Attract the best candidates with Biospace Job Postings. Post a Job in minutes and find top life science candidates.
April 21, 2014
Follow these five tips to ensure you capture the right candidate's attention.
By Angela Rose for BioSpace.com
The U.S. is home to 10.5 million unemployed Americans according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of professionals looking for work has changed little since the close of 2013, and many may believe employers in every industry are benefiting from this all-you-can-eat buffet of potential workers. Unfortunately, an abundance of job seekers does not mean securing the best candidates is a sure thing.
Quality engineers, research analysts, and scientists at the top of their fields always have options and may be particularly choosy about the jobs for which they apply. Whatever position you’re recruiting for, consider the following ways to attract the best candidates to your biotech or pharmaceutical company.
1. Rely on simple job descriptions.
The role of a computational biologist may be extremely complex, but it’s still essential to explain it in simple terms when posting the position online. Avoid industry jargon, acronyms, abbreviations, and internal terminology that will mean little to a professional outside your organization and only serve to obscure the details busy candidates are looking for—such as job title, basic duties, education and experience requirements, schedule, and location.
2. Make the application process easy.
While bad things—like layoffs—can happen to any biopharma professional, some of the best candidates are still employed and exploring other options in their spare time. For example, if you want to encourage clinical trial managers and SAS programmers to consider your company, make the application process easy. This means allowing them to submit a resume in whatever manner is most convenient for them—from email to snail mail—and carefully evaluating the front end of any online application system you use.
3. Talk about salary.
If you want to secure the best candidates—from immunologists to lead data managers—you’re not going to have the luxury of keeping salary off the negotiating table. In fact, talking about a pay range upfront—either in the job posting itself or at least in the first interview—may be essential to hold their interest. Refusing to discuss such an important consideration is one of the quickest ways to turn off the strongest professionals.
4. Work on your reputation.
Your biopharma company’s reputation—with both past and current employees—has a great deal of influence over your ability to attract the best job candidates for positions from entry level to c-suite executive. When you create a culture that provides workers with professional development opportunities, recognition programs, and a pleasant and supportive environment, you may no longer have to advertise available positions. Not only will employees eagerly refer others, but the best talent will also come to you on their own.
5. Advertise strategically.
What’s one of the easiest ways to improve your chances of attracting the best biopharma job seekers? Post your open biotechnology and pharmaceutical positions where the top professionals in the industry go: niche job boards like BioSpace.com. As the leading online community for life science professionals, BioSpace provides job seekers with daily biotech news and career resources while connecting employers with active and passive candidates through job postings and an extensive resume database.
About the Author
Angela Rose researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends, and workplace issues for BioSpace.com.
Attract the best candidates with Biospace Job Postings. Post a Job in minutes and find top life science candidates.
Related Biotech Employer/Recruitment Articles
* Hiring In The Age Of Digital Resumes: 3 Principles To Follow
* 5 Keys to Capturing Top Talent
* Employment Offers Candidates Can’t Refuse
April 21, 2014
Follow these five tips to ensure you capture the right candidate's attention.
By Angela Rose for BioSpace.com
The U.S. is home to 10.5 million unemployed Americans according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of professionals looking for work has changed little since the close of 2013, and many may believe employers in every industry are benefiting from this all-you-can-eat buffet of potential workers. Unfortunately, an abundance of job seekers does not mean securing the best candidates is a sure thing.
Quality engineers, research analysts, and scientists at the top of their fields always have options and may be particularly choosy about the jobs for which they apply. Whatever position you’re recruiting for, consider the following ways to attract the best candidates to your biotech or pharmaceutical company.
1. Rely on simple job descriptions.
The role of a computational biologist may be extremely complex, but it’s still essential to explain it in simple terms when posting the position online. Avoid industry jargon, acronyms, abbreviations, and internal terminology that will mean little to a professional outside your organization and only serve to obscure the details busy candidates are looking for—such as job title, basic duties, education and experience requirements, schedule, and location.
2. Make the application process easy.
While bad things—like layoffs—can happen to any biopharma professional, some of the best candidates are still employed and exploring other options in their spare time. For example, if you want to encourage clinical trial managers and SAS programmers to consider your company, make the application process easy. This means allowing them to submit a resume in whatever manner is most convenient for them—from email to snail mail—and carefully evaluating the front end of any online application system you use.
3. Talk about salary.
If you want to secure the best candidates—from immunologists to lead data managers—you’re not going to have the luxury of keeping salary off the negotiating table. In fact, talking about a pay range upfront—either in the job posting itself or at least in the first interview—may be essential to hold their interest. Refusing to discuss such an important consideration is one of the quickest ways to turn off the strongest professionals.
4. Work on your reputation.
Your biopharma company’s reputation—with both past and current employees—has a great deal of influence over your ability to attract the best job candidates for positions from entry level to c-suite executive. When you create a culture that provides workers with professional development opportunities, recognition programs, and a pleasant and supportive environment, you may no longer have to advertise available positions. Not only will employees eagerly refer others, but the best talent will also come to you on their own.
5. Advertise strategically.
What’s one of the easiest ways to improve your chances of attracting the best biopharma job seekers? Post your open biotechnology and pharmaceutical positions where the top professionals in the industry go: niche job boards like BioSpace.com. As the leading online community for life science professionals, BioSpace provides job seekers with daily biotech news and career resources while connecting employers with active and passive candidates through job postings and an extensive resume database.
About the Author
Angela Rose researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends, and workplace issues for BioSpace.com.
Attract the best candidates with Biospace Job Postings. Post a Job in minutes and find top life science candidates.
Related Biotech Employer/Recruitment Articles
* Hiring In The Age Of Digital Resumes: 3 Principles To Follow
* 5 Keys to Capturing Top Talent
* Employment Offers Candidates Can’t Refuse