Talent acquisition in life sciences can be a real bitch, man. I mean, this industry is all about innovation and science, and finding the right people for your organization is crucial, but it’s like nobody really appreciates the shit we do.
Let me tell you, talent acquisition professionals have been on a fucking roller coaster ride. 2020 and 2021 were insane, man. It was like a race to fill all these goddamn job orders. But now, shit’s changed. The funding climate is drier than a desert, and the labor market has slowed the fuck down. So now, organizations are looking inward, trying to figure out what the hell they’re doing.
But hey, the LEAP TA: Life Sciences conference happened and it was the shit. Almost 200 talent pros and service providers got together in Boston to talk about their struggles and how the fuck they can future-proof their talent acquisition strategies and processes.
Look, even though the industry is quieter now and hiring has slowed down for many, we all know this shit ain’t gonna last forever. The market is gonna come back swinging, and when it does, it’s gonna be fast as fuck.
Experimenting with AI Models for Quality Assessment
Now, AI ain’t just for drug discovery, man. The life sciences industry is getting all curious about how AI can help with recruiting. But here’s the thing, the approach to AI varies depending on the size of the company.
Big companies are all about the big picture, thinking about how AI can be used in the future for talent acquisition and HR practices. They got all this fucking data to work with and they got the resources to experiment.
But for smaller organizations, it’s about saving time and being more efficient. They don’t have the luxury of big data or resources for fancy AI projects. They just wanna integrate AI tools into their workflows to make life easier. They’re looking at shit like resume sourcing and virtual assistants for onboarding and scheduling. It’s all about automation, man.
But here’s the thing, AI ain’t gonna solve all our problems overnight. Companies like Takeda and Vertex Pharmaceuticals are experimenting with AI to assess skills and candidate quality, but they’re still figuring it out. They’re taking their time to test and validate these models, man. It’s gonna be years before we see this shit applied.
Practical Automation for Smaller Biopharmas
Now, smaller biopharmas ain’t got time for all this fancy AI modeling, man. They’re just tryna be more efficient. They wanna save time on repetitive tasks and improve the basics. And you know what? They’re right to focus on that shit.
These small organizations are looking at integrating automation features from existing vendors. It’s a practical starting point, you know? They don’t need all the bells and whistles, just something that helps them streamline their workflows and save time.
I talked to Liz Nguyen from Surrozen, man. She says the most important thing for smaller companies is to figure out what’s worth pursuing and how much time and resources it’s gonna take. Gotta be smart about it, man.
A Shift to Skills-based Hiring is Coming
There’s a shift happening in the industry, man. We’re moving towards skills-based hiring. Celine Raffray from Bristol Myers Squibb talked about how her team is using AI to focus on skills and competencies instead of just education and experience.
It’s a challenge, man. We gotta recalibrate job descriptions and get teams and hiring managers on board. But it’s gonna be worth it. We gotta be prepared to translate our experience into skills and show how versatile we are, man.
The Employer Value Proposition is Still Essential
Listen up, employers. It’s not all about the money, man. You gotta understand the story you’re trying to tell. You gotta sell that narrative, man.
What sets your company apart? What gets people excited? It’s not just about the paycheck. It’s about the culture, the innovation, the benefits, man.
Companies are getting creative with their employer value proposition. They’re highlighting their culture and offering potential hires the chance to chat with Business Resource Group leaders to get a feel for the vibe. People want more than just a fucking paycheck, man.
People Remain Critical to Success
At the end of the day, it’s all about the people, man. All the technology and innovation in the world can’t replace the talent within an organization. We’re the ones who make shit happen.
Chantal Dresner is the vice president of marketing at BioSpace. She analyzes and reports on industry trends for BioSpace clients including jobs and hiring, diversity, equity and inclusion, and compensation benchmarking. You can reach her at chantal.dresner@biospace.com. Follow her on LinkedIn.
