27.November 2018
Life science hiring trends that have shaped 2018 - and will remain major trends as we move into 2019
Approaching the end of the year, it’s always a good moment to reflect and anticipate. What did 2018 give us in terms of HR trends in Life Science? What is important in regards to executive search and what will continue to be important in 2019? I’ve had a look at some numbers and stats and took particular interest in the “2018 Life Science Workforce Trends Report”, that the Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes (CSBI) published in 2018. Through interviews with life science executives and HR professionals in the industry as well as analyzing job postings, it clearly stakes out some of the trends that we see forming in the industry. It brings some important changes that effects how we hire – or find – life science talent.
27. Septmeber 2018
Did someone say crisis? Why executive search business grows but Life Sciences practices don’t
Recent numbers from big executive search and business consulting firms have confirmed a trend that shows throughout the industry. Even though business for executive search continues to grow the Life Sciences practices in particular don’t follow the trend. They seem to be in some sort of crisis. And, believe me, I’m the first one who can tell you why. So let’s shed some light on the issues.
31. August 2018
Mastering corporate transformation with the right leadership strategy
I often witness when I come into new search projects that many companies have a really hard time with transformation processes. Especially in life sciences, but really quite everywhere, companies are introducing new ways of working to large numbers of employees, with the goal of producing a transformation after restructuring. But my experience and also some research show that companies struggle with reaching these goals, or at least they don’t reach them quickly enough...
26. Juni 2018
Pharma developments and trends - looking into the crystal ball
We all sometimes want to have a good look into the future to anticipate where the company needs to go. I always like to read hard numbers studies are crunching, especially when they help to predict what the future holds. I came across the EvaluatePharma® World Preview 2018 which gives some interesting insights into the current state of the Pharma industry and what that most likely means for a future in the year 2024. Let’s have a look....
15. Mai 2018
When are you looking for a manager and when are you looking for a leader?
“We are looking for a manager who can be a true leader.” This is one of the sentences that can be tough to swallow. Yes, obviously, that’s kind of what everyone is looking for these days. Someone who can do it all. But is it also who you should be looking for? Many times the words manager...
27. März 2018
Matching executive candidates – high-level matches made in heaven
It’s a bit of a stretch but indeed you need some skills in human relationships to understand how to fit candidates to positions. There is nothing worse for a headhunter than to have high-quality searches and no fitting candidates or, the other way around, having great...
20. Februar 2018
Specialized vs. general knowledge – who wins the race for C-Suite positions?
A lot of times in a lot of different contexts I have mentioned in my articles, that in executive search it can be quite a tricky question whether expert or general knowledge is more important. In an industry like the life sciences especially this question pops up quite...
06. Februar 2018
What makes a headhunter good? – according to me
Filling a high-profile position, e.g. in the C-Suite, is a delicate task and often (rightfully so) involves a headhunter / executive search company. For the company that needs to fill the position, in case they don’t already have a go-to-consultant, that means they hav...
23. Januar 2018
How to look for an executive job
Throughout the many years I have worked in executive search dealing with candidates that were looking for jobs at a very high level, I have made some observations. One is that there is no generally applicable strategy for how to look for an executive job. Another is th...
05. Dezember 2017
The mindset of the C-Suite – what does it take?
Professionally I need to get into the mind of the C-Suite all the time. I not only need to understand what the decision makers in a company need but I also need to assess people’s ability to cut it in a C-level position. Both angles need a quite detailed understanding...
21. November 2017
When life and science come together – getting from innovation to commercialization
In life science businesses today the key to success seems to be innovation. At least judging from the frequency the word is mentioned in regards to thriving life science companies. Innovation for sure is important ...