Spending money on staff is always going to be the most expensive part of your business.  As you work hard to invest in the people that can help produce the outcomes you are looking for and as most life science professionals are already employed in the US, finding new talent has become a key issue for firms across the country. In fact, CBRE state that life science has an unemployment rate of just 0.6%, making it almost impossible to discover new talent without a specific and targeted strategy.

Many firms feel that their current recruitment strategy is robust and well designed but if you really want to be a leader in life science, now is the time to create a specific brand strategy that appeals to the people you need – find out exactly what a brand strategy means to your life science firm and start creating yours.

What is a Brand Strategy and Why Do I Need One?

A brand strategy is simply a process by which you manage your company reputation by agreeing a specific format and set of rules for engaging with people. When it comes to using your brand strategy to reach new candidates, you should be focusing on sharing your values and ethos so that people can work out if you are the type of company that they want to work for. Companies that use brand strategies are more often successful at finding and retaining candidates.

How to Build Your Brand Strategy – 5 Simple Steps

If you are ready to dive into brand strategies, then these five simple steps will get you off to a great start:

1. Understand You Current Brand – before you can start working on a new brand strategy, your first need to find out how your brand is currently seen by candidates and other stakeholders. Take the time to check all types of feedback you have received and consider sharing a survey, allowing you to learn how people view your company.
2. Work Out What You Want to Change – once you know how you are currently perceived, it is time to map out what you want to change and how you are going to do it. Start by creating a brand strategy goals list before using it to create a road map that will take you to the end point you are aiming for.
3. Know Who You Want to Appeal to – it’s also important to work out who you want to appeal to when your new brand strategy is complete. Create an ‘ideal candidate’ and consider what they would want to see to join.
4. Decide What You Will Offer – when you have your new strategy and ideal candidate, you will need to decide what you will offer to entice candidates to apply for your jobs. Differentiators like the team, the platform, ongoing training, flexible work, and other benefits will all work to drive candidates to your door.
5. Constantly Evaluate Your Success – you may think that once you have created a new brand strategy then you can sit back and enjoy watching your application rates grow but this is not the case. Every great brand strategy involves a continual evaluation process, giving you scope to tweak and grow as your needs change.

Combining GeneCoda® and Your New Strategy – a Winning Combination

If you are keen to start attracting quality candidates to your freshly branded company, then GeneCoda® is the perfect partner. We work with you to understand your specific needs and then suggest specific candidates that we believe will fit your brand perfectly. Get in touch with our team to find out more about what we can do for you.

Being a leader is not as simple as making decisions and giving orders. There is a wide array of qualities that every leader needs to possess in order to be successful, especially when taking on the management of a company or division. To help you sift through all the candidate resumes on your desk, take a look at the five top traits that will help your new executive achieve success. Continue reading “The Traits Every Good Leader Needs to Have”

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the workplace evolves and times change, so do the skills and tools that leaders need to have to be successful. We are slowly moving away from rigid job descriptions and traditional hierarchies and working towards a collaborative and forward-thinking process that aims to motivate individuals while achieving the best outcomes. Whether you are new to leadership or have been in a leadership role for some time, it is important to reflect on your skills and work out where you need to adapt and learn. Take a moment to read about the most sought-after leadership skills to help you achieve your goals.

Communication Skills

65% of American workers say that they are satisfied with their job, and we think that communication plays a big part in this. Strong communication skills are vital in the world of work, especially when you are working hard to achieve a happy workforce. From telling the story of your business to sharing messages and getting everyone onboard, you will need to know exactly what to say and when to say it. The best communicators are active listeners to take the information that they are given and use it to further the interests of the business as well as supporting their people. When you are keen to get the best from your team, sharing your message and encouraging open dialogue is always going to be the best way to achieve success.

Empathy & Emotion Skills

In addition to being strong communicators, modern leaders need to be able to be emotionally intelligent and open to creating strong connections with their teams and their clients. Not only do emotionally intelligent people understand the feelings and concerns of others better, but they can also pre-empt and respond to issues before they arise, helping to keep everyone feeling valued and cared for. Being able to know people on an emotional level also gives leaders the capability to assess a person’s strengths and determine appropriate support to help them develop in areas where they are lacking.

Vision & Planning Skills

It’s no longer acceptable to reach a management position and stick to doing the same thing that has been done for many years before. In fact, most companies want their leaders to be able to define their vision and plans for the future before they have even been offered a job! If you are looking to achieve or retain a leadership position, you will need to be able to assess what a company needs right now and what it will need in the future and then plan accordingly. The great thing about this skill requirement is that it is one that requires collaboration with an executive team, working together to help the company innovate for success.

Adaptability

Our final skill is the ability to adapt in the face of change. There’s no denying that the modern workplace is constantly moving forward, and the impact of the economy threatens to topple even the most confident leader. To avoid this happening, you will need to be able to know when to stick to your plans and when to adapt and change. Being able to do this will not only help your business to stay relevant, but it will allow you to get the best outcomes for everyone involved in your company.

