Part 2: Learnings from The Brave Enough Conference for Women
The Brave Enough Conference is a conference for women physicians. Brave Enough was started by Dr. Sasha Shillcutt and its mission is to “teach women work-life control through courses and community”. I was a first-time attendee this year and I HAVE to share my learnings with you, my amazing audience. Now, before half of you stop reading because you aren’t a female, know that you will be missing out on valuable guidance that applies to every single one of us!
~~The Curse of Knowledge~~
Cy Wakeman was a keynote speaker at Brave Enough.
(Note to self – read everything from this woman you can get your hands on!)
She spoke about “The Curse of Knowledge”. This is when you know things SO well that you forget what it is like not to know.
Related to transitioning to a career in biopharma, I coach clients to remember this…
Importantly, “The Curse of Knowledge” 100% relates to remembering to EXPLAIN your transferrable skills as a physician to the Human Resources/Talent Acquisition team AND the hiring manager (and any interviewers for that matter).
As highly trained experts, physicians FORGET (OR REPRESS) what they actually know. As a doctor, you completed medical school, residency, perhaps fellowship and years of clinical practice. According to Statista.com, there are slightly more than 1 million physicians in the United States today. That is ~ 0.3% of all people in the United States.
Going into interviews for biopharma, physicians must recognize that they actually ARE unicorns. Don’t let “the curse of knowledge” lead you to forget this!
Now, I am in no way suggesting you come in with a big attitude about how great you are because you are a doctor!
AND
I am suggesting that you remind yourself of all you know, all you’ve accomplished and ALL you can contribute.
Ready to make a career transition to pharma/biotech… want to explore a way to use your medical training and knowledge in a fulfilling way without nights and weekends call or charting. Watch this webinar on Getting Past the Three Major Hurdles to a Career in the Pharma Industry HERE.