Are you working hard at a job search but making very little headway? Do you feel as though you’re stuck in one place, struggling to advance your career further? Although it’s not easy to admit, it’s possible that your progress towards these goals is being hindered by the very people you call your friends.
While we like to consider our friends advocates and allies in everything we do, it’s important to consider whether those you choose to surround yourself with truly have your best interests at heart. Whether because of jealousy, insecurity, or because they are simply not a true friend, there are some for whom your successes might be unpleasant, who may relish in your failure as it comforts them about their own shortcomings.
This concept is often called ‘Schadenfreude’, a German term combining the words “harm” and “joy”, and refers to the delight one might feel in another’s misfortune. The phenomenon is a natural human instinct, and even the most well-meaning of us experience it, sometimes in response to the news of the failure of a friend. This is often subconscious, a feeling that arises involuntarily, especially when one is feeling insecure or struggling through a difficult patch, when it can be comforting to feel as if someone else is struggling as well. The important distinction, however, is whether one feeds this kind of thought, or strives to root for a friends’ successes with what they can control.
Even generally benevolent friends, though, can occasionally drag you down through no conscious effort of their own. Humans are inherently social creatures, and are acutely aware of hierarchy and social status, which influences our perspective and our decisions even when we are not aware of it. Though many of us like to think we do not make snap judgments about people until we get to know them, people tend to judge, at least initially, by what we can easily perceive: for example, by one’s social clique. You should of course, surround yourself and associate with those you enjoy being with, who enrich your life beyond your work, but it’s important to balance personal and professional benefits carefully if you are trying to advance in your career.
Most of us have had the unfortunate experience of discovering someone is not who we had initially thought them to be. When choosing the people with which you spend your time, don’t leave anything to chance. By taking the time to properly assess friends and colleagues, you can strive to minimize any detrimental impact.
Identifying those who might not truly enrich your life, who might not have your best interest at heart, is not easy. Here are some signs to look out for:
They make promises but don’t come through. There is a reason it is so often said that “actions speak louder than words”.
Chronic complainers or naysayers. Those who often like to complain but without an attempt at a solution. At the very least, their negative thought patterns could drag you down with them.
They lack empathy. Simply put, if they don’t have the ability, or choose not, to show empathy in important situations, this is a signal to distance yourself.
Exaggerators, fibbers, or outright liars. Those who make a habit of stretching, or avoiding, the truth, are prominent in toxic work environments.
Self Aggrandizers. People who have the habit of inflating themselves may have the tendency to minimize others, you included.
Gossipers. If they’re constantly talking badly about other people to you, think about what they might be saying behind your back.
They always take, but never offer anything in return. A person who more often than not takes from you without giving is not a true friend, but someone who may simply be using you.
Chronically angry people. People prone to perpetual anger are dangerous, and have the potential to similarly affect your outlook on life over time.
They don’t take ownership or never seem to be at fault. If one is unable or unwilling to take responsibility for their actions, it’s impossible to talk through difficult moments with them. This tendency will eventually backfire on you.
The jealous. With a fake smile, relishing the opportunity to take you down, these can be the most damaging of the bunch.
Time to move on.
Do you recognize any of these traits in those you surround yourself with? In that case, perhaps not all of your friends truly have your best interest in mind, and it may be time to make some changes.
Of course, it can be extremely hard to let go of familiar faces, and those you’ve known for a long time. However, if your friends are holding you back, or bringing you down, in these ways, they aren’t true friends, they are eventual liabilities. Cut ties with those who don’t have your back.
At the very least, while you are at critical career junctures, you’ll want to limit your exposure to anyone who doesn’t have your best interest in mind. Surrounding yourself with positive people, especially those from which you can learn, is key – not only in successful career advancement, but in your overall happiness.
Here at Sci.bio, we work with a variety of candidates from new graduates to experienced executives, and have myriad open roles. We pride ourselves on connecting our highly discerning clients with candidates who fit their specific needs. Check out our job search page to see current openings and follow us on LinkedIn for more information.
Many people think getting hired, and career advancement in general, happen primarily based on merit. But is this always the case? The answer is complicated.
