Pharmaceutical recruitment 6 frequently asked questions

For something which is such an integral part of recruitment within the pharmaceutical industry, the nuts and bolts of pharmaceutical recruitment is very poorly understood form both sides of the fence. I often feel that a greater understanding of what the process involves would allow both recruiters and candidates to achieve more from agency involvement.

Here's my top 6 frequently asked questions for pharmaceutical recruitment.

Q : If I send my CV to a pharmaceutical recruitment agency, will they then send it on to companies without my knowledge?

A : At their peril, because it's against the law. Due to data protection laws, a recruitment agency must receive specific permission from you in order to send any of your personal details anywhere. Once you have entrusted them with your CV they have a duty of care to keep these details completely confidential. On your first approach, you may find the odd consultant try to be clever by asking your permission to send your CV in at short notice without a call to you, in order not to 'miss the boat'. this is an attempt to achieve license to send your CV out anywhere, any time. On your first contact, and preferably in writing by e-mail when you send your CV, specifically request your details are only sent out to any company after agreement with yourself.

Q : Why do companies use recruitment agencies?

A : Pharmaceutical jobs are highly sought after. An advert on the internet could attract hundreds of applications from all over the Uk and indeed the world. The process of filtering this response is not a small task in order to find the right people. It would cost companies large amounts of money in time and resources to carry this out, and of course this would be on top of the advertising costs. Using a recruitment agency to carry out this initial process of advertising and filtering can save the advertising costs and also the cost of people time to carry out the task. In addition, if the recruitment consultant is good, they will be skilled at picking out very good candidates. The result is that if a manager contacts agencies for a new vacancy, they may be able to conduct a full day of interviews for strong candidates within a matter of days.

Q : What's in it for the recruitment agency?

A : The recruitment agency will receive a fee which is a percentage of the starting salary of the new employee. This works well for everyone. If the agency fails to provide some one good enough to employ, they don't get paid. The agency is also motivated to help the candidate get the best possible salary as this enhances their fee.

Q : Should I only send my CV to only one or two agencies?

A : That depends really. Personally, if you follow the advice above regarding a specific request to speak to you before sending out your details, the more you register with, the better your chances of hearing about a good job. However, don't tell your agencies you're doing this. Recruitment Consultants will try and persuade you 'just' to use them. If they can, it means it's worth them investing more time in you, without the risk of loosing out to another agency and obviously this is good for you. Once they think you're with every agency, you may find you're at the bottom of their pile!

Q : As a candidate, do I have to pay anything to a recruitment agency?

A : No. It's the recruiting company who will pay the agency a fee.

Q : Should I use an agency to find me a job?

A : In most cases, yes. Most pharmaceutical companies use recruitment agencies as a standard process. A good recruitment consultant will help you through the process, help you improve your CV and advise you in interview technique etc. In addition they will have good channels into companies in order to get you in front of the right people.

If you're looking for pharmaceutical jobs, recruitment agencies really are an integral part of the process you can't ignore. Find the right agency and they will not only be able to find you a job now, but you may find they are able to find you further jobs as you move through your career.

Good luck