The last thing you need to worry about is whether your boss knows you are seeking a position with another company. And the first thing you need to know is that referrals are the way to land that new position. But how do you “reach out” to those potential referrals in a confidential way? As most of my clients are now realizing, Linkedin is a gold mine for finding potential referrals – if used correctly. Here are some less-than-obvious ways to use Linked in to conduct a confidential job search. … Read more

There is an old saying that the only thing that never changes is change itself. In the case of the future for orthopedic Health Care careers there are some interesting changes coming. I believe there are great career opportunities within these changes.

A Global Snapshot. Current trends show a steady increase in worldwide population yet a steady decrease in birth rates. In lay terms, people are living longer. We have some 6.9B people today and are expected to have 7.5B to 10.5B over the next … Read more

It is easy to get discouraged when you listen to the news these days and see the latest Dept of Labor stats. But, recall our grandparent’s sage advice: “There is a silver lining in every cloud.” If you are currently in a sales role with big pharma, there are some interesting – and very encouraging – trends. … Read more

About 80 health care – medical industry employers were recently polled on how they find talent for their companies (source: Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey, May-June, 2011). The poll revealed interesting insight and trends that have a very real impact on your job search success. The poll also revealed just how fiercely competitive the job search market place is. So – let’s start with our problem (high competition) before moving onto specific solutions. … Read more

I don’t need to tell you that big pharmaceutical companies are laying people off. The reasons why are everything from lack of pending blockbuster products to growing competition among generics, “closed” offices, and changes in the way physicians  purchase products; e.g. “e-detailing” is in vogue and seems to be growing.

If you are in big pharma and seeking opportunities in medical devices/equipment/biotech, I have some encouraging news for you, based on the performance of my own clients (I am a mentor to those seeking work in medical sales). Think of this as a brief checklist of key changes in the healthcare – medical marketplace that you can use for an effective job search: … Read more

Last year JobVite.com surveyed over 600 human resources and recruiting professionals regarding their methods for acquiring talent in today’s very competitive market. There were several suprises. Highlights include:

Percentage of companies who plan to recruit via Linkedin: 86%

Percentage of companies who have hired through Linkedin: 89.4%

Percentage of companies who plan to spend more on recruiting via social media (e.g. Linkedin): 46%

When asked to rate the “quality” of candidates they hired via different sources, based on a scale of “10″ with “10″ being the highest quality, these HR professionals/retained recruiters provided the following stats.

Job Boards: 5.89

SEO: 5.96

Campus Recruiting: 6.25

3rd Party Recruiters: 6.45

Corporate Career Site: 6.52

Social Networks: 6.86

Direct Sourcing: 7.34

Internal Transfers: 8.09

Referrals: 8.14

What percentage of these 600 companies now pay their employees referrals who land positions? A whopping 65%. . .and growing.

If you are whispering “wow”, you are not alone. You can see how everything in your job search strategy has changed from the recent past. If you are frustrated in your current job search, chin up. Consider the numbers above. Make sure your job search strategy complements these numbers. On a tactical level that means more than a competitive resume and applying online or using 3rd party recruiters. It means having a very competitive Linkined profile. Consider hiring a professional to write your Linkedin Profile; best to select a service that specializes in your industry and discipline (we write profiles for Health Care Industry careers). And when your highly competitive Linkedin profile is finished? Then use Linkedin to find that most valued of  all resources - referrals.

I never imagined the day that referrals would be considered of greater value than internal employee transfers, the employer’s own website, or retained (direct sourcing) recruiters, but that day has arrived.

More to come on building quality referrals. . .

I like Mark Twain’s line: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” You’ll forgive me for being away from this blog so long; a partner and I are launching a new business as well as this new blog. Our focus is exclusively for those seeking careers/positions in medical sales: devices, equipment, biotech, software, hardware. And we may add “specialty pharma” as that is the one remnant of the drug industry that seems to offer long-term career viability. … Read more

When you talk with 2400 hiring managers and HR  professionals, you tend to get a theme of where our economy is going – and how that impacts hiring, aka: talent acquisition. Harris Interactive conducted such a survey from November 15th, 2010 to December 2nd, 2010. The news was – well, brace yourself: good. Seriously. And it also encourages an idea you will want to consider in how you “package” yourself to a new employer.

