Few people enjoy job hunting, and most job candidates have a story or two about bad application or interview experiences. For this reason it’s important for recruiters to make a good impression on candidates, and ensure they have a positive experience being guided through the application process. These days, there are plenty of communication tools tailored to help you stay in touch with candidates without increasing your own workload.
Communication Strategies: Automate What You Can
Calendly is a simple tool that allows candidates to schedule screening calls with you. It gives the candidate a feeling of control and easy ability to reschedule, while reducing the time you spend arranging (and rearranging) screening calls via email or over the phone.
Providing a chatbot (such as Mya or FlashRecruit) that addresses basic jobseeker questions is another way to reduce clutter in your inbox, by allowing the candidate to receive pertinent information about your opportunities and the application process at their own convenience.
Small and steady check-ins
It’s likely your job candidate is working with multiple recruiters and balancing a lot of job applications – all at different stages. For this reason, regular touchpoints with your candidate are vital. Don’t leave them waiting on promised updates, or wondering where their application is in the pipeline: if it’s with the hiring manager, if the hiring team is scheduling interviews yet. A candidate will prioritize applications where the timeline/anticipated next steps are clear, because it helps them plan the remainder of their job search and anticipate when offers might be made.
To help reduce your email inbox clutter, use personalized email templates sparingly. Job candidates don’t want to be on the receiving end of constant cookie-cutter responses, but email templates can be helpful when you have a range to draw from. Tools like Gorgias and Followup.cc allow you to manage customized email templates and keep on top of follow-up messages.
Keep innovating
New software is constantly being launched or upgraded, and communication trends change quickly. Be sure to check your workflow and organizational tools are still meeting your needs. How many hours a day are you actually fielding questions from candidates, for instance? Don’t be afraid to try new processes and experiment with the levels of workflow automation.
At Sci.Bio, we specialize in finding top biotech talent and adapting to meet your recruiting needs. Schedule an appointment with us today to learn more.
Jobseekers and biotech hiring managers are in agreement: virtual interviews are here to stay. From the company perspective, virtual interviews are a cheaper and more efficient way of screening candidates than in-person interviews. They widen the available talent pool by making interviews accessible to remote/hybrid candidates further afield, and are quick to schedule. Job candidates also prefer virtual interviews because it gives them more control over interview scheduling, and causes less disruption to their day if they’re currently employed.
However, many hiring managers feel in-person interviews offer them a better view of the candidate, providing more helpful insights into the candidate’s suitability. To combat the drawbacks, here are a few best practices to ensure you hire the best candidates and get the most insights from the virtual hiring process.
Deliver all information to the candidate in advance
To minimize delays, email the log-in information to the candidate ahead of time. Provide an email or phone number for the candidate to use if they experience any last-minute technical issues. This reduces confusion and last-minute delays because the candidate needs to download unfamiliar meeting software, for instance. It also reduces the stress to candidates and interviewers alike, enabling everyone to begin the interview in a calm state of mind.
Plan your interview time and structure in advance
The hiring team should prepare a list of topics to cover in order, or questions to ask, with time allocated for each point on the list. Make sure everyone on the interview panel has access to the proposed interview structure/workflow ahead of time. This will ensure the interview flows smoothly, without running too long.
Give candidates enough time to answer your questions during the interview itself, accounting for connectivity lags or difficulty reading body cues.
Remember that candidate recruitment experience is an important factor in their decision making process, and perceived disorganization during the interview may present your company in an unfavorable light.
Give candidates a taste of company culture
One notable disadvantage of virtual interviews is that the candidate gets less insight into company culture and work environment than if they were invited on-site. A way to work around this issue is to arrange a less structured informational interview with existing employees, which will give the candidate an overview of the company from someone at their job level. Hiring managers can also offer videos or virtual tours of the company office or campus during the interview process. These extra steps can help job candidates visualize themselves working for your company, giving them a clearer idea of the benefits of joining your company and their suitability for the role.
Invest in software for online recruitment
Since virtual interviews will remain an important recruitment tool in the years to come, consider investing in dedicated recruitment software or upgrading your existing programs. For instance, analytics and AI tools can assess candidate suitability and sort through job applications. Chatbots on your company’s career homepage can address any basic questions jobseekers have and free up hiring team resources. Consider incorporating online aptitude or personality tests into the hiring software or portals to provide another level of insight into potential candidates.
Whether you’re hiring for remote, in-person or hybrid biotech roles, Sci.bio talent experts are here to help. Reach out and schedule a conversation with us today.
