Many new grads and postdocs find out early in the job search
that there's a wall between academia and industry. It isn't
built of bricks or stone, but it is sturdy and performs its job
well.  This wall exists for many reasons. It exists because of
common--and incorrect--stereotypes held by many academic
scientists about the nature of scientific work in industry. And
in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, this hurdle also
exists because industrial human resources staff and hiring
managers have learned over time to be cautious. It costs a lot
to make a new hire; academic scientists who couldn't hack the
transition have burned these managers more than once.  As a
result, they prefer to hire scientists who have already proven
that they can work effectively in an industrial setting--hence,
all those ads that say "1-2 years of industry experience
required." But industry also needs new blood, and that means
hiring new grads and postdocs. So in candidates coming directly
from academia, HR staff and managers ha