Here’s the Good News:

1.) Guess which category ranked #1 in all hiring categories projected for 2011? You guessed it – Sales: 27% of all companies will be hiring  new sales reps in 2011.

2.) Full-Time Hiring: 24% of all employers intend to hire full-time “permanent” employees in 2011 – this is up 20% from last year.

3.) Part-Time Hiring: 13% of all employers intend to hire part-time employees in 2011 – this is up 15% from last year.

4.) Contract Hiring: you’ll want to sit down for this – 34% of all employers intend to hire contract employees in 2011- up 12% from last year.

So what does the above reveal? It shows a trend I’ve been watching for quite some time: a movement away from classifying people as either “permanent” or “temp” employees – and now a hybrid is evolving to meet the unique challenges of our new era: an “interim employee”, an evolution of a contractor. Don’t think that the “temp” agencies of the healthcare world don’t know about this – PDI and Ventiv Healthsaw this trend coming. Which leads me to an idea I think you should consider in your job search – and note: this idea is primarily for those who are “between” jobs, which represents some 15% of the American workforce.

Consider offering your services as an interim employee – with a contract. Your contract should run a minimum of 6 to 9 months and it allows you to “show” your stuff during this period. In essence we are looking at a win/win – and an improvement over what employers normally see. Let me explain. The contract stipulates performance metrics, goals, when those metrics will be measured, how your performance is measured, and who is doing the measuring. There must be a guranteed monthly base salary – remember you are also paying your own medical insurance during this time, so be sure to consider that as part of your base salary. And you need a clearly explained bonus plan. If you are thinking, “But I don’t know how to write my own contract”, don’t worry: you propose that the employer writes the contract – you’ll sit down with someone in their HR/Purchasing Group and have THEM prepare the document. Yes – I have real world experience in doing this with F500 level companies – this works, it’s just rarely done because it is an innovative and somewhat new idea.  At the end of the 6-9 months, we have two potential outcomes:

You Met the Performance Goals

1.) Now you have great credibility with the employer – and stand a very good chance of being hired as a full-time employee; you are also in a strong position when it comes to negotiation of your contact – you can point to your actual sales achievements with them.

2.) You’ve built some customer relationships – you’ve added to your potential “Rolodex” which you can now sell products to from other employers.

3.) You’ve bought yourself time for opportunities which tend to open and close very quickly with your list of targeted prospective employers.

4.) You’ve provided yourself with the status of “currently working” on your resume; you are always more attractive to employers when you are currently working.

5.) The employer wins because they achieved their goals – and avoided hiring someone as a permanent employee who then does now work out. Also – they discovered they either like you or they don’t like you – chemistry is a big deal, not just sales performance.

You Didn’t Meet the Performance Goals

6.) Now you know this is not a product or market that works for you – better to find out now than later; in many cases your performance may have been based on a disorganized, poorly managed company that “has your back”. Wouldn’t you want to know this now – not later? Or that your boss is a Jekyll/Hyde? As a professional who gets people into medical sales career, I often hear the scenario of one of my clients landing a great job, with a great product, only to find the company itself is not ready for prime-time.

At the End of 6-9 Months

Think back over the last 6-9 months and consider just how much has changed in your own life – I’m betting the answer will surprise you. Now – consider just what you may find at the end of a 6-9 contract as an interim sales agent for a company – you just never know what opportunities you will find. A lot is going to change. Being an interim employee - drawing up your own contract – puts you in the driver’s seat to maximize those potential opportunities – and minimize the negatives in your career satisfaction.

There is one other item I want to share with you from that Harris Interactive pole of 2400 employers. Guess what percentage of those employers were concerned that their best talent might leave them once the economy improves? (answer A below); and guess what percentage said they “will” increase their compensation for their existing staff in 2011? (answer B below).

A. 41%

B. 61%

Pretty nice-looking numbers as we enter a new year. Chin up – and remember that old adage: if you follow the rules you will be invisible.

This news just in – New York has lost 2 more congressional seats – while Florida has gained 2 congressional seats. The last time New York had so few congressional seats (1830) Andrew Jackson was in office – wonder who was on our $20 bills back then. . . The bigger picture: the money trail – and the employers, are moving to Florida. We have no state income tax. And, yes, I said “we” as I moved here from Southern California 7 years ago. So, New Yorkers, chins up – it’s not that bad here – really; you just need someone to guide you through the transformation process of becoming “Floridians”. I will give you some advice so you are up and running in no time with your new citizenry:

How To Leave New York and Become a Floridian

1.) Master the Language; when you are at the grocery store, we do not use grocery “carts”; we use grocery “buggies”. “Gators” are both a local pet and a football team.

