Common Mistakes in Hiring: What Pharma Companies Need to Know About Pharmaceutical Recruitment Agencies
Hiring competent personnel is of utmost importance in the subsidiary. Most industries evolve over time and new innovations are developed within that industry. Most importantly, there are laws and regulations that govern the activities of an industry that also require a new workforce. In most instances, however, it has been observed that certain hiring practices of pharmaceutical companies are problematic and costly. One of the obvious challenges for practice enhancement is understanding the reasons for these mistakes and knowing how to address them.
1. Neglecting Industry-Specific Expertise
Hiring the right people is challenging for any organization, but when it comes to hiring in the pharmaceutical industry, this is one of the grave errors that pharma companies commit. The difference is that, in the pharmaceutical sector, one has to fully comprehend the concept of regulations, clinical trials, and how markets work. It may be difficult for such people to fit into a non-technical aspect of work for example adjusting to the company’s work ethics instead of working within secured structures causing delays or even violations.
In order to overcome this challenge, it would be wise to seek the assistance of pharmaceutical recruitment agencies. Such agencies are well connected and understand how the industry works enabling them to find people with the desired skills and the required experience. They help companies to look for candidates who are not only suitable from an engineering perspective but also are appropriate for the pharmaceutical culture.
2. Focusing Solely on Technical Skills
Technical skills are undeniably important, however, they are not all that counts. Most organizations make the mistake of targeting potential hires only based on their available skills, especially the technical ones while ignoring such essential aspects as communication, teamwork, and their ability to adapt. In the pharmaceutical sector, which largely thrives on teamwork, being able to relate well with others can prove to be as useful as technical skills themselves.
Graduate hiring managers should strive to formulate fair graduate recruitment plans where both the hard and soft skills will be measured. This may require the use of behavioral techniques, coordinator measures, and even the use of simulation exercises. The role of pharma recruitment agencies is also important at this point because they usually possess equipment and methods for the assessment of both types of skills.
3. Underestimating Cultural Fit
Fit is considered an important hiring criterion by many organizations in the pharmaceutical industry, including those that do not believe it. A claim could be made that there is a well-prepared CV, but such a candidate would not progress in the Company if he/she does not correspond with the values and culture of the Company. This leads to a waste of resources in preparation for hiring a good candidate as well as problems with existing employees.
In order not to fall into this trap organizations need to articulate their culture and values in the advertisements and during the interviews. They may also assess whether a candidate would be a good team player with the help of the existing employees who will be involved in the hiring. Such recruitment strategies can also be used to explain how appropriate candidates improve the culture, by reinforcing the existing culture within the organization.
4. Rushing the Hiring Process
In the business of pharmaceuticals which is especially competitive, there are often temptations to ensure that all positions available are filled within the shortest time possible. However, there are problems associated with speeding up the recruiting process such as making the wrong hiring choices and identifying candidates who do not qualify for such positions. Such an error may be very expensive especially if management considers the cohesion of team members outside the work context. It can also lead to delays in the project and impact on creativity and the overall innovation of the organization.
Such a crisis or temptation for instance should be accompanied by the introduction of an appropriate hiring management service that is capable of creating a reasonable time frame for the completion of the evaluations and holding several interviews. In this regard, hiring pharmaceutical recruitment companies will assist in expediting this process. These agencies are able to handle administrative functions enabling the hiring manager to make the right decisions as opposed to making rushes and plugging in nurses or other professionals.
5. Failing to Leverage Data and Analytics
As the majority of pharmaceutical firms, use conventional methods of hiring without bringing in any data and analytics in their recruitment plan. In the absence of these trends, hiring organizations, candidate results, and staffing statistics, these organizations reach compromises in their recruitment policies that would otherwise be more effective.
Data and evidence-based approaches enable businesses to determine which recruitment channels are most effective in sourcing quality candidates, the reason behind their quitting the job and even improve the content of the advert to reach the right audience. Pharmaceutical recruiting companies can assist in this by providing the necessary research data to aid organizations in recruitment improvement processes.
6. Ignoring Employer Branding
In the world of employment, everyone competes for the best talent, and this is what we call employer branding. In contrast, most pharmaceutical firms do not convey their brand effectively, making them able to attract only a few of the sought-after candidates. A considerable employer’s worth represents an applicant’s associations, beliefs, values, behavior, and organizational ethos and can act as a pull factor in their application.
As a result, dedicating money to such employer brand-building tools as including employee stories, publicizing the award-winning status of the company, actively posting on recruitment–related social media, and so on will be constructive. E.g. — in many countries — a pharmaceutical recruitment agency will act as a consultant in the recruitment process and will help employers who wish to brand themselves effectively in the job market.
7. Neglecting Ongoing Training and Development
Lastly, an avoidable but serious error in hiring is the inability to focus on the employees’ long-term growth. In all truth, the pharmaceutical sector is one of the industries that progresses at a fast pace; and the alarming this is the fact that those companies that do not embrace continuous training and development are likely to be left behind. Failure to do this can cause a skills shortage and turnover when employees go out of the organization in search of growth.
For this reason, employers should always offer clear career growth opportunities during the hiring phase. In addition, continual training and development programs can be an advantage for candidates who seek growth and development. Pharmaceutical recruitment agencies can also evaluate active candidates with a current fit, but also those who can grow within the company in the years to come.
Conclusion
Recruitment in the pharmaceutical industry is not simple, as there are different aspects to consider with utmost care. To improve their recruitment strategies and attain the required talent for success, pharmaceutical organizations should also mitigate the common mistakes that include failure to appreciate the need for industry-specific knowledge, overemphasis on time taken to hire new people, and the like. Engaging the services of pharmaceutical recruitment agencies can facilitate access to useful information and tools that will enhance the recruitment process and improve the quality of the workforce. For pharmaceutical recruitment partner with Alliance Recruitment Agency which offers on-board and remote staffing services globally, Contact us now.