As the industry leader in translating RNA interference (RNAi) into innovative medicines for debilitating diseases, Alnylam employs over 1,400 people worldwide. The company boasts a robust pipeline of therapeutics for genetic, cardio-metabolic, infectious and CNS diseases with four registered products. With this kind of groundbreaking work, it comes as no surprise that they spend a lot of time looking for the right fit – and insist on the importance of the right mutual fit.
Bring Your Humanity to Alnylam
- Alnylam values people skills on the same level as scientific talent
- The culture at Alnylam is driven by urgency, innovation, excellence, discovery and an abiding commitment to people
- The interview process goes a step above to find the right fit
The COVID-19 pandemic has required companies to pivot to survive. So, it’s no surprise that a company with the official motto “challenge accepted” took this one on with stride. In 2019, Alnylam made BioSpace’s Ideal Employer list, a survey conducted biennium and analyzes 22 company attributes.
BioSpace spoke with Anna O’Driscoll, Vice President of Human Resources, and Christine Lindenboom, Senior Vice President of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications at Alnylam, as well as new high-level recruit Karine Julien, to find out more about why, and how to secure a coveted position within the organization.
What You Need to Know About Alnylam
As the industry leader in translating RNA interference (RNAi) into innovative medicines for debilitating diseases, Alnylam employs over 1,400 people worldwide. The company boasts a robust pipeline of therapeutics for genetic, cardio-metabolic, infectious and CNS diseases with four registered products. With this kind of groundbreaking work, it comes as no surprise that they spend a lot of time looking for the right fit – and insist on the importance of the right mutual fit.
“The things that really bind our company together are our core values,” O’Driscoll said. “So I would advise you to think about what drives you. If you are somebody who really thrives in that kind of an environment of urgency, excellence, innovation, discovery, and also a commitment to people – we like to have fun.”
O’Driscoll explained the true meaning behind Alnylam’s philosophy:
“Our primary ethos is ‘challenge accepted.’ It’s accepting the challenge of bringing a completely new class of medicine to the market. We’ve pioneered RNA interference and that’s a completely new way of delivering very needed therapies to patients who otherwise would have no hope. So we have that pioneering mindset in everything that we do. Not just in our science, but how we do things; how we recruit people, how we retain people, where we staff our folks, the collaborations that we do.”
Alnylam Has a Mandate For Patients
According to an analysis published by industry ranking and review leader, Vault, “Time is money in the drug industry, and deadlines are strongly emphasized. This can create a stressful work environment.”
That the company’s culture is intense is not something Alnylam denies. O’Driscoll points out, however, that is driven by the company’s commitment to the patient.
“It’s definitely a work hard culture,” she said. “We have a big mandate for patients, so look at our patient videos online. Is that motivating to you? Is that where you’re really going to get the fuel to accept the many challenges of working in this pioneering industry?”
Karine Julien, the company’s Global Head of GCP/GVP Quality Assurance who joined in May, knew that Alnylam was home during the interview round.
“Through the extensive interview process, I had the opportunity to meet authentic, passionate, colleagues who shared their dedication to the advancement of science, and the opportunity to provide patients suffering from rare diseases access to safe and effective medicines,” said Julien. “Their vision and their values corresponded to my own, and they provided me with first-hand visibility into the opportunities to continue to evolve a culture of quality across the organization.”
How to Grab Alnylam’s Attention
So, you just happen to be someone who thrives in an environment of urgency, and innovation and have a deep and abiding commitment to people – but there’s this global pandemic that has us all trapped inside. How do you go about getting on Alnylam’s radar?
“I would have said previously, come and have a cup of coffee with us in Kendall Square,” O’Driscoll mused.
And now?
“Register your interest online with us. We have got a career portal, a career page. Even if you don’t see a role right now that you’re interested in, register your interest. Send us your CV and say that you’re interested in having a virtual coffee chat with us,” she advised.
The biotech/biopharma industry is accustomed to long-term planning. It’s practically the ethos of the industry, and the same can be said for Alnylam’s recruitment philosophy.