2.) Realize that we have a local really good baseball team called the Tampa Bay Rays – you know – those nobodies who now show up at the playoffs every year. And please – let the local population know we have this good baseball team as we have a very small fan base, except when the Yankees are in town. Whoops – those are Yankees’ fans.

3.) We have 80-year old men as bag boys at the grocery stores. And they will call you “sir” or “mam” regardless of your age.

4.) Everyone here has a tatoo – dogs, local judges, everyone at public offices. Our governor, oddly enough, always wears a long-sleeve shirt even in the most balmy weather – Jessie Ventura of Conspiracy Theory fame is investigating.

5.) The 4 Freeway connects Orlando with Tampa and it is called “The Corridor” though we like to think of it as our own version of the autobahn. Yes – it’s true we have no state tax: we make up the deficit via speeding tickets on The Corridor.

6.) To get here. Take the 75 Freeway due south until you come to Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West – that’s where the freeway ends. Look around, find a nice place to live. I think you’ll like it here – but keep your friends up in New York, because we do have this thing called “hurricanes”, and you may need someone to stay with one day. Oh and did I mention alligators? Or swamps? Or people so old they may actually have passed away – and yet are still behind the wheels of cars on our freeways and streets? Oh, and then there are the occasional tidal waves. . .

So, how is it to live in New York? Just curious – I’ve always been a Yankees’ fan.

My job in life is to get people into their desired roles in medical sales. As of late I’ve noticed several changes in this “battle” we call your job search. I want to share with you real-world advice: practical insight from those who are on the front lines of the battle – and winning the battle. Set down your tin of spam, but keep your helmet on. I want to show you a new weapon.

Realize that nearly everything you knew about job-searching has changed. As have our weapons in today’s “job search” battle. I want to share one with you today that comes via Linkedin.com It’s called “Clouding”.

Clouding: Imagine yourself immersed in a cloud and you get the general picture: we want you to be immersed in a “cloud” of allies who can help you – and those people should be geographically near you, i.e. within 50-75 miles. Here’s how it works: Open up your Linkedin account.

1.) Click on “Advanced” which is not easy to find – it’s in a very small font on the right end of the menu table at the top of your screen. You’ll come to a page called “Advanced People Search”

2.) Where it says “Location” you’ll see it states “Anywhere”. Change that to “Located in our Near”. Put in your Zip Code.

3.) For “Within” select either 50 or 75 miles.

4.) Select your “Industries” – my folks will be selecting “medical devices” – perhaps biotechnology, pharmaceuticals. You may have to scroll a long way to find your selection.

5.) Select your “Relationship” – it is currently on “All Linkedin Members” – switch that to 1st Connections and 2nd Connections.

6.) Press the blue SEARCH button.

Voila. How many people did you find? Your desired number is between 50-100. If it is less, you need to beef up your Linked in connections. If it is more, you need to refine your search criteria – perhaps trim back from 75 miles to 50 miles for your radius – or select few industries.

Now – what to do with this information? You will probably be pleasantly shocked to find some people you know (1st Connections) in your “back yard”. Reach out to them – let them know about your job search.

Now for the less-obvious: see all those 2nd level connections? Each of these is currently a stranger to you – but not for long. Take a good look at who these people work for. If they are working for – or most recently worked for an employer of interest.

How do you approach these 2nd level connections? I suggest an intro e-mail with these 3 key elements: a.) that you want to speak with the person via a “10-minute phone call”, and b.) that the subject of the meeting is to discuss how “we may network for our mutual benefit”, and, c.) you were referred to them via (fill in name of 1st level connection).

Your goal is to convert at least 6 “2nd level” connections into “1st level” connections, which should translate into some 400-500 new 2nd level connections for you; a large number of these connections will be within 50-75 miles from you.

You’ll soon find yourself surrounded by a “cloud” of new allies – and that is a very good thing in any battle. For as we step back and take a panoramic look at this “war” we see who is going to win. In today’s war, it is usually the candidate who gets referred to an employer via an “inside” contact for what is often an unadvertised position. Which is precisely the goal we achive with our new “Clouding” weapon.

What do you say we try out the weapon – right after lunch.