Too often, we’re told that our skills, grades, awards and accolades are what truly seal the deal. Of course, these achievements can help your chances of getting hired, or moving up in your career. However, the old adage, “it’s not what you know, but who” rings true – and nowhere is it more pronounced than in the employment world.
This principle doesn’t just apply to getting an entry-level job. Building strong relationships with powerful people can land you new opportunities, promotions, and general good favor in any professional environment, throughout your career.
So, what creates strong loyalty? There is no one answer to this question, but it’s in fact a mix of rapport, dedication, and the ability to tell a compelling story. Below, we’ll explore how these factors come into play to make loyalty a competitive factor in the hiring process.
Benefits of Building Loyalty over Merit
It comes down to this: when someone is loyal to you, they are inclined to support you above others – for reasons that may seem arbitrary to an onlooker. But loyalty is built on relationships, and relationships, particularly professional relationships, do not happen arbitrarily.
The formation of these long-lasting, loyalty-building relationships in the workplace boils down to the art of showing just the right amount of humanity. Of course, in a workplace setting, it’s important to keep it professional – but letting little bits of yourself be known can help to build a personal rapport.
Extensive research has also shown that networking like this can lead to more job opportunities, broader and deeper knowledge of your industry, more potential for innovation, faster career advancement, and an increase in status in the professional world. In short: the stronger and more loyal your relationships, the more likely they are to lead to these opportunities.
Inspiring Loyalty
When it comes to building a connection, the little things matter. Indeed, it’s not always the flashier, ultra-extroverted moments of interaction that count. Sometimes simply holding the door, making someone a coffee, or paying the occasional sincere compliment go a long way.
Equally important is to show dedication. Your colleagues and higher-ups want to see that you’re emotionally present within your role at the company – that you understand the company’s values, goals, and mission statement.
Most of all, it’s imperative that you tell your story. This is the most fundamental communication skill you’ll need in the workplace – even and especially as a life scientist. Though it may not always seem to be true, the people you work with want to know who you are. What’s more, if they don’t know what you want out of the job, they won’t be able to help you achieve your goals if opportunities to do so come their way.
Often, a person who feels loyal to you will have a reason – whether that’s an affectionate personal anecdote they remember, a feeling of admiration for your accomplishments, or a sentiment of shared struggle. Therefore, if there’s someone whose loyalty you hope to gain, the best way to start is to connect with them on a personal level – and build your professional relationship from there.
How do Loyalty and Merit Mix?
One of the best ways to inspire loyalty and good favor at work is simple: be good at your job. It’s not just a number-crunching affair, though; it’s also about how you make your supervisors feel. If you show them you’ve taken the time to really understand the ins and outs of your position, and are committed to delivering top-notch performance, they will know they don’t have to worry about the work you bring to the table, and feel warmer, and ultimately more loyal towards you.
Long Term Benefits of Loyalty
When a person, or company as an entity, is loyal to you, they’re invested not just in your performance but in the story behind it. As they watch your career unfold, they’ll likely want to assist you in advancing your career in any way they can. As such, loyalty can lead to benefits even years down the line.
The feeling that your company is loyal to you can also make you subjectively happier at work. While it’s nice to get a good performance review or numerical return on a project, it can be truly enrich your experience at work to feel valued on a one-to-one, personal level.
Bottom Line: Personality over Paper
A resume can get you in the door – sometimes – but ultimately, it’s the relationships and rapport you build that really seal the deal.
Here at Sci.bio, we work with a variety of candidates from new graduates to experienced executives, and have myriad open roles. We pride ourselves on connecting our highly discerning clients with candidates who fit their specific needs. Check out our job search page to see current openings and follow us on LinkedIn for more information.
It can be unexpectedly difficult to fill an open position. Naturally, you’re looking to hire someone with an excellent set of both hard and soft skills, experience, and the right mindset for the role – but how much time are you willing to devote to the process?
In an ideal world, you’d find the perfect hire immediately, and suffer next to no financial loss. In reality, the search process takes time – and money. Luckily, there are ways to quickly fill a vacancy without compromising on quality of talent.
Nuts and bolts: The cost of keeping a position open.
