How does working with a recruiter help you land your dream job in a pharma or biotech company? Or how does working with pharmaceutical recruiters and headhunters help you hire the best-fit candidate for your job opening?
Recently, I spoke with Scott Kabo, Client Partner for HEOR/Medical Affairs and Market Access at Klein Hersh, an Executive search firm that specializes in life sciences and the healthcare industry. I asked him many questions that I heard from friends/colleagues and from members in our Women in Pharma Careers Facebook group. We organize and summarize our discussion in this post. Most of the content here is about external or independent recruiters rather than in-house recruiters.
Q1. What are the different ways that pharmaceutical companies work with recruiters and headhunters?
There are several ways that pharma and biotech companies partner with recruiters and headhunters. Big pharma companies tend to have in-house talent acquisition departments. The recruiters that work in these departments often work as generalists. This is because they have to support a lot of different departments across the organization.
While in-house talent acquisition departments can be effective in some instances, it is less ideal when you are looking to fill highly specialized positions that require true subject matter expertise. Thus, pharmaceutical recruiters and headhunters like Scott and firms like Klein Hersh have an advantage. Scott highlights that over the past two decades, Klein Hersh has built their firm very purposefully, essentially mirroring themselves after their pharma and biotech partners. They have nearly 50 subject matter experts that have very specialized areas of focus ranging from Pre-Clinical/Discovery through Commercialization.
Editorial note: I spoke briefly with a Genentech internal recruiter, who shared that there are in-house recruiters who actively search for talented individuals (by scouring LinkedIn, going to conferences, networking), contact them about job openings, and encourage them to apply. Once candidates apply, a different Genentech recruiter would then be responsible for the process of screening, interviewing, and managing the offer, etc.
Contingent model
Some pharma companies work with the contingent model. In this model, they do not retain any one specific external recruiter or recruitment firm for their job openings. In this model, they might ask several firms to find talent. At the end, they pay the recruiter who ultimately finds the successful candidate.
The challenge with this model is that it may not necessarily identify the best possible fit for the role. Multiple firms could be pushing as many candidates over as possible. They are working as fast as they can, in the hopes that the company chooses their candidate. Thus, according to Scott, the contingent models becomes less focused on finding the right fit for the right reasons and more about putting as many people in front of the company in the hopes that one of them ends up selected.
Retained search model
Alternatively, many pharma and biotech companies will utilize the retained search model. This model is where the company retains the services of a recruiter or recruitment firm specifically for its job openings.
Scott works exclusively with this model because there is mutual accountability. Specifically, the hiring company is making the investment and commitment to focus on hiring the best and most talented fit its openings. In addition, this model allows Scott and his team to solely dedicate their efforts on filling the positions. They will put forth the most comprehensive and exhaustive search efforts. Scott and his team ultimately serve as brand ambassadors on behalf of their clients. As such, they effectively take their clients' story to the market of job candidates.
Companies may more often use the retained model to recruit talent for higher level positions, e.g., Associate Director to Vice President positions. By contrast, for entry level positions, companies may choose to utilize solely their internal talent acquisition resources or implement the contingent model.
Q2. If a recruiter sends me information about a job that I can apply for through the pharma company’s website, did the company really want a recruiter to help with the candidate search?
Scott said that no one should misrepresent any recruitment activity in which they are engaging when contacting a job candidate. Pharmaceutical recruiters and headhunters should be transparent about the company they work for, whether that is a pharma company or an independent recruiting firm, as well as the role they are playing with regard to the job opening.
Q3. How do I find a recruiter that best matches my field or specialty?
For both the hiring manager and job seeker:
Scott shared several suggestions for finding the right recruiter. First, referrals from colleagues on recruiters who specialize in your field can be the best option. Second, relevant trade shows and conferences in your field are a great place to meet with recruiters. Many recruitment firms host tables or booths at these events. Scott said that he catches up with both candidates and hiring managers at conferences.
For the hiring manager:
Scott said that it’s really important that hiring managers look for firms that have specialization in specific disciplines, true subject matter expertise, and a track record of success. The pharmaceutical recruiters or headhunters will be the brand ambassador for the company. Therefore, they need to know what they’re talking about when it comes to candidates being a good fit for a position. They need to really understand both the technical and interpersonal nuances of the position you are seeking to fill.
