HR Exec Explains the Do's and Don'ts of a Job Hunt
October 29, 2015
By Angela Rose, BioSpace.com News
When it comes to the job search, most professionals figure the more enthusiastic they are the better their chances of landing a position. Biotech and pharma can be a demanding and fast-paced industry, and companies want to hire someone with impressive energy and genuine passion for the responsibilities of their job, right? This is true—within reason—but certain overenthusiastic actions can actually hinder your efforts. If you want to walk that fine line between appropriate eagerness and overboard excitement, you’ll need to consider these do's and don’ts.
Melissa Clark, clinical recruiter at Duke Clinical Research Institute—the world's largest academic research organization—recently shared her advice for job hunting with BioSpace.
1. Don’t disregard the job requirements.
Whether you’re searching for quality assurance associate jobs, research technician opportunities or senior scientists positions, you’re likely to find postings containing detailed descriptions of the duties and responsibilities you’ll encounter as well as the education, experience and skills required. Don’t disregard this information or you’ll be wasting your time—and that of the hiring manager—applying for jobs for which you are not qualified.
Clark told BioSpace, “The candidates who we get that are overly excited are usually the ones that don’t qualify for our roles. I would prefer people to read the job description and understand that they really do need to meet the basic requirements in order to be considered.”
2. Don’t behave like a stalker.
Social media—particularly professional platforms such as LinkedIn—are definitely useful when researching potential employers. Use them skillfully—along with a few basic Google searches—and you can uncover pertinent details about key professionals within companies of interest. This sort of information can help you get your resume into the right hands, build rapport with your interviewer, and even determine if Pharma XYZ is the right organization for you.
However, it’s best to keep your social media research discreet. While it’s appropriate to “connect” with recruiters on these sites during your job search, don’t ask department managers to add you to their networks until you’ve received an actual offer. And whatever you do, don’t mention the vacation posts (or anniversary photos, or child’s birthday pictures) you saw on Facebook or Instagram during your interview.
3. Do follow application instructions.
Department managers and HR professionals are all busy people. Filling available positions is only part of their jobs. For this reason, many biotech and pharma companies choose to use applicant tracking systems to streamline the hiring process—most of which require you to submit an application or resume online. Follow these instructions to the letter, even if you intend to follow up with someone within the organization later on. “I get people who apply online and do not get a response for an interview so they contact me directly,” says Clark. “I am okay with that as long as they are qualified applicants!”
4. Don’t be aggressive in your post-interview follow up.
You asked about next steps and the hiring manager said they’d be making their decision next week. Monday rolls around and you don’t hear anything so you send an email. You still don’t receive a response so you call and leave a voicemail on Tuesday. By Thursday, you’ve sent three emails and called twice. You’re seriously risking ruining your chances of employment.
If your contact said he or she would be getting back to you, you’ll have to trust that will happen in due time. Plans can change, and there may have been a turn of events that is now causing a delay. Repeatedly checking in makes you look aggressive and desperate, not appropriately enthusiastic.
5. Do know when to quit.
Finding a new job takes time, and it's unlikely that every application that you submit will lead to an interview and that interview will lead to an offer. Rejection is a natural part of the process and shouldn’t be taken personally. While it’s perfectly acceptable to ask HR or a hiring manager to keep your information on file in case a future opportunity opens up, it’s not okay to continue an aggressive pursuit. “Some candidates will try contacting different people many times over within HR after they have been told that they are not a fit,” says Clark. “This is a common occurrence.”
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