lab, but also gives you background on the work that is being done. Being able to effectively summarize the main points from previous research in your cover letter shows a lab team that you are ready and willing to engage with the research.
For this instance, it is highly suggested that you research the company, lab, or group. You can leverage what you learned about what makes the company stand out and highlight these features in your cover letter. One way to address company highlights is by using their mission statement or research goals and evaluating how it sets them apart. An example of finding distinctive aspects is seen among bioengineering companies.
When speaking with one student, he shares his passion for working as a bioengineer in Research and Development (R&D) positions. This particular position exists in every biomedical or biotechnology company such as Medtronic, Glaukos, and Johnson and Johnson et al. His goal, however, was to work for Edward’s Life Sciences. Edward’s focuses on innovations for structural heart disease, which is his passion as he suffered from heart failure as a child. The company's vision aligns with his passion, professional, and emotional goals as an engineer. These are all points he made in his cover letter and his interviews, helping him demonstrate his alignment with the role and secure the job.
It is also important to bear in mind that the type of cover letter you write matters. The type of letter coexists with the elements of the cover letter. That being said, the type of cover letter you choose to attach to the application can impact the perspective you portray to the team. There are four general categories of cover letters that you can choose to write.
Application Cover Letter
Referral Cover Letter
Letter of Interest
Value Proposition Letter
Below is a description of each type of cover letter and when they are most useful. Please ensure you use the appropriate cover letter depending on the job you are applying for and what cover letter you were asked to include.
An application cover letter is the most common type of cover letter candidates use when applying for a job. The traditional style of an application cover letter includes details about your professional experience as they pertain to the requirements of the job post. The goal is to show what experiences you have and how you will use them in the next job.
A referral cover letter can be very useful for applying for a job if you have someone’s name who is currently an employee of the company. For example, if you have a colleague or classmate who already works in a particular lab, in a clinic, or shadows a specific doctor, mentioning their name and stating they are someone who referred you to the open position is a point of contact that can be your way into the company. Having this connection with a referral can help distinguish you during the hiring process.
Moreover, it makes you stand out because hiring managers sometimes feel more comfortable if they hire someone they know as opposed to someone they have no connection with. If you do write a referral cover letter, don’t forget to send a copy of your referral cover letter and resume to the person who referred you. This step helps keep the current employee updated on your application process.
A letter of interest is a cover letter meant as an inquiry. In this type of cover letter, you are taking the initiative to learn more about roles at the company where you wish to work. When writing this cover letter, bear in mind that a company or lab may not have public postings, but rather are interested in searching for qualified candidates for future positions they know they will need. This type of cover letter can be very helpful because it decreases the number of individuals applying to a single application cycle, thus increasing your chances of being known.
Additionally, this type of cover letter can be an advantage in your job search because it lets the hiring manager know you have an interest in working with them. Further, it can attract attention to your resume while demonstrating your work ethic, and most admirably, your perseverance. A letter of interest demonstrates how driven you are and your targeted interest in that specific company. trying every possible outlet.
If you decide to send a letter of interest, and a few weeks after sending the letter you do not hear anything back, try contacting the hiring or lab manager. You can make contacts via LinkedIn, university department portals, professors, phone calls, or email and follow up on the inquiry you sent. When you do contact the company to follow-up, make sure you keep the interaction short and professional while still showing your enthusiasm for working for the company. This idea of “short, simple, and sweet” will help them remember you when the time is right.
A value proposition letter is similar to a value proposition statement. It is a summary that explains what makes you unique. Your unique value can be found in your skillset, accomplishments, and the value you will bring to the company. The goal of this cover letter is to set yourself apart by leveraging what skills you have that might be hard to find in other applicants. When writing this type of short cover letter, you will usually add it as a resume summary statement. Your value proposition can also be used to help you answer the prompt "Tell me about yourself."
The final tip is to make sure your cover letter is sincere. A hiring manager has read many cover letters, and they know when it's meaningful and thoughtful. Make sure you understand the power of your writing and the tone of your writing during the process. With a solid strategy, a well-crafted cover letter can help you get an interview vs a resume alone.
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