January 19, 2015
By Angela Rose for Biospace.com
The U.S. is full of professionals eager to fill your available biotech and pharma jobs. Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data revealed 9 million Americans are currently out of work and looking for employment. Another 7 million employees are working part-time but would prefer a full-time job. And according to a recent job seeker study, 71 percent of the total U.S. workforce is on the job market—from unemployed professionals actively seeking positions to those who are employed but interested in new opportunities.
Unfortunately, you may find attracting these candidates challenging—if you haven’t invested in a career website for your biopharma organization. Far too many employers—even among fast growing businesses—don’t have one. In fact, one recent review of Inc. 5000 companies, conducted by a major online job board, found 39 percent did not have a career website. Forty percent made it difficult to find any information regarding career opportunities online.
It’s safe to assume their recruitment efforts suffer as a result. A 2013 survey of candidate behavior, conducted by another online career resource, found that while 69 percent of job seekers search job boards for new opportunities, 83 percent also turn to company career sites. If you’re advertising senior scientist, incoming quality inspector, and process engineer positions on a job board like BioSpace, you’re reaching an impressive number of potential employees. However, it’s possible you’re not connecting with as many as you could if you added a career website to your arsenal as well.
Of course, the quality of that website is equally important. To make the most of your investment, avoid these common career site mistakes:
1. Don’t prevent candidates from applying online.
Job seekers are busy—currently employed or not—and become frustrated easily. If you expect them to search for an email address to which they can send a resume or, even worse, mail it to a physical address or submit their application materials in person, you’re going to lose potential candidates. Avoid this mistake by integrating application software with your career website. This may mean linking to your job board posting and its associated online application or including a resume
submission button on your biopharma company’s career page.
2. Don’t neglect mobile optimization.
According to the study mentioned earlier, 43 percent of job seekers have used a mobile device in their job search. Among Millennials, 37 percent expect you to have optimized your biotech or pharma career website for mobile use. Another survey found 40 percent of candidates would think less of your organization if you had failed to do so. Avoid this mistake by creating a mobile optimized site where potential candidates can review career opportunities at your company and submit their resume. It should look nice and be easy to read and navigate—important qualities in any website. However, it should also load quickly on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
3. Don’t focus on job descriptions alone.
Your biopharma career site should include more than a list of available positions, job descriptions, and an application button or form. If you really want to attract the best automation engineers, research associates, and clinical operations directors, you need to sell them on the things that make your organization special. This includes talking up the benefits you offer, your company culture and your organization’s mission. In fact, according to one recent survey, the top reasons job seekers apply for any particular position are benefits, company reputation, and advancement opportunities.
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