Recruitment - Articles

‘You really need some more experience’. Perhaps the most ubiquitous phrase in modern day recruitment, thousands of graduates are now at the mercy of this one requirement as increasing competition in the job market leads to rising standards. Perhaps twenty, or even ten years ago, an undergraduate degree and a forceful sense of charisma might well have been enough to net you your first role in an industry.
‘You really need some more experience’. Perhaps the most ubiquitous phrase in modern day recruitment, thousands of graduates are now at the mercy of this one requirement as increasing competition in the job market leads to rising standards. Perhaps twenty, or even ten years ago, an undergraduate degree and a forceful sense of charisma might well have been enough to net you your first role…

Keynes called it an ‘inducement to invest’. In this instance, the most recent financial crisis has called for many of the same approaches used in the 1930s to stimulate the economy and bring industries back to their feet. Today more than ever, we realize that education is one of the most decisive facets of any successful stimulus.
A Call to Arms: Keynes called it an ‘inducement to invest’. In this instance, the most recent financial crisis has called for many of the same approaches used in the 1930s to stimulate the economy and bring industries back to their feet. Today more than ever, we realize that education is one of the most decisive facets of any successful stimulus. That’s why, alongside a whole host of other policies and schemes, the Economic Challenge Investment Fund (ECIF) manag…

At what point does a conflict of interests occur? Last year – and for many years before that – U.S. drugs companies paid out tens of millions of dollars in payments and gifts to physicians and academics. Earlier this year, the Pharmaceutical and Research Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) released a revised, and somewhat toughened, code of practice.
Some Background: At what point does a conflict of interests occur? Last year – and for many years before that – U.S. drugs companies paid out tens of millions of dollars in payments and gifts to physicians and academics. Earlier this year, the Pharmaceutical and Research Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) released a revised, and somewhat toughened, code of practice. Their attempts to target the flow of payments and gifts to doctors has resulted…

We're having a fascinating day at the Financial Times Global Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology conference on London.
One of the most interesting commentaries today came from Jean-Luc Bélingard, CEO of Ipsen. Jean-Luc stated that in his view, for the pharmaceutical segment, ‘Demand is infinite’ – with no therapeutic cure for the mahority of diseases. Take diabetes for example – we can treat it, to a large extent, but we can’t cure it. This makes the pharma and interesting market, and this, with all of the other changes and challenges in the segment, does pose challenges for the survival and growth of individual pharmaceutical corporates. Paul Hartigan, CEO of PharmiWeb Solutions, asked Jean-Luc if he was confident therefore in the future for the industry. (Mr Bélingard started his career at…

Weekly Swine Flu Update for the Week Ending November 1st.
The past few weeks have been something of a medical paradox. Yes, the number of cases is increasing, but it is doing so somewhat more steadily than first anticipated. The full brunt of the highly anticipated ‘second wave’ is more likely to come towards the end of December and into the heat of the winter season. Conversely, while there hasn’t been a terrible spike in the number of cases, more people are being hospitalized with the virus. Hospitals too are beginning to feel the strain. Speaking on BBC 1’s the Andrew Marr Show, the UK’s Chief Medical Officer, Sir. Liam Donaldson said "What we are seeing is that while most people generally get a mild illness, a small proportion of people are getting very serious illnesses”. And while…

A difficult economic climate breeds desperation. This is perhaps one of the most plausible explanations for the apparent behaviour of several unethical recruiters in the marketplace.
 As one of the largest Pharmaceutical job boards in Europe, we know a thing or two about healthcare recruitment as we handle literally hundreds of vacancies a month. Typically, the ethics of the trade work wonderfully. Companies and recruiters upload their jobs to PharmiWeb.com and instantly reach a target audience that no one recruiter could achieve on their own. Our ‘CV Database’ facility grants candidates the opportunity to record their vital stats in our database; we can then send them information on the most relevant vacancies on a daily and weekly basis. Unfortunately, such a system is also open to…