We all know that vacant positions rack up a hefty bill extremely fast. But what exactly is on the receipt? Here’s the breakdown:
The biggest factor, unsurprisingly, is lost productivity. When an important role is left unfilled, the corresponding work is completed more slowly and less expertly than it should – or in some cases, is not completed at all. Many companies with a vacant role will turn to a temp agency to bridge the gap – but naturally, an interim employee is unlikely to be as efficient as a fully trained team member. Other companies may opt to pay existing employees overtime to compensate, which hampers productivity for the same reason.
Depending on your strategy, job boards can rack up significant costs as well. Generally, the larger ones charge a few hundred per job posting – so with a few different sites on the go, you’re already out over $1000. If you post on specialized boards in addition, you’re looking at $2000 or more. Not a huge expense in the grand scheme of things – but to reap the full benefits of job sites, you’ll need a carefully crafted candidate selection process.
The indirect effects of a job vacancy can add yet another layer of expenses. Hard to measure and easy to overlook, these “soft costs” are still very real risks of leaving a job vacant for too long. These can include long-term harm to a company’s reputation and resulting growth, deflated morale of current employees, and negative impacts to customer experience. In the biotech world, where process-driven workflow is everything, the effect on overall productivity can be especially devastating.
The exact amount lost per day for a given open position is highly variable, of course – but it’s almost always in the hundreds. Given this financial toll, it’s natural to feel like you have to rush to fill an empty role. But get too hasty with the process, and you risk missing out on the right matches. In this situation, partnering with a recruiting service can streamline the process.
The best talent in the shortest time
To secure a hire you trust in a reasonable timeframe, you need to act quickly – and make sure you’re maximizing all the strategies at your disposal. To start, think LinkedIn, social media, and your own professional network. And never forget the power of word-of-mouth: existing employees have their own contacts that they can call upon to spread the word about the open position.
All of the above steps are made even smoother with the use of recruitment services. A recruiter can help you tap into hidden pockets of talent in your existing circle, while providing their own vast network of candidates. From there, they will come up with a custom-made, cream-of-the-crop shortlist for you to consider. When they help you fill a vital position quickly and effectively, the up-front costs of their services can pay off in spades.
Bottom line: it pays to act fast!
Keeping a position open is expensive – more so than many people realize. To cut back on costs, consider fast-tracking the process by bringing a recruiter on board your talent scouting ship. Whether you’re a small start-up trying to stay afloat or a larger company looking to maximize revenue, a recruiter can speed up the sourcing and hiring processes and land you with better-matched talent than you’d otherwise find.
If you’re looking to fill a role with a highly qualified candidate, Sci.bio’s recruitment services can help. We know that no two clients are the same, so we provide customized recruiting support that adapts to a given client’s structure and needs, and have placed successful candidates with a variety of companies. Please contact us to connect with a recruiter and discuss your needs, and follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date.
Despite being in a candidate’s market currently, it remains difficult for many companies to attract top candidates and successfully fill advertised roles. If your biotech firm is struggling to hire new talent, there are a few probable causes worth addressing.
Why You Have Trouble Attracting Candidates
The salary isn’t listed in the job posting or website. With rapid rises in the cost of living, candidates are demanding higher salaries to account for the change, and often want to know that this is the case before applying. Consider increasing your transparency with salary ranges for posted positions. However, if you are listing a salary range, ensure that you aren’t offering below-market rates.
An unclear job posting. Perhaps the job description is too generic, it’s not clear what experience level you’re hiring for, or the job responsibilities aren’t clearly spelled out. Wherever the confusion may lie, you will likely end up attracting the wrong candidates unless your posting is straightforward.
Bad company reviews or interview experiences are posted on Glassdoor. Candidates check review sites like Glassdoor to learn about company culture and to check for red flags before applying to jobs. Keep an eye on these sites for bad reviews that need addressing.
You don’t offer remote or flexible working. Even when candidates are willing to come into the office, they don’t want to feel as though attendance is mandatory, or give up flexible working practices they may have enjoyed during recent years. Consider offering a hybrid model, where employees can strike a balance between in-person and remote work.
The job application process requires more than one click. Candidates are often used to applying for jobs via LinkedIn Easy Apply – which requires no more than a pre-uploaded resume and hitting the ‘apply’ button. They certainly don’t want to copy information from their resume into a job application form, or click through multi-page application portals at the start of the process. Consider whether you need this much information about all the candidates during the screening stage, and whether there may be a more modern application software you could implement.