“We like to be proactive. Oftentimes, we build our pipeline ahead of time, so we get to know people in the market. We might not have something right now, but in such a dynamic organization, things come up and we like to be able to have people in our folders and keep in touch with people. We’re in it for long-term relationships too,” O’Driscoll said.
O’Driscoll went on to say that Alnylam doesn’t limit itself to the usual suspects and that the company often considers applicants from outside of the biopharma space.
“If you think that the work Alnylan does and the culture that we have would motivate you and be a good fit for you, apply,” she said. “Don’t second guess yourself. We are definitely highly focused on going forward in particular on diversity in the broader sense of the word.”
Alnylam Rockstar Program
In 2015, Alnylam launched an internal referral system called the “Alnylam Rockstar Program.” This has become its top source for quality referrals.
“We tend to get really great referrals, especially from folks who recently joined. They recently joined [and] they have a great experience onboarding with us. We really get to know the whole person as part of our recruiting process, and we take their recommendations very seriously from day one. They’re also most recently networked outside,” O’Driscoll explained.
Knock the Interview Out of the Park!
Before you even consider applying to Alnylam, you need to make sure to research the company inside and out.
“Number one, I would say, do your research. We do a lot of press releases, we’re very open, we publish a lot. So look at our publications, look at our press releases,” O’Driscoll said.
She added that they place a significant emphasis on transparency.
“Number two, I would say, is bring your humanity. This is an organization with a lot of personality, and we want to get to know the person. Particularly on Zoom, don’t be afraid to be yourself and to show us who you are.”
Alnylam also wants to envision the way you would comport yourself as a member of the company.
“We spend a lot of time interviewing people. We supplement the standard interviews with a seminar, and we’ve continued that even during COVID when we’re doing all this remotely,” O’Driscoll said.
And this is no typical interview. Alnylam gives candidates a topic that they will then need to present on, complete with a Q&A period.
“You have to have a bit of a challenge-accepted mindset to do that, to present to a company on their own turf, on their own topic,” O’Driscoll continued. “I would say our seminars do tend to be technical in nature. However, what we’re testing for is, in a highly technical environment, do you bring your humanity? We get very specific on the technicality, but what does not change is those core values.”
Julien had this advice to give:
“Be true to yourself. Believe in yourself. Believe in the experience and expertise that you bring to the table and let your confidence and passion shine through. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the organization, the culture and the strategic opportunities that lie ahead.”
What is the Best Thing About Working At Alnylam?
In a recent employee survey asking 85 questions, Alnylam received a 97% response rate. This tells you a lot of what you need to know about the company’s employee engagement and investment.
Alnylam works hard at being transparent with its employees.
“It’s not a super-hierarchical organization. We get ideas from lots of different parts of the company. It’s very dynamic and we take employee feedback very seriously. It’s a very open culture, that’s one of our core values. We have a really good community,” O’Driscoll said.
The company conducts regular town hall meetings with the C-Suite where they celebrate new hires and have initiated an internal buddy system.
“We’ve really kept that. We’ve found that even more important in the virtual environment,” O’Driscoll added.
What to Expect from the Onboarding Process?
“I think it’s actually really important not only to get through the hiring process but once you get through the door. We’ve actually hired a number of people in the virtual environment who haven’t been to the office, whom we haven’t met in person. [We’re] really kind of ramping up our onboarding process so the people that do come in the door are as successful as possible,” Lindenboom said.
O’Driscoll wanted new or potential recruits to know that Alnylam won’t just abandon them after the initial onboarding phase.
“Starting last Fall, we really started to focus on strengthening or optimizing the path to productivity and to assimilation for new hires and understanding that orientation does not stop at all once we’ve given you your badge. So we’ve really opened the aperture on what it means to orient to the company,” she said, adding:
“We’ve actually gotten more engagement in a Zoom environment than we have in the past, which is really interesting, from our managers, holding those initial goal-setting conversations. What we’ve found is that if employees are really clear on what their goals initially are, they can get momentum and they can get a real sense for how the company works.”
