Attracting Life Sciences Talent
The first step of the hiring process is ensuring potential candidates are genuinely interested in your organization. While this may seem obvious, it’s easy to underestimate the options available to candidates and overestimate the availability of right-fit talent. With the talent scarcity in life sciences showing no signs of easing, competitive organizations need to stand out as an employer of choice. Here are ten of our top recommendations.
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Field-tested insights and best practices for navigating the talent journey, from attraction to retention
Refrain from "post and coast"-ing
If you list it, they will come—right? In many cases, not exactly, especially when it comes to top candidates. That’s why the right approach to building interest in your openings includes a well-planned strategy for attracting active candidates, which should influence everything from your employer brand to how you craft job descriptions, as well as a plan to identify and connect with passive candidates.
Create talent maps
One of the best ways to identify passive talent, especially when searching for candidates with specialized expertise, is with talent maps. When developed well, these maps help determine the candidate pool for a given position and make it easier to plan out your efforts and recognize when your requirements are too broad or too narrow.
Enhance LinkedIn job postings with visuals
LinkedIn job postings that include visuals tend to attract more attention than text-only listings. Not only that, but incorporating graphics is also a powerful way to capture interest, make a deeper connection with potential candidates, and showcase your brand.
Know the role like the back of your hand
Attracting the right talent, especially when you’re filling an executive-level role, requires a deep understanding of the position you are hiring for and the context of the role. Understand how it fits within the organization, what the opportunity is in the market, who is likely to be the right kind of candidate—all of it. This makes all the difference when you have live conversations with candidates.
Highlight the sizzle, not the steak
Drumming up interest in a role is not about explaining responsibilities, explaining the company’s history, or even the nitty-gritty of compensation packages. It starts with figuring out what will truly excite candidates about the opportunity and leaning in. It could be the opportunity for growth, the unique nature of the role, or your company’s mission. Speaking of…
Whether you're an early-
stage startup
or a large, established organization, make sure
your mission is front-and-center
in your candidate elevator pitch.
Champion your mission
When we speak with candidates who are interested in making the leap from established companies to early-stage companies, one of the themes we pick up on time and time again is meaningfulness. As we progress in our careers, many realize that doing purposeful work is more important than the compensation. So, whether you’re an early-stage startup or a large, established organization, make sure your mission is front-and-center in your candidate elevator pitch.
Embrace flexibility
The nature of work has dramatically changed in the past few years—and competitive organizations must show they are adapting to workers’ evolved (and still evolving) expectations. WFH or hybrid arrangements may not be practical for all roles, but there are other ways you can demonstrate your willingness to be flexible, such as allowing workers to have a hand in designing their workdays.
Promote "learn as you grow" opportunities
One of the other reasons people enjoy joining startups, beyond greater purpose, is that they get the opportunity to do a lot of different things. Leaning into this opportunity at early-stage companies can be a great way to attract candidates interested in making a change. But larger organizations should also find ways of incorporating opportunities to learn and grow within roles and make sure they’re talking about it in candidate communications.
Be strategic with total rewards
Employee compensation is the most substantial source of cash burn for most organizations, especially those in early stages. Offering market-competitive and fiscally responsible compensation packages—including additive or multiplicative models based on both corporate and individual metrics as well as front-loaded vesting schedules—can move the needle provided you clearly explain them to candidates.
Show, don't tell, when highlighting culture
One of the first and most important questions a potential candidate will have when researching a role is “What is it actually like to work for this company?” To answer it, highlight genuine signs of a strong culture, such as team event pictures on LinkedIn or your website. Make sure you’re documenting meaningful team interactions and some of the moments that make your organization unique and secure.
