Intersting article written some time ago by Robert Hennessy, GLOBAL Practice Team Leader – Pharma/ Health Care/ Life Science, ( http://aims-international.net/global-teams/health-care/find-a-leader )before he joined AIMS International. Treating job applicants well creates ambassadors for companies’ images and brands, even if they don’t get hired.

1. FOR GLOBAL BUSINESS AND MARKETING LEADERS
Candidate
Care:
A Competitive Advantage
Treating job applicants well creates ambassadors for com-
panies’ images and brands, even if they don’t get hired.
By Robert D. Hennessy
A decade ago, management gurus, the business
media, and business schools chastised corporate World-class talent seeks its
executives and boards of directors for their cavalier
attitudes and, in some cases, complete lack of atten-
own level, so hiring companies
tion toward succession planning. Today, those same should make sure that those
executives and boards should direct their attention
to candidate care—an even more pervasive and seri-
involved in the interviewing
ous issue—to avoid another managerial faux pas. process are strong employees
This article will illustrate the importance of making who represent the company as
candidate care a part of corporate strategy—not
only to attract and retain top talent, but also to aug- leaders in their own rights.
ment corporate image, branding, and marketing
efforts. potential impact of candidate care becomes clear.
Too often, candidate care is overlooked by a
Serious Business board’s agenda. But, securing the flow of intellec-
Candidate care is the process by which a company tual capital should be one of the company’s highest
staffs a position, from the announcement of a job priorities. Today’s environment is defined by global
opening to the results new hires deliver throughout markets, restructurings, mergers and acquisitions,
the years of their employment. Multiply by several quantum changes in productivity, mobile talent,
hundred, or several thousand over time, the and changing political climates—all of which has
expense and effort that goes into finding, retaining, created an unprecedented thirst for intellectual
training, and maintaining that one hire, and the capital. The demand for talent will become even

2. Pharma Workforce
recruitment
more intense and will continue ple are often well known and their opin-
unabated into the foreseeable future. ions are respected. Whether they get the
That is why candidate care must How to Interview job with a company or not, they are still
become a mandatory and ongoing seg- Pharmaceutical companies reach out to valuable consumers of its products and
many people through their hiring prac-
ment of the strategic planning process, services and can speak favorably about it
tices. The following are recommenda-
at the very highest levels of pharma tions—some strategic and, some tacti-
when given the opportunity. Hiring com-
companies and their boards. cal—that pharmaceutical companies panies should consider, too, that they may
Just as a company’s raw material can use to enhance and optimize their want to re-approach some candidates as
supply is an integral part of the strategic candidates’ interview experiences: future potential hires, so they should take
planning process, so, too, are the supply particular care when developing these
Describe your history and opportunities
of human raw material and the sources relationships and not burn any bridges.
accurately. The best people will have
of leadership. But, whereas there are researched your company and have
usually substitutes for scarce raw mate- done their due diligence. Enhance the Brand
rials, there is no substitute for intellec- In the pharmaceutical industry, a com-
tual capital and leadership. Develop an offer-closing strategy early. pany’s products are the key components
Know what you can and can’t do to close
If a company is slow to recognize the contributing to the company’s overall
gaps. Would you consider using COLAs
strategic value of candidate care, its (cost of living adjustments), stock
brand or image. But, the best brand
competition will do the job for them; options, and/or sign-on bonuses? Can awareness programs involve more than
they seek the same skills and the same you offer an early performance review? products alone. The company itself—and
leadership qualities in many of the same What are the details of your relocation its reputation—also help to define the
people. Considering that the supply of and healthcare packages, 401K/savings company’s brand. For example, think of
intellectual capital is finite at any given programs, etc.? the many products and brands offered by
time and in any geographic area, inat- Be prepared to sell the opportunity. General Electric. Yet, its most notable
tentiveness to candidate care will place Explain why a best-in-class executive brand is the company itself, GE. It is
companies at a distinct disadvantage. would consider leaving a worthwhile cur- apparent that successful candidate care
rent assignment to relocate his or her programs can have a positive impact on a
Create Ambassadors family and join your company. Share company, its reputation, and its brand.
“Individuals being recruited into an with candidates why you decided to join Feedback from the market suggests
organization, whether successful or not, the company. that most companies have significant
become ambassadors for that company Limit the number of people on the room for improvement in their candi-
for a period of time,” says William S. interview team. Use only people who date care programs, as one top-five
Poole, past president of Novo Nordisk can really sell the company. global pharma company learned when it
(US) and of Biovail US. “As every sales conducted a three-year survey of its
Keep self-serving “politicians” off the
person will tell you, all it takes is one interview team (if you have them). interview process.
unhappy customer to undo the good of “It generally took two weeks to build
having 100 happy customers. To this Manage the total interview process so it an itinerary and schedule the first inter-
point, I believe it is essential for the hir- does not take so long that candidates view,” reports a company representa-
are no longer motivated.
ing company to move quickly, methodi- tive. “It took up to a month between
cally, and on time throughout the hiring In a timely manner, have senior man- interview rounds. It generally took up to
process. Having candidates hanging in agement available to discuss feedback. one month from the last interview to
limbo or being kept in the dark about Listen. These people are offering free make an offer. Almost half of all inter-
decisions, meeting times, or feedback for market insight. But it’s a lost opportunity view schedules were revised twice, and
weeks, or perhaps months, after first if the interviewer monopolizes the dis- the majority of schedule changes were
being contacted is simply inexcusable cussion. requested by the company.”
and just not good business.” Most candidates feel that process
Avoid interruptions, especially
Pharma companies interview many telephone calls. Turn off your cell takes too long. Fortunately, this com-
people but hire only a few. “Companies phone. pany could improve its process if it
turn down 98 percent of the people who had a better understanding of candi-
apply,” says Lou Manzi, vice president of Start on time! date care.
human resources at GlaxoSmithKline.
Manzi emphasizes the consequences to fix their images if they would take bet-
of the “tell ten people of a bad experience ter care of them in the first place.
rule.” It’s what happens when someone Job candidates can become important
has a bad experience; they tell ten people spokespeople for the companies they seek
and then those ten people tell ten more employment with, because they gain spe-
people, and so on. Thus, many people are cific and intimate knowledge of the
negatively affected by one person’s bad organization and its employees during the
experience. Companies can avoid having interview process. This is particularly true
at the executive level, because these peo-

