When it comes to life science recruiting and building your dream team, you want to make sure you have all the right players. As life science recruiters, we understand that recruiting the most qualified talent in the biotech and pharmaceutical spaces can have its wins just as much as its losses. We know how hard it can be to keep up with changing best practices in hiring and retention as this unique field is developing into a powerhouse industry. In helping you succeed at finding and hiring the best candidates, we couldn’t be happier to put together this guide to mastering your life science recruiting strategy. Continue reading to unlock our 5 secrets to successful hiring!

#1: Utilize Social Media Platforms

One of the newest and trending ways to recruit candidates is by utilizing social media. Taking a page from LinkedIn’s book, many users are on platforms like Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook, reaching out to groups and networking their way to new jobs. A big question to ask yourself before jumping in is, are the candidates I’m looking for on this platform? You can easily find out which social media platforms are worth your time by performing quick searches using keywords from your industry. Reaching out to potential candidates and building relationships with them is easy through social media. While this may not be the only tool you use in your life science recruiting strategy, it is one to consider for reaching a new pool of talent or passive candidates. By creating a company page on these platforms and building a community around your company or organization, you can tap into another source of unique and talented candidates looking for biotech jobs.

#2: Networking

Stay ahead of the curve through networking. Networking is one of the most important ways to find candidates in any industry, especially in STEM careers like biotech and pharmaceuticals. This can lead to candidate referrals, the #1 way candidates find their next opportunity. Some of the easiest ways to start your search are by reaching out to people you know. This can be friends, family, or professional acquaintances that you’ve worked with in the past. It can be nerve-racking to start a conversation, but networking is common practice, and most people are eager to help! Other places to network are business events and industry conferences where you can connect with other professionals. You never know who is looking for a job! Networking is a practice built on sustaining and nourishing professional relationships. Whether it’s offering advice, seeking help, or just having a conversation every now and then, networking can open doors to active job seekers and passive candidates alike.

#3: Targeting the Right Candidates

When searching for the right talent for the right opportunities, ensuring that the most qualified applicants see your organization and jobs in the life science industry is important. If a candidate is qualified for a role, they probably have others considering them for career opportunities. If you are posting openings on job boards like Indeed or LinkedIn, ensure that you optimize your job descriptions as much as possible. Most qualified candidates see this first, and this will be the first impression a candidate has of your company or organization. Also, you can leverage a company page to showcase employee achievements and your company culture. Before a candidate applies to a company, they often research companies’ LinkedIn, Glassdoor, or Indeed pages to see if they want to work there. Through optimizing and utilizing these platforms, you can attract and retain the attention of some of the best candidates in the biotech industry.

#4: Leveraging Employee Referrals

One of the best ways to find top talent is to leverage employee referrals. As they already know the scope of the work, company culture, and goals, your employees make excellent and trustworthy references. This is a great opportunity to find candidates, especially if an employee truly believes a candidate will be a good fit for the role. One way to encourage this is to reward referrals through an employee referral program. This can expand your options and reduce the time and money it takes to recruit. In the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, referrals are the lifeblood of seeking the best talent for great roles. Implementing this within your strategy can positively impact whoever you bring on board while appreciating your current team players.

#5: Attending Industry Events

Touched on earlier in networking, attending industry events, and making connections is its own art. Connecting with working professionals for the long term can secure candidates you know for further down the line. At these events, you can meet professionals and leaders in your industry. You can access a pool of potential candidates and build career-long relationships. When connecting with these candidates and leaders, remember to invest in these conversations over time or through platforms like LinkedIn to stay in touch. You never know if one of the people you meet at an event has someone in mind who can be your dream candidate.

Bonus! #6 Partner with a Life Science Recruiter

When creating a comprehensive recruiting strategy, we recommend you consider working with a life science recruiter. A recruiting team can be a major asset with deep networks and a constant flow of candidates from the industry. With years of experience recruiting, they can help take time and stress off your plate while bringing you the best candidates. Biotech recruiters can help with screening candidates for qualifications and completing reference checks so that you can focus on what’s important. Rather than scanning endless resumes, you can spend more time getting to know candidates and envisioning them as team members. When choosing to work with a life science recruiter, it’s important to select a recruiter that understands your company’s specific and unique needs. Working with biotech, pharmaceutical, or medical device recruiters saves you time and resources while still successfully finding high-quality candidates.

Mastering Your Life Science Recruiting Strategy

Why take chances on who you hire to represent your organization? When hiring is essential to build your best team from the ground up, implementing any of these 5 practices can help you master recruiting. Your recruiting strategy should be unique to your needs. Test what works best for your organization and choose methods that yield the best results. As challenging roles need placements, expand your search by partnering with a life science recruiter. At BioPhase Solutions, we will design a plan to target what your needs are within a reasonable timeline. We understand how important it is for clients to have key positions filled within a limited period. If you’re ready to start, contact us to discuss your recruiting needs. Until then, we hope you found this quick guide easy, informative, and practical for your life science recruiting strategy!