Your business’s brand reputation comes down to a simple scenario: What is the first thing that comes to mind when a candidate or client hears the name of your company? How you’re perceived has a huge impact on business, and maintaining a good reputation is key to attracting high quality talent, especially in the competitive biotech world. It’s a no-brainer — candidates want to work at and align themselves with a great workplace!
In addition to impacting recruiting, having a good reputation boosts employee morale and increases retention. But how do you build a positive reputation from the ground up if you’re starting a new company? Or perhaps you have been in business for a while but have neglected to intentionally build your brand reputation and don’t know how to tackle the task. Or uh-oh! Your reputation has taken a hit after you received a negative critique on a company review website. Here are some tools and strategies to consider as you build or revamp your brand reputation:
Create a positive candidate experience from start to finish.
Whether you have been in business for decades or are the new company on the block, your first priority should be to make every interaction with a candidate a positive one. Not only will candidates be more inclined to want to work for you, but their positive impression of your company will spread via word of mouth or online reviews.
This starts with the job listing: make sure it’s detailed and clear in explaining who you are as a company in addition to the duties and benefits of the position. Create a short and simple application, and communicate openly about the hiring process with candidates to ensure they know that you value them and their time. Keep them updated on timelines, create a seamless interview experience, and reject applicants gently. In these cases, or if a candidate receives but turns down an offer, a positive experience will still leave a good impression and they’ll pass along that sentiment to their networks.
Use your website, social media, and other marketing tools to tell your brand’s story.
If a candidate is unfamiliar with your company, they will likely head to Google and see what they can learn in a quick search. Your company website should be the first thing they click on, and it should tell your company’s story with clear and engaging copy and design. A testimonials page can add credibility and help people get to know how others have benefited from your company’s services and products. A blog or section with updates on company news can add credibility, keep interested parties in the loop, and boost your SEO ranking to get more eyes on your website. In biotech this is a great opportunity to publish content on industry topics and trends that intersect with your company’s work, from personalized medicine to artificial intelligence and beyond.
Social media is another tool to use to build up your company’s credibility. Share content that reflects your company’s values and work across your social channels, including company updates and any blog articles you do create for your website. LinkedIn is particularly powerful: it’s often where candidates come across and apply for open jobs in addition to reading and engaging with an employer’s content.
Address any negative reviews with levelheaded empathy.
In a perfect world, you’d never need to use this tip – but on the long road of building a brand, a negative impression inevitably will pop up. If you encounter a negative review of your company online, step back and read and think through the comment carefully. Avoid the overreaction that can come from reacting too quickly and evaluate how best to address the criticism in order to tamp down on the long-term effects. Respond in a friendly and apologetic manner that takes the reviewer’s perspective seriously.
Take feedback as an opportunity to grow.
You should listen to and consider all feedback, but if you notice many people leaving the same feedback or criticism that may be a sign to make a change. Are multiple candidates commenting they’re unhappy they had to come in for several in-person interviews, spend many unpaid hours on a test exercise, or wait weeks with no communication about the status of their application? These critiques present opportunities to re-tool your hiring process for the better. Building a robust and well-established brand reputation can take years, but is well worth it to attract great talent and keep your existing employees happy at your company.
Consider your hiring process. It can be both a blessing and a curse: your organization is growing quickly, and you are ready to bring on a lot of new talent. But those open roles need to be filled fast, and all at once!
When is high-volume hiring needed?
In some industries managers can expect to need high-volume hiring seasonally, like when companies bring on large numbers of temporary employees to meet increased holiday shopping demand (the National Retail Federation estimates U.S. retailers hire around half a million seasonal staffers each holiday season).
In biotech, seasonal needs can sometimes pop up, like towards the end of the academic year when new or soon-to-be graduates are on the job hunt. But more often high-volume hiring is required in biotech companies to meet growth needs. Start-ups can expand rapidly, and staff is needed to scale up accordingly. Or, if a large company moves into a new research focus, they may need to hire a lot of people quickly to get the new project up off the ground and running or to bring in a necessary specialized skill.
The end of 2022 is quickly approaching. As you look towards the new year and build out hiring plans for 2023, you will want to have a strategy in place if you are planning on filling a lot of new positions. Here, we’ve put together some steps you can take to energize and execute your high volume hiring process.
1. Design a candidate-first strategy that puts a premium on quality.
While high-volume hiring is in part focused on quantity, it’s important to design your hiring process and write position descriptions to attract quality employees. Early on in the process, work with your team to fully understand the spectrum of needs each position will require. Be exact and explicit when laying out expectations in job descriptions, and don’t forget to detail benefits and aspects of your company’s brand that will appeal to high-quality applicants. If it’s applicable to the role, consider implementing screening questions to a position’s online application to determine if candidates should move on to next steps in the process that require more work on your part.
