Seeking the Best

An Ask the Expert feature with South Twin Executive Search

Jon Jordan of South Twin Executive Search advises on how to choose the right search recruitment firm.

“Partnerships need to be established where both parties have a vested interest in the company’s success”
-Jon Jordan of South Twin Executive Search

The pharmaceutical industry is rapidly changing but not everyone realizes what that will mean for their recruitment and retention of human capital. In the past, the industry expanded so fast, companies needed to fill multiple roles quickly. This created a company/firm relationship that was more focused on quantity of candidates than quality of candidates. Today, the FDA has tightened the approval requirements for new drugs coming to market. A side effect has been an increase in company closings, mergers, acquisitions and downsizings. While this significantly increased the number of candidates actively looking, it did not change the number of quality candidates. Management is now pressured to make the ‘right’ hire instead of just a hire. This shift in staffing is happening now and for companies to remain competitive and successful in attracting top performers, the relationship model needs to change. Partnerships need to be established where both parties have a vested interest in the company’s success.

There are several ways this can happen but the main goal should be for the company to have a consistent voice in the marketplace, promoting the company and the quality of people they want.

In evaluating search/recruitment firms, there are four important criteria. The first is how the firm handles the recruitment process.  For example, walking through how they target, research, and approach candidates; will give you a sense of their abilities to reach and attract your target audience.  

The second is the evaluation process that the firm uses. It should contain questions that highlight the candidate’s skills, accomplishments, personality, values and interests. This is especially crucial for opportunities that require relocation. While nothing is guaranteed, it will dramatically increase your potential to retain talent if each relocated candidate has interests in the new location beyond the job.

The third criterion is to investigate their knowledge of the challenges that face companies similar to yours. There are many hurdles a company must overcome to become successful. A firm’s knowledge of what those challenges are or could be, is significant. If they are updated on the issues that are confronting your company, they will be able to ask more pointed questions regarding skill sets, accomplishments, and professional and personal interests. This information will give you a clear picture of the candidate.

The fourth criterion is that the search/recruitment firm, must establish open and professional communications with the candidates and the company. Many times, the communication with the company is timely but the candidate communication is not. Whether it is to return a candidate’s call regarding the opportunity; getting or giving interview feedback; or to set up a meeting, these calls must be returned in a timely manner. Too often these calls get delayed or sometimes not returned at all. If the call goes unreturned, it sends a message to the candidate and the marketplace, that they are not a valued part of the business.  That if they go to work there, they can expect to be treated in the same manner. As with all bad news, it will spread rapidly. The prevailing thought is that if the company valued its human capital, they would select a firm that brings those values to the marketplace. The right firm should not only attract the best people to your organization, but they should be the start of the retention process. Statistics show employees that feel valued, tend to stay longer and be more productive. With high retention rates and employee satisfaction, your company will be more attractive to top performers; improve results and reduce costs associated with turnover. In the end, the firm you choose should have an effect on your top and bottom line results.  

Jon Jordan is the founder, president and CEO of South Twin Executive Search. The company’s focus is in working with the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industies, focusing on the areas of sales, marketing, managed care, trade, and medical affairs. Jon oversees the company’s operations and runs practices in senior management and medical affairs. He has been in the search and recruitment field for over 16 years and recruited people at all levels within an organization. He is a SUNY Oswego graduate and currently resides in Rochester, NY with his wife and daughter.