You should ask your recruiter to role play how they would position the specific opportunity and the company to a potential prospect. Scott suggested that hiring managers ask the recruiters about who they have successfully placed recently to gain a better understanding of their expertise and track record.
For the job seeker:
Similarly, the recruiter will be acting as a sort of brand ambassador for the job seeker too. Therefore, job seekers will want someone who will get to know them personally and professionally.
I asked Scott about candidates applying directly to job openings. He suggested that it should be the last resort if you are unable to have representation into an organization. The challenge with applying directly is that your resume will first be filtered by a company’s Talent Acquisition/HR team rather than the business/hiring manager. Thus, the decision maker potentially never seeing your resume is the added risk of this process. By contrast, a good recruiter will always partner with the decision makers. They are able to share why they believe it’s in the hiring company’s best interest to speak with you.
Editorial note: When I applied directly to a job opening, I utilized my network to learn as much as I could about the company and to see if I could get introduced to the hiring manager.
Most importantly, you should avoid pharmaceutical recruiters and headhunters who don’t know much about the space you work in, the job opening, or the company they are representing. If they can’t speak proficiently about the job they are recruiting for, how well can they represent your candidacy?
Q4. What are the ways that recruiters and headhunters find the best candidates for pharma positions?
There are a lot of companies and a lot of job candidates. In today’s market, everyone is pressed for time. Moreover, everyone has access to LinkedIn, so it’s never been easier to “find names and titles.” However, making actual connections has never been harder.
Scott said that he is successful in finding the best candidates for his positions because of his approach. He has spent the past 14+ years working exclusively within a very niche market. Thus, he has cultivated deep relationships personally and professionally with his HEOR/Access and Medical Affairs community.
Q5. How/when do recruiters get paid?
Job candidates often worry that they should not work with pharmaceutical recruiters or headhunters because they will have to pay them a fee. Scott said that candidates should never be paying the recruiter. Job seekers should be extremely wary of anyone who wants to collect payment.
Scott and recruiters like him who work with the retained search model get paid by the companies that have hired (retained) them. The companies may pay based on certain milestones and specific performance criteria.
The recruiters who work with the contingent model will only get paid for successfully placing a candidate (all or nothing).
Q6. If I am not actively searching for a job, should I still talk with a recruiter or headhunter?
Oftentimes, my colleagues who are happy in current jobs are annoyed to be bombarded with messages from recruiters.
Scott suggested that it’s still useful to keep in touch with recruiters (only the good ones!) even if you are not actively searching for a new job. Regular discussions with recruiters can help you stay on top of new trends in the marketplace. This information can include which companies or departments are growing and expanding.
Developing a good relationship with a trusted recruiter can have benefits down the road even if there are no immediate payoffs. Perhaps, you may be able to refer colleagues for appropriate job openings. Alternatively, the recruiter may be able to connect you with potential candidates if you become the hiring manager.
Q7. How do I manage the relationship with a recruiter if I ultimately decide not to accept the job offer?
This was a question that I personally had from working with a recruiter a few years ago. After having gotten very far into the recruitment process with another company, I was suddenly presented with an attractive new role due to some recent organizational restructuring at Genentech and decided to stay. The recruiter was understandably disappointed with my decision, given the efforts he’d made on behalf of both the other company’s hiring manager and myself.
Scott admitted that disappointments such as these do happen. Not every job will be a perfect fit for the candidate, and not every candidate will be a perfect fit for the hiring manager. However, in both instances, the relationship with the recruiter is a long-term relationship. Scott said that while hiring managers don't take rejections personally, job seekers should be honest with their recruiter when turning down an offer. In doing so, they can make sure the right message is relayed to the hiring company. This is a good way to ensure that you don't burn bridges for future opportunities with the company you are turning down. Good pharmaceutical recruiters or headhunters should always be able to leave you in a favorable light, even when you turn down an offer.
Q8. Will recruiters help me negotiate my job offer?
While every recruiter is different, Scott and many other Executive recruiters will absolutely play a pivotal role in the offer negotiations. Job candidates can lean heavily upon them during this stage of the process.
Editorial note: Check out our guide to financially assess your job offer.
Last thoughts on recruiters and headhunters
Scott shared these last thoughts about working with pharmaceutical recruiters and headhunters:
"Having the right recruiter is not a whole lot different than selecting the right doctor, lawyer, or any other specialized professional. You may not always need a recruiter, but when you do, you want someone you trust, feel comfortable with, know is specialized, and has a deep track record of success."