2. Look to your previous contacts and candidates in the hiring process.
You probably have a list of candidates you’ve been in touch with in the past but put on hold and didn’t hire. These candidates are great options to first turn to when looking to hire fast – you already know them, they already know you, and chances are they’re still interested in working at your company. Now is the time to tap into any hiring pipelines you’ve cultivated. It’s also worth looking at internal candidates and considering if they can grow into new or needed roles if you haven’t already.
3. Use multiple platforms to get your jobs in front of more candidates and cast a wide net.
To hire a lot of workers, you need to get your job postings in front of a lot of eyeballs. In addition to looking to your already-existing pipeline, make use of all possible platforms including your website’s careers page, social media, and relevant online niche groups and job boards. Make sure search engine optimization, or SEO, is polished by including relevant keywords in your job posting.
4. Consider using technology to speed up the search.
When hiring in high quantities, modern technological tools can help reduce some of the burden. Artificial intelligence tools and automation software can help you manage outreach, communications, and real-time status of open positions, as well as analyze recruiting data and streamline review of resumes.
The takeaway on the hiring process:
As your company grows, adds new projects, or expands into a new research focus, you may need to hire a lot of employees quickly. Use these tips as a guide and remember that Sci.bio’s targeted biotech recruiting approach can help you fulfill your hiring needs. Feel free to get in touch with us today to learn more.
You’ve probably heard the terms “talent acquisition” and “talent management” before – and you’ve probably used them yourself. Though they might sound like the same thing, talent acquisition and talent management serve two different but essential purposes in hiring. Read on to learn more about what these strategies are and why they can both help you hire and retain great employees.
What is talent acquisition?
At its core, talent acquisition involves attracting and hiring skilled and qualified employees. This includes all the basic practicalities you must do in order to build a workforce, including creating and advertising job descriptions, reviewing applications, interviewing candidates, and making offers.
But talent acquisition also comprises more nuanced and proactive steps you take when looking for employees and building out a hiring pipeline. Some of these steps include sourcing hires from diverse backgrounds, keeping in touch with past candidates in case future opportunities arise, maintaining relationships with recruiting agencies and other talent sources, and building and communicating a strong brand that conveys your company’s values. Talent acquisition is not simply focused on filling vacant roles, but on acquiring quality candidates long-term.
What is talent management?
Talent management is the continued process of keeping employees within your company and facilitating their development and success. Some talent management steps include building hiring and succession plans, identifying and mentoring promising employees, rewarding and promoting them for achievements and growth, and providing employee training programs. Talent management also involves fostering employee engagement and feedback, as well as creating a supportive “inboarding” process when existing employees are promoted into new roles. In all, it’s a process that engages and rewards the employees you already have, to the overall benefit of the entire organization.
How they’re different, and how they rely on each other.
The difference between talent acquisition and talent comes down to purpose. Simply put, talent acquisition focuses on finding employees, while talent management focuses on keeping them.
But while they have different functions and involve different actionable steps, both talent acquisition and talent management rely on each other, with the success of one boosting the success of the other. An employer that promotes from within and rewards growth might become known for treating their employees well. That reputation, in turn, might encourage high quality applicants to positively respond if a recruiter reaches out about applying for a role with the company.
Why they both matter in hiring.
The above example illustrates why talent acquisition and talent management are important. Obviously, without a recruiter from the company reaching out to high-quality candidates there would be no applicant pool to hire from. But without the positive company profile generated in part by the opportunities for growth, those great candidates might be less apt to apply and accept an offer. Talent acquisition found the great candidate, and talent management provided them with a selling point.
Cultivating a strong talent acquisition presence also enables you to:
Save time and stress by anticipating and preparing for future and potential hiring needs, rather than simply filling vacancies as they arise.
Hone a vision of what kinds of candidates you want to attract to your company.
Identify employees with rare combinations of skills and experiences, for both immediate hiring needs and in case of future openings.
Hire people with potential to grow beyond their role.
Maintaining a focused talent management strategy allows you to:
Boost morale and make employees feel valued and appreciated.
Increase retention, boosting productivity and combating knowledge loss.
Foster innovation and ideas by giving employees opportunities to challenge and stretch themselves.
Help your employees reach their full potential and achieve professional fulfilment.
Proactively attract candidates who value opportunities to grow, thus benefiting your talent acquisition. Again, when done well these processes are cyclical!
Both talent acquisition and talent management matter in hiring. One helps you get in touch with excellent candidates, and the other helps you sell them on your company — and encourages them to stick around once they’re hired. If you’re eager to start attracting some great talent, Sci.bio’s recruitment services are here to help.
