Step One: What's My Focus?

Let me first start with a few personal things. I hate using the word "recruiter." Why? Because it's a word not many (candidates) are fond of. From what I've been able to gather by talking to quite a few people, most recruiters SUCK, especially with this new generation of recruiters coming into the workforce. They do not provide any VALUE. But isn't that our job? Anyway, for the sake of confusion, I'll bite my tongue and use the word recruiter. These blog posts are meant to add VALUE to your job search. My boutique firm, Cascadia Search Group, once known as Management Recruiters of Vancouver, has been around since 1990 and has always focused on the commercial side of Pharma/Biotech. We work with both large pharma and smaller biotech- our longest client has been with us for 17 years, and they have about 50,000 employees worldwide. We believe that by providing a professional, ethical, and exceptional quality of service, we position all those with whom we partner for the best possibility of success.

If you're searching for a new job, it's likely for one of four reasons. Your current company lacks long-term growth (this is the most common reason that we hear), there are issues with the product pipeline at your current organization (like bad news from the FDA), you don't agree with the direction of senior leadership (maybe they decided everyone needs to be in the office five days/week), or the culture has changed (which is the most common reason for those at smaller organizations). There are certainly other reasons, but these are what we at CSG (Cascadia Search Group) see most often.??

Now that you're in search mode for that new dream job, you likely fall into one of three buckets (as your focus): money-focused, opportunity-focused, or title-focused. They are all reasonably self-explanatory but let me elaborate on the three.?

Money-focused:?you're picking the opportunity that has the highest paycheck.?

Opportunity focused:?you're looking longer term (5+ years out). Does this offer me growth? Does it add skills to my resume that are not there? Maybe I can get into the oncology space (one of the toughest therapeutics to get into within the pharma/biotech industry).?

Title Focused:?you’re picking the role with the highest title.?

Everyone has a mix of all three traits, but there is always ONE dominant trait. What's your dominant focus??

As a recruiter in pharma/biotech, I often see those at the manager/sr manager level want that instant gratification in the paycheck and sometimes a title. They are seldomly focused on long-term career growth (opportunity-focused). They don't realize how dumb it is to be purely money-focused until later in their career (I'm sure senior leaders will back me up here—some may even nod their heads as they read over this paragraph). Your first ten years in the industry primarily should be focused on "what can I add to my resume" (if you eventually want to become a senior leader) vs. "how much can I increase my paycheck." The more you have on your resume by year 10 (likely around an associate director level—or you may be starting to get into director level) will allow you to choose from any company. Trust me, you want companies (and recruiters) chasing you. By year 10, you're likely to have experienced being laid off—not because of poor performance but by a good ol' cooperate downsize or FDA rejection. That’s just part of the pharma/biotech industry. And when you go applying for a job, you will want a solid resume to compete with all the others who were laid off.?

Now it's time to search for a job. Hopefully, you know what to focus on and what not to focus on (an opportunity, not money or title). I'm sure you have many unanswered questions as you step into the unknown (and not many people like the “unknown”—especially regarding something as significant as a career move). What are the best practices for applying? How do I negotiate my salary? I just got laid off after being at my company for 15 years with seven weeks of vacation, can I negotiate that into my new company? What do I wear to a virtual interview? Are companies interviewing in person? Can I negotiate remote work? I applied for a job that is the same (and the same title) as my current job, but I didn't even get into the first rounds, what am I doing wrong??

Ever read a book and get to the end of the first chapter wanting to turn the page to the second chapter right away because of the suspense? This is it. But the problem is that these are bi-weekly blog posts, and the next chapter is only released in time. What can you do in the interim? Share this with your network and friends. Social media is a great thing, so let's put it to work these next two weeks. Yes, I take note of those who show love and share. I appreciate your support and look forward to digging deep into the above-mentioned questions. In the meantime, feel free to message me about topics you would find helpful.?

Cheers,?

Nick??