The life sciences industry is vast and incredibly niche, encompassing various disciplines and research areas. Recruiting for roles within the sector depends heavily on which stage a company’s products or services fall into within the development timeline. Below, we will be discussing the answer to the commonly asked question “What is life science recruitment?”.
The recruiting process for a biotech research associate who focuses on early-stage programs may look drastically different than that for a medical writer who prepares submission-ready documentation. The requirements for a Director of Clinical Development at a multinational pharmaceutical company, with 4 commercialized products on the market, are unlikely to be the same as a four-person start-up coming out of Series A.
An organization’s focus area often influences its recruitment strategy. The industry is not merely composed of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and diagnostics. Many businesses that serve and partner with these manufacturers fall under the life sciences umbrella, each with its own regulations. Imaging centers, lab equipment manufacturers, and stem cell banks are all examples of institutions that function adjacent to life sciences manufacturers.
Life science recruiters will also staff for the end users of the products, just as they do for those who manufacture and commercialize them. Just as medical device companies always need ambitious sales professionals for imaging equipment, hospitals are constantly on the lookout for experienced X-ray technicians and sonographers to operate them.
Regardless of which side they are staffing, life science recruiters must be diligent in their ability to marry the technical experience their clients need and employers who are a good career fit for their candidates.
Characteristics of Life Sciences Recruitment
The life sciences space is filled with life-changing research that can fuel medical breakthroughs. It’s also one of the most highly regulated industries for recruiters to navigate. In the United States, life sciences companies must meet the rigorous requirements set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the leading national health authority. Those with international operations must meet the standards of global health organizations as well.
In many cases, life sciences recruiters are tasked with sourcing candidates who not only have the scientific experience needed to complete their work but can also do it in compliance with the regulatory frameworks. Most candidates will be expected to have a strong foundational knowledge of these requirements so that they can strategically move through them to bring a product to market.
Experienced life sciences recruiters also know that the industry is milestone dependent. Companies will adjust their recruitment strategy and priorities to meet key milestones along the development lifecycle.
If a pharmaceutical company’s primary goal is to identify new drug molecules for disease treatments, it will likely seek bench scientists and program managers to increase productivity in its labs. Alternatively, if that same company needs a path to product adoption after successful trials, it will typically pivot its recruitment strategy to medical education and other marketing professionals. Recruiters need to determine how funds are to be allocated across immediate staffing needs as well as those that will enable the client to achieve the long-term vision.
The Benefits of Using a Recruitment Consultant
Life Sciences Recruitment Challenges
Recruiters specializing in the life sciences fields face a litany of challenges in today’s talent market. The demand for quality, niche talent has never been higher.
Many early-stage firms are working with limited investor funding, so recruiters speaking with candidates may need to highlight secondary benefits such as career development services and equity-sharing plans to attract top talent.
A life sciences recruitment cycle goes much further than basic resume review sessions, in many cases, recruiters are working to find candidates with niche technical expertise. Simple keyword searches on sites such as LinkedIn will rarely yield life sciences professionals with experience conducting specific types of experiments in the exact lab setting the client desires. To get a sense of a candidate’s leadership capabilities, experience with specific types of equipment and documentation systems, and the kinds of projects they have supported, an in-depth screening is typically required.
It’s common for prospective candidates to not have the experience with the responsibilities listed in a job description. This is increasingly prevalent in today’s market, which sees a multitude of early-stage firms launching innovative technologies that are unfamiliar to most of the talent market—not just recent graduates.
Candidates may, however, possess similar experiences that could easily translate to the expected workload for the position. A quality recruiter should be able to determine which skills and experiences are transferable for their client’s purposes.
How Recruiters Assess Life Sciences Candidates
Ideally, recruiters will find candidates with years of experience in their scientific field and a history of significant contributions to successful projects.
Beyond experience and achievements, life sciences recruiters will seek out candidates who are passionate about patient care. They will source individuals who understand the importance of the work being done and the impact it will have on people’s lives.
Strong candidates have a foundation of niche scientific and technical expertise, as well as the ability to adapt in an ever-evolving field. They are up to date on industry trends and can strategically utilize their organization’s resources to help bring products to market.
While technical skills are usually the most important, soft skills can be major differentiators in a life science recruitment cycle. Successful candidates are usually superb communicators who can clearly express their strategic visions to various levels of seniority and influence stakeholders, both inside and outside an organization. They should be comfortable navigating the bureaucracy of a larger company or the need to wear many hats in a smaller one.
Read More: Top Life Science Jobs & Salaries
Life Sciences Recruitment Tips for Clients and Candidates
When employers and hiring managers ask “What is life science recruitment?” they are normally inquiring about the benefits of contracting a dedicated recruitment agency such as Daley And Associates.
Strong life sciences recruiters understand how crucial employees are in getting a product to market and that their clients cannot afford to make bad hires. They will take the time to do a thorough assessment and understand what skill sets are needed for their stage in the development cycle. From there, they will work with their client’s job requirements, hiring budget, and compensation package to determine the candidate pool they will be wading into and understand their place in the talent market. If adjustments are needed to attract and retain top talent, the recruiter will make recommendations accordingly.
Recruiters will evaluate the firm’s internal search capabilities and determine the best recruitment strategy, whether it be spearheading the entire recruitment process from outreach to offer or supplementing internal teams by granting them access to passive candidate networks and other premium resources.
Recruiters can not only give employers time to focus on important projects by conducting outreach and screenings of potential candidates, but can also serve as an arm of employer branding, market research, and credibility to top talent. Ultimately, the main goal for the recruiter is to provide the client with the information and support to conclude a successful cycle.
When working with life science candidates, recruiters should use a similar formula to help aspiring professionals find the next chapter in their careers. By assessing a candidate’s passions and inquiring about their career goals, recruiters can identify networking opportunities and job openings that make sense holistically. This enables them to identify key opportunities to contribute to innovative projects and work alongside industry leaders with years of field experience.
About Daley And Associates
Whether you are an employer or a candidate, the Daley And Associates team can help optimize your search efforts within the life sciences space. Through our extensive network and deep connections, our team monitors all of the latest industry news and trends. Our recruiters keep tabs on which clinical trials are making headlines and which events are driving attrition. We know which companies are leading the innovative projects shaping the future, such as conducting gene therapy trials and developing AI surgical technologies.
Our partners have found value in our geographical insights. We’ve compiled data and crafted strategies for companies in under-supplied markets to help connect them with recent graduates and experienced talent from other areas of the country. Candidates can reap the benefits of our salary data insights and our reports on which skills are in high demand among firms that are actively hiring.
If you are still asking yourself any of the following questions:
- What is life science recruitment?
- Do life science recruitment services make sense for my organization?
- How can a life sciences recruiter help my career search efforts?
… then please reach out to connect with one of our team members and learn more about our life sciences services and how we can help connect you with the best candidates for your job opportunities.