Whatever happened to the days of donning your best suit and tie and going out and looking for a job? Knocking on doors and meeting prospective employers, dazzling them with your wit, intelligence and enthusiasm. Unfortunately that is not possible in today’s society.
 I am looking for a position in clinical research, and if I casually stopped by to drop off my C.V. at a CRO or pharmaceutical company, which I have tried, I will receive strange looks or simple statements like, “ I am sorry but you must apply or submit your C.V on our web page”. I am resigned to the fact that I cannot simply meet the appropriate people and convince them that I am the right person for the job; I must go do it on the Internet. This is most frustrating so I needed to find a jobsite that was user friendly. A…

In the eyes of many graduates, the economic recession has brought a new-found negativity to the job market. Thankfully, the climate is probably less dire than the situation sometimes imagined.
In the eyes of many graduates, the economic recession has brought a new-found negativity to the job market. Indeed, over the past 12 months, articles talking down the prospects of new graduates have become ubiquitous in the media. Where these kinds of stories haven’t dominated the front pages, they have been replaced by the news of failed businesses and banks, rising unemployment figures and an array of reactive monetary policy adjustments that some thought would never come. If you’d listened to the heads of central banks in the years before the crisis - notably Alan Greenspan and then Ben Bernanke at…

Weekly Swine Flu Update for the Week Ending September 4th.
Week 36 of the Swine Flu outbreak has witnessed a substantial amendment to the government’s fatality predictions, with the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) reporting markedly lowered predictions of H1N1 related deaths. Specifically, the government’s experts now anticipate approximately 19,000 deaths in the worst case scenario – a significant fall from the previous figure of 65,000 fatalities that was given in July. Both figures function under the assumption that 30% of the population would be infected should the virus surge during the autumn and winter months. While the number of new cases continues to fall – with around 4,500 new cases reported for last week, compared to 5,000 cases for the week before and a z…

Max Golby, Freelance Journalist, takes a look at the history of the e-Detailing market, considers what the e-Detail of the future might look like and asks what marketing departments can learn from an academic analysis of the instrument.
The History of e-Detailing: Call it what you will - e-Detailing, e-Marketing or e-Business - now almost a decade on from the days of the dot-com predictions - and a time when the temerity that surrounded the birth of the medium was in full-flow - the e-Detail has proven itself as one of the most cost-effective, growth intensive strategies available to healthcare professionals. For many physicians, the e-Detail quickly asserted itself as a more informative - and cost effective - alternative to the sales representative. Far more than just another email in t…

Weekly Swine Flu Update for the Week Ending July 26.
As the world continues to come to terms with the first global flu pandemic since the Hong Kong Flu of 1968, and as the outbreak continues to gain further traction over the autumn and winter months to come, this series of weekly ‘Swine Flu Update’ articles will attempt to provide both informed editorial analysis and key national – and supranational – updates. With the Healthcare Protection Agency (HPA) estimating that there were around 110,000 new cases of Swine Flu in the UK for the week ending July 26th, the virus is doubtless continuing to gain considerable momentum. GP consultation rates continued to grow above those of a typical seasonal flu outbreak and the under 5s and 5-14 year olds continued to be age groups most predominately…

The field of Medical Communications offers a whole host of opportunities for new science graduates - both in medical publishing and pharma.
Whilst typically broken down into several relatively distinct areas – such as Scientific Publishing and Medical Writing – broadly speaking, Medical Communications is the profession of communicating often complex scientific data and reports in a clear, straightforward and accessible manner. To a pharmaceutical company, this can mean the creation and continued editing of everything from research protocols, to clinical trial reports and product-specific marketing documentation for sales representatives. In contrast, work for a communications agency is likely to be less product specific – granting you the chance to work on a wider range of projects. Thus,…

Ahead of the NHS Confederation Conference last month, David Nicholson, Chief Executive of NHS pulled no punches with his assessment of NHS finances.
Ahead of the NHS Confederation Conference last month, David Nicholson, Chief Executive of NHS pulled no punches with his assessment of NHS finances. He stated that the NHS would need to find £15-20 billion over the next three years; and that ‘all bets were off’ as to where that money might come from. Well respected NHS senior managers like Mike Farrar, Chief Executive at North West Strategic Health Authority are singing a similarly radical tune. Describing the financial crisis about to beset the whole service, Dr Farrar predicted that the NHS would need to embrace and invest in new technology much faster and think radically differently about h…