3. Pharma Workforce
recruitment
From the Top
All companies need leaders and specific
skill sets to accomplish their missions. It Interview Checklist
is management’s job to ask the follow-
Companies looking for high marks for their candidate care program should be pre-
ing questions: pared to answer the following questions about their interviewing and hiring process:
» Where is the future talent base, and is
the supply sufficient? ❑ How do you define or describe your company’s brand equity?
» What is our strategy for securing ❑ When candidates are scheduled to visit your company, what documents do you send
tomorrow’s leaders? candidates before their visit?
These may seem like simple ques- ❑ What “story” does this package tell the candidates?
tions, but they have difficult answers
that must be addressed. ❑ Does the agenda clearly state the name and title of each interviewer?
A myopic school of thought suggests ❑ Are interview times beyond normal office hours—evening or very early-morning
that candidate care is the sole responsi- meetings, weekends—considered in the scheduling process?
bility of human resources. A parallel ❑ How and by whom are candidates greeted when they arrive?
can be drawn with the marketing func-
tion. Certainly it is axiomatic that a ❑ How long can candidates expect to wait to be “processed” to gain entrance?
company’s marketing strategy must ❑ Is there a seamless transition from the time candidates have completed security
transcend the marketing department check-ins to their first appointments?
and be a total corporate concept. So ❑ Have the interviewers prepared their questions prior to the interview?
must candidate care, because once an
❑ What is the value proposition for prospective candidates?
issue involves a total corporate effort, it
becomes a board priority. ❑ How are candidates made to feel comfortable? Is the physical setting appealing?
The commonly accepted premise ❑ What percentage of the time allotted for interviewing is spent on small talk? Do the
that all business activities are directed interviewers talk excessively about themselves?
toward increasing profits and share-
❑ Who is responsible for leading the assessment of candidates’ functional and
holder value obviously includes candi-
cultural fit, and for coordinating the feedback?
date care. In support of this view, man-
agement and the board of directors ❑ Is there seamless transition between interview times?
must continually evaluate the talent
involved in candidate care, from inter-
viewers and search firms to trainers and date care. In fact, the board should chal- new skills. In addition, other companies
human resources specialists. lenge management to educate all may be poaching your talent. So who
Companies seeking to increase prof- employees on candidate care and the has final accountability? Because it is
its and enhance shareholder value impact it can have on shareholder value strategic and affects shareholder value,
should remember that world-class tal- and the company’s reputation. the board of directors is responsible.
ent seeks its own level. It behooves them Still, some people may resist because When done right, candidate care pro-
to ensure that employees representing they fear new talent and new skills, or grams have a positive impact on both a
them in the interview process are strong because they feel that change takes too company’s brand and its profits. They
leaders in their own rights. Otherwise, much effort. In such cases, management require a high degree of professionalism
prospective leaders might be turned off, should communicate that improvements from many different employees. So, once
which no company can afford. in compensation, benefits, and the a board establishes candidate care as a
working environment are linked directly strategic priority, management should
Employee Buy-In to executive leadership, a sustainable promote the right internal behaviors.
Once the strategic value of candidate pipeline of talent, and, therefore, candi- Companies that fail to understand this
care is recognized, it takes strong leader- date care. More often than not, execu- will not only lose the opportunity to hire
ship to explain it to employees and to tives can identify pockets within the the best leaders, they will have to compete
make it an effort ingrained in the corpo- company where resistance to change is against those leaders when they are hired
rate culture. Overcoming resistance to prevalent and take action. As resisters to by the competition. It’s just one more case
the idea that the company must make candidate care are identified, they where doing right by people is simply
efforts to attract and retain top execu- should be mentored and/or removed good business.
tives may require aligning candidate care from the candidate care pipeline.
with profits in the minds of employees. If Assume everyone buys into the sig- Robert D. Hennessy is president of The
they understand that executive leader- nificance of candidate care. Keep in Hennessy Group, an executive search firm
ship has a direct influence on profits, and mind that candidate care is not a one- specializing in the pharma and biotech
industries, with offices in Pennsylvania
that profits, in turn, are key to enhancing and-done exercise. It is ongoing because and Europe. He can be reached at [215]
shareholder value, then most employees the talent pool is always changing, 497-9950, ext. 201.
will understand the importance of candi- becoming more mobile, and developing
© Reprinted from PHARMACEUTICAL EXECUTIVE, April 2005 Printed in U.S.A.

4. www.thehennessygroup.com
TESTIMONIALS
It was a real pleasure to work with The Hennessy Group to fill the controller position at Adams Respiratory Therapeutics. Your
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