Jun-17-11 Career Expo Draws 500 Professionals Looking for Work in the Biotechnology & Pharma Industries
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 -News Release- |
The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD) teamed with the BioNJ Talent Network to host the free “Career Expo” held at the Student Center on the campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
“We are so pleased with the turnout,” said Commissioner Harold J. Wirths of the Department of Labor. “This career expo underscores how the Christie Administration is strategically linking job- seekers to employers.”
Today’s career expo specifically targeted and pre-registered hundreds of professionals from the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. More than 100 additional professionals walked into the event. Thirty-five (35) employers and exhibitors had an opportunity to showcase their available career opportunities.
The result was a standing-room-only crowd at the opening seminar, where Department of Labor and BioNJ leaders spoke and Human Resources experts offered tips on how to prepare resumes, interview with corporations, and find a job in the bio-tech, life sciences, and pharmaceutical industries.
“New Jersey is committed to protecting our skilled workforce,” said Richard Constable, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Labor. “That is why New Jersey funded and continues to forge an important relationship with BioNJ to create an industry-wide talent network for the bio-tech, life-sciences, and pharma industry.”
At the height of the recession, at least 2,200 pharmaceutical industry professionals lost their jobs due to big corporations closing, merging, relocating and significantly downsizing. The immensity and timing of the job losses made it difficult for the affected workers to quickly reattach to the workforce. But there is hope for them with a renewed growth in smaller biotechnology, life sciences and pared-down pharmaceutical firms, and today’s event was designed to link employers with those highly-skilled professionals still looking for work.
Many attendees where offered job interviews on the spot.
“I learned things here today that I never knew were important in looking for a job, and today a bio-technology company told me I was a perfect fit for a position they have open. This was an excellent experience. I’m expecting a call from the company on Monday,” said Joseph Dorando of Lyndhurst, N.J., a former pharmaceutical employee who has been working in consulting since his pharmaceutical employer downsized.
Among those hosting booths at the expo were Dendreon, Genzyme, Intrasphere Technologies, Johnson & Johnson, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Laureate Biopharmaceutical Services, PTC Therapeutics, the American Chemical Society, Ascensilogix, Ashton Tweed, Delta Pharma, Infinity Resources, Joule Technical Staffing, Mancino Burfield Edgerton, NJ Greenhouse, Update Legal, and Your Encore.
Richard Constable, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Labor, takes a moment to chat with Cassandra Lajeskie, associate account manager for the life-science consulting firm "Your Encore." More than 500 job-seekers attended the “Career Expo” which targeted and pre-registered professionals from the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. “Your Encore was among the 35 vendors showcasing career opportunities. The event, sponsored by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and the BioNJ Talent Network, was held on the Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick.
