Life sciences employees starting a new role within this industry in the UAE are about to embark on an exciting career trajectory.
The UAE life sciences sector is booming, with contributions from within the country plus enormous international investment too. It’s a prosperous time for everyone in the industry, particularly those starting new roles – there is significant scope for career growth.
The best way to ensure you get your life sciences role off to the best start is to make the right impression. Today I want to share with you ten smart ways to impress your boss in your life sciences role and increase your career prospects.
1. Ask the Right Questions
New hires are quite often worried about asking lots of questions early on, but don’t shy away from this – it shows that you are interested in learning about your new employers’ systems and procedures.
But think carefully about the questions you are asking: do not ask bluntly about why systems and procedures are the way they are, ask each question from a place of curiosity and learning.
2. Get in a Win – Early
A great way to impress your new manager is to identify and help with a problem early on – it shows courage and determination to get involved soon after beginning in a new role. You do not have to solve a complex issue in the organisation, but offering smart suggestions can help build your profile. Be on the lookout for an early contribution you can make.
3. Ask Everyone’s Names (And Remember Them)
Learning the names of your colleagues early on allows you to communicate with them and the wider team effectively early on in your employment.
Managers are impressed with new hires who seem to integrate fast – they will wonder how the organisation managed without you.
4. Don’t Be the First One to Leave
What is the culture like in your new life sciences organisation? Passionate individuals will often end up staying later at work, and as a new employee with lots to take in it might be the case that you lose track of time – staying a little later at first is natural.
Being the first one to leave every day, especially if you’re halfway through a task, can give your manager a negative impression of your dedication to your role.
5. Be Adaptable
Being flexible is one of the most sought-after skills that employers are looking for. Clinical geneticists in Pakistan exhibited an excellent example of adaptability, which was published in The Journal of the Association of Genetic Technologists. Instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars on new imaging systems which other organisations were using, they created their own using a digital camera and Adobe photoshop – simple and effective.
Working in life sciences means looking out for discoveries and adapting systems to create breakthrough technologies.
6. Ask About the Vision
During your induction and training, you will likely be briefed about the current vision of the organisation – but you can go one step further to stand out to your new manager.
Aim to get to know exactly how far the company has come from its beginning and where it is going; expressing an interest in the overarching vision and mission is a great way to get noticed.
7. Do Your Homework
Aside from your assigned tasks, doing some research and learning at home or in your spare time can help you go far.
Doing research or ‘homework’ on current matters in the industry will give you a stronger position to solve problems and come up with new ideas in your organisation. The life sciences sector is highly competitive and having the edge over your competitors is a must for every growing company. As a new employee, showing awareness of the issues that matter right now to your organisation will prove your worth to your manager.
8. Learn About Everyone’s Roles
Learning about the roles of your indirect and wider colleagues is something that typically happens over time in any organisation.
You might be a product specialist and have little contact with the sales and marketing department – this is typical in many of the larger life sciences organisations in the UAE. But if you want to impress – you can speed up the process by actively getting to know more about the other roles within your organisation. Try to break away from spending all of your time at work with your direct colleagues; you can even ask if you can help in any way in a different department to yours, and state that you want to understand the organisation holistically.
9. Organise and Prioritise Your Workload Like a Pro
Now is the time to take your experience from your previous life sciences roles and bring your knowledge to your new position. Within the first few weeks, aim to get into a good routine of knowing what the essential parts of your role that need the most attention are. This can sometimes take a little longer when starting a new position, but if you are set on making it happen faster, it will demonstrate to your manager that you have a great handle on the job very early on.
10. Bring the Energy
Finally – remember to bring the energy in your new role. Energy stands out to life sciences managers as a beacon of who is a candidate for promotion; it’s a sign of drive.
Practising resilience is a great way to keep your energy levels up. In a new job, it can be easy to come across small hurdles, but being resilient means that you can come back from any minor knocks in your stride.
Finally
If you are looking for a new life sciences role in the UAE – we can help.
We’ve got a range of roles available for talented life sciences candidates, browse our current vacancies here or get in touch with us here to discuss your options.
Thanks,
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