As Spring finally starts to show herself, we are glad to be reaching out to everyone and hope that this message finds you well. The past three months from a hiring perspective have been busier than most in recent memory. Overall, hiring trends are on the upswing. This increase has recently been noticed in Pharmaceutical, Vaccine, Biotechnology and BioFuel placements. Competition is increasing for well qualified candidates and the hiring companies that make market competitive offers in a timely fashion are securing the talent they desire, beating slower reacting companies to the punch.
The first trait of successful hiring we've noticed are the companies, regardless of their size, that are able to streamline the evaluation process. This is the ability to allocate time to efficiently sift through candidate profiles, identify those they'd like to speak with, and conduct phone or initial face-to-face interviews within the first 48-72hrs of receiving the candidate's credentials or CV. This also extends to the critical hours (again, generally 48-72hrs) after an on-site has been conducted. Here, too, organizations that can quickly regroup, assess, gain consensus and make decisions are winning the day.
The second trait in this increasingly competitive market is the ability to issue financially strong offers when possible. If a company is courting a well qualified, currently employed and actively recruited candidate, an enticing financial offer is important--right out of the gate. If there is relocation involved, it means doing whatever is possible to make the transition a smooth and easy one to the new location.
In that vein, we are finding that some of our candidates are seeing more opportunities available to them, and at times being confronted with decisions that may factor in waiting for multiple interviews and potentially, more than one offer. While we find that our sector of the economy is improving and conditions are getting relatively better, it is important for a candidate to do their homework while the interview/ offer process is happening so that a decision can be made in a professional and timely fashion. It's important for some candidates to understand that hiring organizations are complex groups comprised of many professionals at differing levels and what is equitable to the group may require some sacrifices or compromise from an incoming member. We must reiterate how important it is for individuals evaluating opportunities to be gathering and assessing data so that if there is an offer presented, there has been enough thought done in parallel to give an answer fairly quickly and that all areas (financial compensation, title/scope, relocation) have been considered. A rapid acceptance builds goodwill between a candidate and their future employer.
Our advice, in closing, is that there is rarely a moment to be lost when a strong candidate and career opportunity is found!!