Getting a job in Clinical research or Regulatory Affairs can be tough at the best of times. Have you ever wondered how some people seem to know everybody and they are always the first to know what is happening in the industry and what roles are available?
These are the best "Networkers". I would like to share with you some of the secrets that these great Networkers use to build up their contacts to develop their own business and to increase their potential when looking for a new job in the Pharmaceutical marketplace.Being well connected to your network gives you the edge in nearly every work situation. Whether you are searching for a new job, tendering for business or just facilitating good working relationships. In the current economic climate a good network also puts you in a strong posi…

Unless it paints the right picture you’re letting the side down!In a depressed job market, an employer is likely to receive 50+ CVs per job advertised from 5 or more Preferred Agencies and many more from agencies who ‘piggy back’ in. So now, more than ever, your CV needs to stand out and be tailored to the role and client and submitted by an agency with valid access.
The more senior you are, the more the “one CV fits all” becomes dangerous when the market is tight because if that CV is submitted and rejected you may be excluded from valid jobs there with other agencies for some months to come as a result.After 15 years examining what works and what doesn’t in terms of securing interviews for thousands of candidates, we know a thing or two about how to present a candidate in the best light…

The recent outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) infection, previously referred to as swine flu, has thrown the spotlight on governments around the world and their ability to manage a pandemic. In the UAE, customers are currently finding it difficult to source antivirals but, with Dubai seen as a hub for international travel, the government has stockpiles ready for distribution should an outbreak occur.
To date, there have been 1,124 cases of the infection in 21 countries. Unlike both SARS and bird flu, sustained human-to-human transmission of the disease has occurred. However, the strain appears to be more in line with seasonal flu, having a significantly lower mortality rate than both SARS and bird flu. Transmission of the virus between human beings occurs when an infected individual coughs and…

There has been no shortage of conversation lately about current problems facing the Pharmaceutical industry...
There has been no shortage of conversation lately about current problems facing the Pharmaceutical industry. Communication is vital to work through the current economic crisis and unite in this unreliable climate. Time management is a constant battle for executives who are now turning to online networking sites to liaise effectively and efficiently with their peers. Communities such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are a fantastic resource to all, socially - But what are the true business benefits? MeettheBoss has found the need to create a business platform purely for these executives. “Social networking sites are great to catch-up with old friends, share photographs, music and l…

The inspiration for this article came to me when watching an interview with Mr N R Narayanmurthy, Chief Mentor at Infosys. I was particularly taken by his control and poise; clearly, someone with years of training and experience in being interviewed can be completely at ease in such a stressful situation, but it made me think about how we can all improve our own techniques and create that vital positive first impression.
“… interviewing skills have been rapidly and continuingly changing…” Being interviewed can be a nightmare at times and having been in the industry for 11 years, I recall how interviewing skills have been rapidly and continuingly changing over that period. Having been both a candidate and an interviewer on many occasions, as I am sure many of us are, I would like this articl…

Where the pharmaceutical industry is often said to be immune to economic depression, the current economic crisis cannot be considered a direct historical equal to the recessions of the past.
Thus, where the current crisis finds its roots primarily in the banking industry, almost no-one and no industry is completely sheltered. Innovation in healthcare is therefore paying at least a small cost for what is now the most serious economic crisis since October 1929 and the depression of the 1930s that followedYet whilst some of the grandest headlines of all tell of fallen bankers and experienced professionals back in the market for new work, there is another demographic which is being increasingly affected by the uncertainty of the current climate– new graduates.For where healthcare remains a div…

Public opinion has for long been regarded as essential to the success of a thriving business. In fact, whilst the benefits of popular perception can often appear somewhat intangible on the balance sheet, what is essentially the respect of the customer is the bastion of almost every profession
Healthcare is no exception. For where it may sometimes prove challenging to pin down the precise ways in which public opinion can make a direct impact on a company’s revenues, a positive brand identity can, amongst other things, greatly assist in attracting some of the brightest new minds in the industry. Indeed, a positive image is particularly profitable when it comes to something like recruitment and the establishment of something in the way of a social contract with the general public can also enco…