Tip – When asked what frustrates a person most about working with a recruiter, it’s the same response. It’s that recruiters don’t follow up and people are left hanging. Having worked with one long ago, I can relate to this frustration. However, now that I’m on the other side of things, I hear the same complaints from the recruiters. So why do both parties feel the same? Because whenever there are two parties entering into a partnership or relationship, expectations must be established early on. Both sides should commit to the process equally. If your career is important to you, do not hesitate to ask the recruiter how he/she works, what your expectations should be and what the recruiter will want from you. I believe the recruiter should tell you how they operate upfront, but in situations where that doesn’t happen, be sure to manage the expectations from the beginning and be willing to hold both yourself and the other party accountable to those.
Trend – Several months ago, a large pharmaceutical company announced it would be outsourcing its Regulatory Affairs Department (which has over 100 people in it). Employees were given the choice to stay or take a role at the CRO. This is not the first time this has occurred, but it is happening more frequently. From what we have seen and heard, as mid-sized to larger companies grow, they contemplate this strategy, but those that have implemented, have returned back to their in-house department due to quality. Is this trend something we’ll see more of? In my opinion, others will try to implement, but overall, I believe companies will opt to retain in-house regulatory groups.
Observation – Pricing and politics have been predominant in the news for months now but as the election nears, things can become more negative. With all the negativity around pricing, an issue that must be addressed, we have to wonder where the good news is. Where are the success stories about the lives that have been saved or the life-saving drugs that have been approved? At the end of the day, people who work in life sciences are trying to do good, relevant things to positively affect people’s lives. In these negative days, it’s nice to take a step back and contemplate what we should be grateful for.