Alumnus credits alma mater for bagging first job in Bharat Serums and Vaccines

Alumnus of Apeejay Stya University (ASU) Lakshay Arora completed his graduation in Pharmaceutical Sciences and bagged a job opportunity with Bharat Serums and Vaccines during his campus placement. A lover of football, Lakshay says, “I got my first job in Bharat Serums and Vaccines Ltd. (BSV)

through the ASU placement cell.” Having learnt the key techniques on how to crack job interviews with ease, Lakshay’s next move was to grab a job with Syneos Health, a NASDAQ listed American multinational contract research organisation based in Morrisville, North Carolina.  In this interview, he explained how he prepared for the campus placement and more:

What was your journey at ASU like? Any learnings that are helping you in your professional life? 

It was  an amazing journey which I will never forget. ASU introduced me to one of the best faculty, who are so technically and professionally trained. They helped me to sharpen my technical skills and supported me every time I needed them. They also helped me when I was preparing for my first Interview as to how to present technical knowledge in front of an interviewer.  

One thing that I learned from ASU that is helping me today both professionally as well as personally is to never miss any opportunity. At times, some opportunities look too small, but the outcome leaves a big impact in your life. And that helps in boosting your career growth to the next level. 

What are your responsibilities in the current organisation? 

Currently, I am working with the Pharmacovigilance Department as a Safety and Pharmacovigilance coordinator. Heren we keep a watch on the side effects or adverse effects related to drugs that are in the market for human use. By doing so, we can optimise the benefits and risks related to a particular drug – so that we can protect the patient’s life.

What inspired you to pursue a course in Pharma? What do you like about this field and why? 

I pursued pharma because Chemistry is my favorite subject  and I also wanted to make my career in healthcare. When I started my college journey in 2017, pharma was approximately a $350 billion industry and this industry is expanding exponentially. I simply wanted to be a part of this growing industry.

One thing that I like the most about this field is there are so many further opportunities in which you can make your career. Like if you are interested in research, you can go for R&D .You can also opt for the regulatory field. Or  if you want to become part of clinical trials, you can go for clinical research and many more. 

How did you prepare yourself for campus placement? How did the campus placement cell at Apeejay support you to crack job interviews?    

For campus placement, the first thing that I have done is to keep in touch with the placement department everytime. Next to always learn and implement instructions that members of the placement cell suggested regarding how to create a robust CV, action points on building professional ethics, developing communication skills. I worked on all these things before my first interview.

Undoubtedly, ASU’s campus placement helped me in getting my first job. Their mentorship, professional knowledge and all the things that I mentioned above helped me a lot to crack campus interviews. 

What skills are required to be a part of the pharmaceutical industry? 

In the Pharmaceutical Industry, we need both technical as well as soft skills. But as per my experience, we need a little bit more technical skills because we work for patient care. Important soft skills one needs to focus on are communication skills, team management, and faster adaptation in new environments.

Do you think that the pandemic opened great career opportunities for freshers in the pharma industry?   

Obviously yes! I think the pandemic made people realise more than ever before that good health is a priority and the most important asset in one’s life. Also, after the pandemic, the pharma industry started working more on their in-house R&D, productions and because of the rising demand for more and more vaccines and medicines in the market, it further opened opportunities for freshers.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years? 

After five years, I want to see myself in the same industry, but at a senior level.