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any telltale signs of layoffs in tiger?
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Not about Amazon but maybe someone has the answer I’m looking for :) At Meta if you interview for a contract role and get rejected does the 6 month cool off period still apply to you when apply to new jobs? Similarly, if you are employed by a staffing agency at Meta are you barred from interviewing for other roles there? Facebook (Meta)
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Yes, lots of additional levels of review, heavy science, high stakes if things are messed up ($$), crazy launch schedules (I’ve worked launches that are a week straight of 18 hour days). It’s a different beast. Can you be successful without? Yes absolutely. But there’s a lot of industry specific knowledge required to be “good” and manage an account independently. I’d rather work with a PM with 2 years pharma experience than an SPM with none.
Really helpful perspective of comparison. Thank you!
It’s very different. It takes a LONG time for non-pharma PMs to get up to speed, even if they are otherwise great PMs with lots of experience. I’m still learning constantly after two years.
Also, the work is dreadfully boring, but that’s another matter.
I worked in pharma for 3 years. Prior I had no pharma experience, but over 10 years in agency world. I countered their requirement of pharma experience by researching the different types of pharma advertising, what’s the process, etc. I was also open to learning and training. It all worked.
It’s not that your 10+ years are worthless. It’s that it’s different. Most of the comments here addressed it but there are not only more strict rules and regulations but differences in process and nuances that really do require experience. It can be boring work depending on what you work on but also exciting if you’re lucky enough to work on brands with clients who want to push the envelope with creative. It’s almost like a fun challenge to create under more strict guidelines. And launches, those are their own beasts. I have a theory that the FDA likes to mess with pharma companies by giving them approvals on Fridays at 4:55 PM knowing full well they’ll have to work the weekend to get their “now approved” and day 0 materials done.
Anyway, in interviews, I don’t just look for people who have pharma experience, I’m looking for those who have the drive and motivation to want to learn and get their hands dirty to get sh*t done. Process can be taught. Drive cannot.
Good luck! I hope all this helps!
If you love you life, dont come to Phrama Advertising.
- Its more like being a Scrum Master than a PM
- Hours are mostly crazy and the rest are insane
- You end up working 60-80hrs a week, effectively making your salary 50% of its supposed to be
- Lots of process to learn but once its done (took me less than 1yr) it very boring
Coach
Amen
Coach
Toxicity. I enjoy the WLB on the client side. Toxicity meaning long work hours. Pitches & it’s not because it’s Q4. It’s normal.
If you have 10+ years of agency experience and are a good Sr PM who has worked on complex projects you’d be fine moving into Pharma and are totally qualified. Yes, there are regulations and some different steps to take but the majority of it is the same workflow and responsibilities. If you’re curious, ask questions, and understand that it’s a regulated environment, it shouldn’t take you a long time to get up to speed. Where I do agree with people is that it’s not fun, sexy work – both the PM role and the content produced. Having worked on both pharma and non-pharm, if you don’t have a compelling reason to go pharma, I wouldn’t recommend it.