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February 18, 2014
Biopharma hiring managers need to be sure not to miss this one step in differentiating who just "looks good on paper" and who they want to hire.
By Angela Rose for BioSpace.com
Hiring managers and recruiters beware: sometimes what you see is not what you get. You already know that principal scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and other potential employees who look good on paper may still have something to hide. For this reason, most of you conduct pre-employment screening, utilizing employment history and criminal background checks to identify hidden dangers and falsifications. However, there’s an additional factor you should consider: the quality of the publications listed within their CVs.
An article in The New York Times explored the world of pseudo-academia—conferences and journals that scientists can use to pad their resumes with speaking and publishing credits. Some of them even have names that are nearly identical to prestigious publications and their number has exploded in recent years. According to some, this is due to shifting business models in the industry. In the past, professional societies and organizations relied on subscription revenue to cover publication costs. Now ‘open access’ journals—published online and available for free—recoup their costs by charging authors. If quality is not a concern, anyone can pay to publish his or her own paper and add that credit to a CV.
Of course, some open access journals are quite reputable, particularly the peer-reviewed variety including those published by the Public Library of Science (PLoS). This makes the assessment of candidates increasingly difficult for universities and other biopharma employers who must determine whether publication credits listed by candidates are from high-quality journals or phony scientific publications. While it’s easy to outsource employment history and criminal background checks to a company specializing in those services, vetting publications may be something you have to do on your own.
Where you can begin
Scholarly Open Access is a good place to begin. It’s a website that provides critical analysis of open access publishing, maintaining a list of questionable open access journals and publishers. Don’t stop there if a publication on a candidate’s CV is not listed. Search for the publisher online and confirm that verifiable contact information is available and that the journal has a peer review process. Next, read some of the articles to assess their quality. You may also want to find out if the journal belongs to an industry association that is selective about its membership, such as the Directory of Open Access Journals or the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association.
Admittedly, vetting publications listed on candidates' CVs will add additional complexity to your hiring process. However, it should also further aid you in avoiding employees who look good on paper but fail to deliver in person—especially in a situation where you’re choosing between two potential hires and the deciding factor is the quantity and quality of publication credits.
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.
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* Top 3 Hiring Challenges in Biopharma
* 5 Factors That Motivate Passive Job Seekers to Apply
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February 18, 2014
Biopharma hiring managers need to be sure not to miss this one step in differentiating who just "looks good on paper" and who they want to hire.
By Angela Rose for BioSpace.com
Hiring managers and recruiters beware: sometimes what you see is not what you get. You already know that principal scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and other potential employees who look good on paper may still have something to hide. For this reason, most of you conduct pre-employment screening, utilizing employment history and criminal background checks to identify hidden dangers and falsifications. However, there’s an additional factor you should consider: the quality of the publications listed within their CVs.
An article in The New York Times explored the world of pseudo-academia—conferences and journals that scientists can use to pad their resumes with speaking and publishing credits. Some of them even have names that are nearly identical to prestigious publications and their number has exploded in recent years. According to some, this is due to shifting business models in the industry. In the past, professional societies and organizations relied on subscription revenue to cover publication costs. Now ‘open access’ journals—published online and available for free—recoup their costs by charging authors. If quality is not a concern, anyone can pay to publish his or her own paper and add that credit to a CV.
Of course, some open access journals are quite reputable, particularly the peer-reviewed variety including those published by the Public Library of Science (PLoS). This makes the assessment of candidates increasingly difficult for universities and other biopharma employers who must determine whether publication credits listed by candidates are from high-quality journals or phony scientific publications. While it’s easy to outsource employment history and criminal background checks to a company specializing in those services, vetting publications may be something you have to do on your own.
Where you can begin
Scholarly Open Access is a good place to begin. It’s a website that provides critical analysis of open access publishing, maintaining a list of questionable open access journals and publishers. Don’t stop there if a publication on a candidate’s CV is not listed. Search for the publisher online and confirm that verifiable contact information is available and that the journal has a peer review process. Next, read some of the articles to assess their quality. You may also want to find out if the journal belongs to an industry association that is selective about its membership, such as the Directory of Open Access Journals or the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association.
Admittedly, vetting publications listed on candidates' CVs will add additional complexity to your hiring process. However, it should also further aid you in avoiding employees who look good on paper but fail to deliver in person—especially in a situation where you’re choosing between two potential hires and the deciding factor is the quantity and quality of publication credits.
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 Articles
* Top 3 Hiring Challenges in Biopharma
* 5 Factors That Motivate Passive Job Seekers to Apply
* Why Employees Quit Their Jobs