Your company website is confusing to navigate or outdated. Candidates looking for a job will often apply to five or more positions in a single session – if they can’t immediately find Careers information on your website, they may well stop looking and move on to the next company. Make navigating your website and subsequent application process streamlined and straightforward for candidates.
What happens when you can’t fill a job vacancy?
Most of the issues outlined above can be fixed, though some may take time and work to rectify. Other difficulties, such as company location or need for a technical expert with a specialized skill set, are harder to control. In both of these scenarios, consider short-term sourcing options to help your company meet its business needs.
If you’re looking to fill a role with a highly qualified candidate, Sci.bio’s recruitment services can help. We know that no two clients are the same, so we provide customized recruiting support that adapts to a given client’s structure and needs, and have placed successful candidates with a variety of companies. Please contact us to connect with a recruiter and discuss your needs, and follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date.
Let’s discuss job hopping. As a recent grad or job-seeker, you may have been spending some time charting out potential career paths. If that’s the case, you may have wondered: how long should you plan to stay at each of your positions?
On the one hand, you probably want to upskill in your field, experiment with what you like, and ascend as quickly as possible in your career. On the other hand, you may crave a sense of stability at work, long-term office friendships with coworkers, and a track record of loyalty to flex to your next employer.
As with many such quandaries, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. When it comes to semi-regularly switching employers, or declining to do so, everyone has their own style. A combo of personality, risk tolerance, and career goals will determine yours.
What is “job hopping” anyway?
Job hopping is the practice of moving from one job to another after a relatively short time – usually, less than two years. It wasn’t always the popular way to do things, but it’s increasingly normal in today’s fast-paced world. Whereas in the past, it wasn’t uncommon for employees to spend decades at the same position, today’s workforce is used to a far higher turnover rate.
If a chronic job hopper plays their cards right, employers will understand the value of their varied work history. In biotech specifically, job hopping is often seen as a net positive. It’s only natural that in such a multi-skilled industry, employees would want to hop around learning as much as they can. Smart employers understand that there are benefits to the practice, and will gladly consider hiring candidates who’ve jumped around a little more.
Shifting gears on the regular: what are the benefits?
Frequently changing up your employment situation may help to fast-track your career. For one thing, you’ll have the chance to learn new skills and to experience multiple different environments. As a frequent position-switcher, you’ll also have the chance to meet many more people – all of whom could help you out down the line.
You’ll also learn the rare skill of adaptability. Employees who have been in the same role for decades are likely to be more set in their ways – but the chronic job-hopper has learned how to quickly adjust to new settings. If you’ve made quick, smooth transitions in the past, employers will realize you’re likely to keep that pattern going.
And finally, a longer-than-average list of former employers can actually boost your profile as a potential hire. Naturally, employers love to know that the talent they hire is widely sought-after. Assuming you’ve been employed pretty consistently over the years, job hopping can highlight just how in demand you really are.
What are the risks?
Though they may have some doubts, many employers will still give job hoppers a shot at an interview. At that point they may ask for some details on previous stints, so some extra preparation may be in order on your end.
Then there’s the risk of giving up a good thing. If you regularly switch up your work situation, you may come to expect something better and better every time – but sometimes, a bird in the hand is a bird worth holding onto. If you score a position that checks 9 out of 10 boxes, consider staying there for longer, instead of defaulting to job-hunt mode at the first sign of imperfection.
If you’re considering job hopping as a career strategy, also consider the kinds of connections you’d like to make. If you’re frequently changing jobs, the size of your network will naturally increase – but on the other hand, its quality may suffer. So if you want to leave a lasting impression on your coworkers, you may have to make a little extra effort.
The takeaway on job hopping
So, should you plan to do some job hopping at some point in your career? If you’ve got stamina for the search, a knack for learning new skills on the regular, and/or an affinity for new environments, it just might be for you. Remember, you can always stop hopping when you feel like settling down a bit more.
Here at Sci.bio, we aim to help facilitate the best matches possible between talent and talent-seekers. We can help you find a position that will help to kickstart your career, and lead to exciting opportunities down the line. Check out our recruiting services for more information.
