The Healthcare Sector Team - How we will support you

The Healthcare Sector Team at Imperial College Business School Careers is here to help you navigate this complex industry and support you through your job searching process from goals definition to offer negotiation. My name is Andreia and I am the Careers Consultant leading on the careers provision for this sector together with Toby, the Employer Relations Manager responsible for liaising with employers in the healthcare space.

We believe this is a great moment to enter the industry and we are here to support you by bringing together our career development expertise, strong employer connections and opportunities to get involved in ground-breaking work being developed across Imperial College.

Is this the right sector for you?

Our experience tells us that students seeking our support during the summer or at the beginning of the academic year are in one of these three situations:

• You are passionate about the healthcare industry and joining business school after completing a scientific degree or developing a clinical focused career. You are now asking yourself how to shift into the management and commercial side of the industry.
• You have studied business or analytics and identified a passion for the healthcare sector along the way. You are now asking yourself how to expand your understanding of the industry and how to best position yourself.
• You are exploring the healthcare industry as one of the industries to develop a career in your area of speciality, such as marketing or finance. You are now asking yourself how to stand out in these recruitment processes.

If these are the kind of questions you’ve got on your mind, I’d be very happy to explore your individual situation and discuss some immediate actions for you to take in a Career Welcome Meeting. The team is also putting together an online module giving you lots of information on key employers you should be targeting, how to tailor your CV and Cover Letter to this sector and how to start preparing to succeed in interviews and assessment centres. Stay tuned!

How do we support you?

As a Careers Consultant, I’ll support you as you define your career goals, research the industry, expand your network, tailor your applications and prepare for interviews. You will be able to book 121 career appointments with me and you will also see me delivering workshops and small group sessions. All of our sessions are regularly updated to reflect the changes in the industry and developed in collaboration with industry experts and alumni.

On the Employer Relations side, Toby puts together a programme of events that provide insights into the industry and lead into fantastic networking opportunities. There are different types of events (careers fair, recruitment presentations, panels, etc) and generally speaking you will see some of the larger recruiters in the Autumn Term, events to help you develop your commercial awareness in the Spring Term and a focus on smaller recruiters and direct entry roles in the Summer Term.

We would also like to encourage you to consider taking an active role in our student-led clubs, leverage the connections across Imperial College and get involved in the Imperial MedTech Society or the Enterprise Lab if you are keen to explore innovation and entrepreneurship. But don’t stop there, London is a fantastic hub for innovation in the healthcare space and Imperial College London plays a leading role in this space in initiatives like the MedTech SuperConnector.

What to focus on during the summer?

As you prepare to start your programme at Imperial College Business School I would like to encourage you to:

1. Complete the Careers Primer and assess your individual situation and identify your gaps. Continue developing your commercial awareness and building your professional network in a tailored way to address those areas of development and get ready to hit the ground running when September comes.
2. Research and create your list of target employers early on, making sure you make a note on their application deadlines. It might be that your preferred companies or roles are not available until later in the academic year but you don’t want to regret missing an early deadline or overlooking a graduate or development programme. These opportunities don’t come around very often!
3. Create a strong CV and spend time tailoring your applications. Use VMOCK and the knowledge acquired from the online modules, your research and discussions with your network.
4. Start preparing for the upcoming selection processes. Interviewing skills are key but you will most likely also need to work on aspects that are not easy to grasp overnight like online tests if applying to large employers and case interviews if considering consulting

Finally, I really encourage you to take the time during the summer to reflect on what you want to achieve not only after but also during your year at Imperial. It’s a very competitive space and getting involved in extracurricular activities, hold leadership positions on campus or gain experience in the industry can make a huge difference to your development and how your career unfolds.

Andreia Ferreira
Head of FTMBA Careers Programme and Health Sector Lead Career Consultant