At GeneCoda®, we work with companies to find skilled executives to fill leadership roles and support candidates to keep their skills up to date and in line with market demands. If you are keen to discuss your requirements, then our team would love to hear from you – get in touch today and let us help you lead the way.

 

 

 

 

All business leaders want to ensure that their teams are happy, effective, and producing great outcomes, but to do this, they need to be willing to invest in achieving these goals. The modern workplace is diverse and interesting, and individuals come to employment with different support needs. Still, one type of support that appears to be providing something great for everyone is workplace coaching. We looked at the role of coaching in the workplace so that you can decide if it is a good fit for your organization.

What is Workplace Coaching?

Workplace coaching is a system that provides employees with a coach who can help them develop the tools and knowledge they need to do their jobs well and provide a critical friend relationship when they have issues that need to be resolved. Workplace coaching is often used as part of a wider leadership strategy to help achieve the company’s goals. Over 70% of companies that have used workplace coaching state that it has improved communication, relationships, and work performance!

Workplace coaches tend to have specific coaching qualifications and can either be external coaches that visit the company regularly or internal coaches selected from the management pool. Each coach will have a specific remit, but they tend to focus on employee engagement, supporting individuals to adhere to the company’s aims and objectives, and supporting employees to achieve specific workplace goals.

How Can Workplace Coaching Support My Business?

The modern workplace is highly competitive, with candidates working hard to show off what makes them special, leaving many people feeling stressed or worried about their future with a company. Workplace coaches are hired to support everyone to achieve their goals and help everyone with their own specific needs, making your place of work far more effective and successful.

As we move away from specific job roles and work towards greater levels of collaboration, workplace coaches are best placed to help people work on transferring their skills to fit with this new ethos. The best thing about workplace coaching is that it leaves individuals feeling far more valued and wanting to do their utmost to achieve great results. It also provides a workforce that is more likely to remain in post rather than looking to your competitors for employment. In fact, 96% of companies that invested in coaching state that they have seen such great results that they would repeat it when needed.

Combining Coaching with Recruitment

Once you have a successful coaching strategy in place, it is important to cascade that down through the organization so that everyone has the opportunity to develop. This is also important when it comes to recruiting new candidates and finding out whether they have been coached or if it is something that they should access as soon as they start.

At GeneCoda®, we fully support the workplace coaching method and can team up with you to source the right people for your executive roles who will also support coaching in the workplace. Why don’t you arrange a time to discuss your needs with us and let us find the perfect match for your vacancy? We look forward to working with you!

 

The division of labor has been a huge part of history, impacting the way we run our workforces and supporting the need for job separation. It is the norm to give each person their own specific tasks to complete that are defined by their job description. The problem with this concept is that it no longer fits in the modern workplace, often stifling individuals or resulting in the wrong person for the job struggling to achieve the outcomes required. Rather than continuing in the same vein, swapping to a skills-based organization may be the change that you need!

Continue reading “Are Jobs Redundant? Moving Towards Skills-Based Employment”

Women in life science have been historically underrepresented, especially when it comes to leadership positions, but is that about to change? The ongoing demand for female leaders is beginning to show gains in industries such as finance and tech, leaving us pretty certain that life science is sure to follow.

Continue reading “Chipping Away at the Glass Ceiling – The Rise of Female Leaders in 2022”

No matter how hard we work to do our best within our jobs there will always be occasions where we slip up and make mistakes. Sadly, many people are quick to find fault with themselves and can be incredibly critical of their efforts, creating a negative work environment that leaves them wanting to look elsewhere. How leaders respond in these situations can help to set the tone for the wider workplace and an emerging trend that focuses on compassionate leadership is helping to change the way that people see their mistakes.

Continue reading “Compassionate Culture – The New Trend Dictating Workplace Organization in Life Science”

Finding the right candidates for executive-level positions is high on the list of problems that life science organizations are currently facing. It’s part of a wider shortage of qualified talent and is proving to be one of the biggest problems facing the industry today. A recent survey by Gartner has shown that failing to create the right talent acquisition strategy is one of the biggest reasons that companies are failing to fill vacant executive posts. Rather than being part of the problem, why not improve your executive talent search and buck the trend?

Continue reading “Improve Your Executive Talent Search in 3 Simple Steps”

Recruitment is an ongoing issue for the majority of life science companies across the world, with a declining amount of qualified people for the glut of jobs that are available. In the US, the financial crisis that has hit the life science industry also threatens to make recruitment even harder than it is! Rather than succumbing to the problems, take a look at our advice and learn how to recruit well even when finances are not as available as they once were!   Continue reading “Getting the Best Without Giving the Most – How to Recruit Well During a Financial Crisis”

Life science jobs are being offered in abundance right now but there are just not enough candidates to plug all the gaps. The problem with this is that many life science companies are seeing entire teams of people being poached by competitors who can afford to offer them what they want. Rather than becoming a victim of poaching, take a look at our advice and keep your team with you as you work together to overcome the hiring crisis you face. 

Continue reading “How to Stop Your Life Science Team From Leaving for a New Opportunity”