Life Sciences Recruiter vs. Career Coach: Which One Do You Need for Your Next Career Move?

When you're thinking about your next career move in Pharma or Biotech, you may wonder: do I need a recruiter or a career coach to help me land that promotion or dream job?

While both recruiters and coaches are valuable, they offer very different services. 

Let’s break it down.

What Does a Life Sciences Recruiter Do?

Recruiters, especially those specialized in Life Sciences, are invaluable resources for opening doors and making key connections. They can:

• Offer feedback on your resume
• Share information about the job market
• Connect you with hiring managers
• Help secure interviews with target companies

However, recruiters primarily work for the company that hired them, not you. They’re looking for qualified candidates to fill specific roles, and they can’t help you if you aren’t ready to communicate your value confidently or if you’re unsure what you want. 

If you’re struggling with interviews or aren’t getting the job offers you expect, the problem likely lies in your positioning and your skills, and this is where a recruiter’s assistance may fall short.

Recruiters are transactional. Their goal is to place qualified candidates into roles, but they won’t help you figure out what you truly want in your career, navigate internal promotions, or develop the self-advocacy and communication skills needed to stand out.

That’s where a career coach comes in.

The Role of a Career Coach

As a certified Career Coach in Pharma and Biotech, my role is to help you before you approach recruiters, ensuring you know exactly what you want and have the skills to sell yourself as the best candidate. My unique process, the Career Protocol, guides you through clarifying your career path, developing your interviewing skills, and identifying hidden opportunities in your current role or externally.

All Career Coaches are different. Here’s what working with me involves:

• Clarity on Your Career Path: Whether you’re unsure of your next move or feel stuck, we define what you truly want, so you don’t make the wrong career choice.
• Building Your Skills and Confidence: We focus on developing self-advocacy and communication skills so that when you do an interview, you can confidently articulate your transferable skills and prove that you’re the no-brainer choice for the role.
• Unlocking Hidden Opportunities: Many of my clients come to me thinking there are no opportunities for advancement in their current roles, only to end up being promoted or having new roles created just for them, roles they wrote the job description for!

This is the difference between coaching and recruiting: while recruiters connect you to opportunities, coaching helps you create and achieve them.        

Why You May Need Both

It’s not always a question of “either/or”, recruiters and career coaches can complement each other beautifully. I often partner with recruiters who connect me with candidates needing more clarity and skill development. In turn, when my clients are ready and clear on what they want, I connect them with recruiters, giving them an edge in the hiring process.

By working with both a recruiter and a coach, you get the best of both worlds:

• A recruiter who can open doors for you and connect you with hiring managers.
• A coach who prepares you to walk through those doors confidently and secure the role that aligns with your career goals.

Coaching Leads to Long-Term Career Success

Coaching doesn’t just help you land your next job; it sets you up for long-term success. In coaching, you develop the ability to navigate any career obstacle, build effective work relationships (even with the people you don’t like), and maintain work-life balance without sacrificing your family or your values. You’ll no longer second-guess your decisions or stress over whether you’re on the right career path. Instead, you’ll advance on your terms, with the confidence that comes from knowing exactly who you are and what you want.

Want more support?

If you have questions about whether coaching is the right next step for you, send me a message on LinkedIn. Together, we’ll make sure your next career move is the right one.

You can also sign up for my upcoming private training: 3 Steps to Get Your Dream Job in Pharma/Biotech. Go to www.yourworthycareer.com/private to add your name and I will send it to you.

Melissa Lawrence is a former talent leader in Pharma and the Founder of Your Worthy Career. She is a Career and Leadership Coach that helps women in Pharma/Biotech identify their next best role, get a new job or promotion, and be a stand out leader. To learn more about working with Melissa, check out her website and connect with her on LinkedIn.