TL;DR: About a year ago, I posted my thoughts after 1.5 years unemployed (previous post). I landed a government role unrelated to biotech. It might seem anticlimactic, but the role uses skills from my previous biotech roles. I'm sharing my experience in hopes at least one person finds it useful, moves on, and lands the role they've longed for.
Disclaimer: By no means is everything here correct. This is my opinion and my conclusions from my own observations. After rereading my last post, I presented some claims as fact when they were really conclusions from my experience. I won't lean on my old post, because I want this to reflect my current mindset. Questions about it can go in that thread.
Reflections on the last post
I was surprised by the traction. I was frustrated with the system and wanted to vent. I connected with some great people through that post. Thank you to those who reached out with guidance and support, and thank you all, even for the negative comments. That engagement is the unspoken need of the unemployed.
What changed
Mental state first. Since September 2025, I took a long mental break and traveled for about a month, then came back in October with a clear, stable mind. Your mental state needs to be positive, realistic, and relaxed. Don't doubt yourself. I'm not saying take long breaks, but don't burn out either. Rather than applying quickly and sporadically, treat it like a full-time job: take your lunch, take breaks, take weekends off.
The spreadsheet. Around March I had a revelation. I'd always heard about tracking applications in Excel and never did it because I thought it was unnecessary extra work. My opinion changed. The sheet became my home. Monday through Friday I went to my local college and got to work, and I was consistent for once. I became robotic and stopped overthinking specific jobs, because the truth is the application process doesn't make sense. The jobs I was confident about ghosted me, and the ones I wrote off called me back. It's unpredictable, so treat it like a chore, do it, and move on.
The pivot. I considered government positions at every level: federal, state, county, city. The main driver was job stability, for obvious reasons. I thought hard about my connections and applied at friends' and family's companies, not long shots, and in industries outside biotech where my skills were still competitive. Side note: during this gap I was also in the application process of becoming part of the FBI, but ultimately decided not to pursue it. It shows how open I was. Really think about your long-term career goals. At 30, now 31, I'm very sure about what I want professionally.
The offer. I applied around June or July, and my start date is early November. The federal process is very bureaucratic and long. Nonetheless, I'm excited to start. After talking to colleagues, I'm afraid that with the rise of AI, my speculation is the job market will stay like this and progressively get worse. The plan is to excel in this new role and eventually move toward science and healthcare agencies like the FDA, NIH, USPTO, or USDA. Instead of being on the private side, I'll be part of the government sector.
What I'd do if I were laid off tomorrow
**• Keep the layoff to myself.** It depends on your circle, but in my experience you become aware of who is envious or jealous of you. Your mindset is number one. The less emotion, the better. Put it aside and apply.
**• Build the Excel sheet on day one.** My strategy was almost dumb-proof, and I believed it was only a matter of time before I got hired. It's heavily dependent on your resume, experience, and education, so be realistic and as objective as possible. What helped me was putting myself in the HR/HM's shoes and asking whether I'd hire myself.
**• Make a target list and start early.** I started at 8 AM. When following up on a job, I noticed people were more responsive early. Also, note that it isn’t necessary to follow up to each role. Use your best judgement. The underlying theme is to be efficient and not waste time. I thought back to when I was working and always checked my email first thing in the morning, so I figured they do too. Scheduling an email to send at a specific time is a super useful function. I stopped using LinkedIn because everyone uses it and not every job posting appears there. I built a list of target companies and prioritized it by how deep/strong my connections were and likelihood of landing the role, starting with where my parents worked and close friends, then outward. I hyperlinked each careers page in the sheet with the right filters already set and sorted by most recent, so every morning I saw fresh postings and could apply the same day. I did everything in my power to increase visibility.
**• Be realistic about fit.** We know we can do the jobs, but what counts is how we look on paper. At this level everyone is capable and has a degree and some years of experience, so what sets you apart? I'd say it's your soft skills and charisma, to a point. Your resume shows your hard skills and the interview shows your soft skills.
**• Use timeline and qualifications as the filter.** If I didn't have the years of experience a posting listed, I didn't apply. Postings often describe the perfect candidate, so you can try your luck, but I was done wasting time. I only applied where the qualifications matched what I had on paper. There are exceptions, which is why I say take each job individually and don't use a checklist. Ask yourself if it objectively makes sense, and whether you can support everything your resume claims. On timing, if you stay consistent it won't matter much, but the longer a posting has been out, the worse your chances. My guess is it's an exponential decrease the longer the job has been posted, not a steady one.
**• Use AI.** I think it's still taboo to admit, because it's seen as cheating or unethical, but companies use it all the time and so do other applicants. If you feel it's wrong, understand that others don't, and you're competing against them. Learn how to prompt it. I told it my actual, specific experience so it knew my duties and skills, then gave it the job description and my resume. I broke the task into parts because it gets clunky when you ask for too much at once. I'd suggest paying for the subscription. I'd prompt "tailor these bullet points to this job posting," and eventually I had preset resumes for each job function across industries. Please don't blindly accept its suggestions. You're the final reviewer, and it's okay to disagree with it. Don't underestimate your judgment. The upfront work pays dividends. Same idea for cover letters. Each job is different. It's tedious, but the results speak for themselves.
What I think is underestimated about the application process
**• Fill out every section** of the application, even if it repeats your resume. Some HR folks are judgmental, and a complete application versus a blank one makes an impression. In my experience some companies screen those fields instead of your resume, and my speculation is that some systems score applicants and having something written there helps. Even "N/A" is better than blank. It's tedious, but the application process caters to the companies. We can cry about it all day or accept it and move on.
**• Think about how the process works.** How big is the company (startup, semi-established, big pharma)? That tells you how competitive the job is and how systemic HR will be, meaning whether a person is likely to read your application. With the rise of AI and automation, tailoring is nearly inevitable. ATS filters, HR picks a handful, and it goes to the hiring manager. If you reach the HM, your resume is ATS-compatible and HR saw a fit. That’s a key finding. Your resume works. I treat the HM as a brand new screening. Your resume has to be simple enough for HR to follow and detailed enough to show your skills to the HM. Get that balance right and you'll increase your chances.
**• Tailor it.** It isn't a one-size-fits-all resume. HR may wonder why you're applying outside your field. Use that to your advantage, and sometimes a cover letter doesn't hurt. However, don’t waste too much time on one job. The last thing you want is spending a lot of time on one application for you to be rejected in less than 10 seconds. Use your best judgement.
What I wish HR did
I wish HR were as transparent as we applicants are. It would be helpful if HR explained the actual process so us applicants don't get discouraged. When we get rejected, we naturally assume it’s us when it could very well be other reasons outside of our control. It almost feels like HR treats the application process as some sort of trade secret. Part of it is systemic, but I think the department actually plays a big role in it as well. Imagine suddenly having a huge list of potential candidates to pick from. You'd feel powerful too.
Final thoughts
People often blame us for not landing a position, or are skeptical of the unemployed. Ignore them. There may be some truth in it, but it's far from one-sided. I'm writing this because I would have wanted it. The people who comment negatively have likely never been through this. Those who have, understand. It's extremely tough, and you aren't alone. Just as there are skeptics, there are those who will see past your gap and not label and view you as such.
Back in grad school, the philosophy was "pay it forward." Those who succeeded more than likely had support at some point in their careers, and paying it forward was their way of showing thanks. The alumni from my school are so supportive, so in a way I'm holding myself to that. This is my paying it forward. Feel free to message me. I've only touched the surface and could honestly write a small novel about this.
