Candidate FAQs

Candidate FAQs

The following candidate FAQs represent many of the questions we’re typically asked but please feel free to contact us if you have additional questions.

What industries does GeneCoda® recruit for?

GeneCoda®’s focus is U.S. recruitment with emphasis on the life sciences sector including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and diagnostic innovators and the service sector and tools companies that support them in bringing products to market. GeneCoda® was launched to support innovators whose life-saving products are critical to the global population.  If your expertise lies within other industry verticals, we encourage you to seek the counsel of professional search firms more familiar with your background and industry.

What types of candidates does GeneCoda® recruit?

Most often, GeneCoda® is called to place seasoned professionals with more than 10 years of experience in Life Sciences.  As our clients pay us fees to locate specific talent within the Life Sciences industry, we generally cannot represent candidates seeking a career change into the Life Sciences industry or recent graduates and entry-level professionals. Although we do not recruit recent graduates or entry-level professionals, we recognize that they are our future and believe that our robust Resource Library can assist them in earlier stage career growth such that GeneCoda® can work with them as they garner more industry experience.

Who pays GeneCoda®’s fees?

GeneCoda® is paid by our client employers.  We earn consideration from our clients through consulting, engaged and retained searches.  A candidate is not charged a fee for our services.

If I submit my resume, how will I know if I am being considered for an active search project?

GeneCoda® will generally be in touch with you within a week of resume / CV submission to solicit additional information and/or set a time for a dialogue.  In many cases, GeneCoda® might review several hundred resumes / CV’s and track down multiple lead sources to shortlist our most likely prospects.  Our goal is to present our client two to four qualified candidates for their position, whose background, goals and philosophy best align with our client’s search project.

Should I send a cover letter along with my resume/CV?

GeneCoda® encourages you to forward a cover letter along with your resume / CV that states your career goals and other information that you feel may be relevant to your search criteria and/or to the role that you have applied for.

How often should I follow up with my recruiter if I am actively being considered for a search project?

GeneCoda® will follow up with all candidates presented to our clients for active search projects. We urge our candidates to communicate with us actively, where there might be a substantial change in their own situation (e.g. where there is an offer forthcoming from another firm). To maximize our effectiveness in producing the desired outcome for an existing opportunity or for the advancement of other possibilities, it is in our candidate’s best interests to limit follow up to coincide with the recruiter’s initial guidance of our client’s interview timetable. 

Where can I forward my resume/CV for future consideration?

We encourage candidates with expertise in the Life Sciences to submit their resume and supporting information.  Our internal Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is the first resource we use for all searches we conduct, and we will add your credentials to our database of valued contacts in the event we can be of future assistance.

How often should I follow up with my recruiter if I am not actively being considered for a search project?

GeneCoda® encourages our candidates to maintain periodic contact with updates and changes in their situation.  A candidate is encouraged to contact us when they assume a new role or promotion with an existing employer, exit an existing employer, make a change to another employer, gain a new skill set, update a resume / CV and / or has a change in their career goals or vision.  Please consider subscribing to company news, updates and reports on the right-hand side (desktop view) or bottom (mobile view) of this page.

Will GeneCoda® market my background to key industry contacts?

As our clients pay fees for our services, the preponderance of our time is spent in fulfillment of existing recruitment projects.  However, clients routinely ask us to keep them abreast of talent, as it emerges, within the Life Sciences industry.  We are pleased to make select introductions that we feel align with our client’s best interests.

Should I perform due diligence on a search firm?

The proliferation of information available on the internet, user groups, professional organizations and other communities of interest, has made due diligence faster and more comprehensive than ever before.  The candidates we work with are encouraged to perform due diligence on various resources including the client’s website, public filings, journal articles, press releases, Glassdoor and/or a discussion with an existing employee prior to a client interview.  The candidates we will be most interested in speaking with have also performed due diligence on GeneCoda®.

How do I develop a lasting relationship with my recruiter?

Relationships are built, over time, based on trust and mutual respect.  While existing search projects typically initiate GeneCoda®’s relationships with our candidates, we work diligently to grow existing relationships through ongoing communication.  We routinely witness clients who become candidates and candidates who we subsequently place, years after initial contact.  These relationships transcend existing employment scenarios and are built upon our candidate’s career aspirations and goals.

Does GeneCoda® offer interview advice?

GeneCoda® will provide interview advice and preparation prior to an interview with our client.  GeneCoda®’s expectations, prior to our interview preparation call, are that our candidate’s conduct basic due diligence on the client they are interviewing with and the role they are interviewing for.  For general interview advice and related articles, please see our Resource Library.

Can GeneCoda® assist me in the creation or critiquing of my resume or CV?

GeneCoda® does not engage in resume creation or critiquing.  Aside from professional resume / CV creation services, we offer our Resource Library to guide you in this endeavor.