6 tips to Hire Life Science Employees in a Candidate-Driven Market.

I have been recruiting in the diagnostics, life science, and biotechnology industries for 21 years.  Never has finding candidates have been more challenging.  

Most of you don't need proof sources to back up my statement—you are experiencing the difficulties of candidate recruitment yourself.

But here are a few proof sources to confirm that you are not alone.

The future of life sciences companies will be an endless talent war with companies needing help to hire top-tier capable candidates.

According to a recent survey by Randstad Sourceright, 52% of life sciences human capital and C-suite leaders said talent scarcity has the most significant impact on their business. This is something the industry needs to address sooner rather than later.

"We're definitely seeing a slowdown in responses to roles that we're posting, roles that in previous years you would have had a real big pile of resumes," said a Senior Director of Manufacturing for a Biotechnology company.

So what can be done to find candidates?  Before I answer that question, let's talk about ineffective techniques and why they don't work in this market.  I will put them in order—the least effective to start the list.

1. Job postings don't work in a candidate-driven market, which is the primary supply and demand phenomenon.   There are more jobs than candidates, so candidates don't have to apply online. They have a job, and if they want another one, they will let someone reach out to them to entice them to consider another opportunity.
   Most internal recruiting departments rely on job postings. Since they are working many searches, they need more time to find passive candidates and pursue them.
   
   
2. LinkedIn Recruiter is a great tool to identify candidates. The only problem is getting passive candidates to engage in conversation.  Candidates are receiving numerous Inmails and don't have the time or desire to respond to all of them. The laborious solution is to call the candidates via their company telephone.  Not many internal or external recruiters spend the time to do this, but this is an excellent source of viable candidates.

Now for the list of effective recruitment techniques. I will warn you that the effective list is like all other worthwhile things—it is not easy.  Not many recruiters or companies will have the time or desire to find the best candidates. But this is necessary for your company's growth!

1. Employee referrals are and likely will always be a good way to find new talent.  And this method is not challenging to implement, Just ask your Employee if they know of anyone who meets your criteria.   
   
   
2. Be creative in who you hire. The days of finding an exact match for your position are ending.  Managers need to be more open-minded and hire based on potential rather than experience.  Here is an example.  Assume you need a customer service manager, and you have recruited and cannot find a suitable candidate.  Who else in your organization or from another company excels at taking care of customers? Some sales professionals or good at taking care of their customers, and they know the various departments in your company that need to respond to make customers happy.
   
   
3. Recruiting firms that are aggressive and don't post jobs for their primary strategy.  Good recruiters know how to get candidates on the phone and present your company.   If the recruiting firm has been in business for over ten years, it will have a network of candidates that it can call.  
   
   
4. If your company uses an internal recruit group, limit the number of searches to no more than 5.  By giving them fewer searches, they can pursue passive candidates aggressively.  There is another added benefit of giving them fewer searches—the quality of candidates improves, which also helps the hiring managers they support.   Many hiring managers complain that internal recruiters give them too many candidates that are not qualified and waste their time reviewing candidates that are not a fit.
   
   
5. Open up your specifications when hiring.  Most companies want to hire a candidate that is an exact match for the position they are filling.  Makes sense; who wouldn't want to hire a candidate that requires little to no training?   But in this market, companies need to rely on their managers to train new employees.   Companies that implement this strategy will not have to wait 3-6 months to hire a new employee.  When you hire on potential, you also increase your chances of hiring a future superstar instead of hiring an average or below average candidate from your competitor.  Another benefit is that these candidates tend to have a longer tenure; they are more appreciative.
   
   
6. Hire candidates that need a work visa.  Most small companies do not hire candidates that require a work visa due to the expense involved.  But what they don't realize some work visas are very inexpensive.   We created a detailed guide that will help you navigate work visas.  

Recruiting in the life science industry is undeniably challenging, but working with an experienced life science recruiter like Connexis Search Group can make a world of difference. With over two decades of expertise and a team of 24 recruiters located throughout the US, we offer both retained and contingency searches tailored to your specific needs.

About Connexis Search Group

Connexis Search Group is a permanent placement recruiting firm that places various (sales, marketing, scientists, operations, executive level) candidates in the life science and diagnostics testing industries.  We have been in business for over two decades and employ 24 recruiters located throughout the US.  Connexis Search Group offers retained and contingency searches.