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1、Revisiting the Value of Interim Consultants and Contractors|1TheFDAGRevisiting the Value of Interim Consultants and Contractors in Todays Life Science Talent MarketA Guide for Life Science Companies in Search of Better Ways to Build Their TeamsTable of Contents3 Introduction&Summary5 Revealing the F
2、ull Value of Interim Contractors6 Why is Interim Full-Time Contracting Especially Advantageous in the Life Sciences?7 Two Problems Solved by a Smart Interim Strategy9 Defining the Role of the Consultant or Contractor in the Modern Life Science Organization12 A Simple Process for Accessing Interim Ta
3、lent14 Summary,Final Thoughts,and Next StepsRevisiting the Value of Interim Consultants and Contractors|2TheFDAGIntroduction&SummaryWhen life science companies need to access new talent,they typically see themselves having two options:hire employees or bring in consultants or contractors.Whats often
4、 overlooked,however,is the option that sits somewhere between these two workforce models:interim full-time contracting.When a short-term project arises,or a personnel gap needs to be filled temporarily,most hiring managers are comfortable calling on consultants and independent contractors to augment
5、 their staff.But filling permanent roles with full-time employees(FTEs)especially when those roles are complex and new to the companyisnt so simple.As top talent becomes scarcer and roles become less familiar and more complicated,the traditionally slow and arduous FTE recruitment process can(and oft
6、en does)end up getting in its own way.In an effort to be thorough and diligent with each hire,employers often inadvertently exhaust candidates with layers and layers of screening and deliberation.The ensuing frustration ends up undermining the search process itself when exasperated candidates fall o
7、ut to pursue more decisive employersall while important projects sit paused,waiting on people to emerge from the hiring gauntlet.These hiring challenges have breathed new life into interim full-time contracting,a model thats by no means new,but worth revisiting given how well its suited to address t
8、hese concerns.As most professionals involved in hiring decisions already know,interim full-time contractors provide a way to rapidly access the competencies a company needs to keep work moving.Whats often not top-of-mind,however,is how this model can be used to address some of the challenges of hiri
9、ng into permanent full-time positions;namely by allowing the employer to refine the job description for an eventual permanent role while an interim contractor or team of contractors tackles the project work immediately.If the initial job description developed for a new permanent role doesnt need to
10、be refinedand the contracted professional is open to the full-time positionthe contract can end in a traditional contract-to-hire outcome.Revisiting the Value of Interim Consultants and Contractors|3TheFDAG If the initial job description does need to be refined(perhaps with the help of the consultan
11、t or contractor),those refinements can be communicated to the external staffing and recruitment partner,who can search for more appropriate permanent candidates concurrent with the remainder of the interim period.And of course,if the initial job description is way off,and the contracted resource isn
12、t qualified for the project,another contractor can be brought in likely far quicker and less painfully than replacing an FTE.Using interim full-time contractors this wayas a means of“feeding”a full-time hiring program without pausing projectsenables employers(particularly department hiring managers)
13、to circumvent the challenges posed by the traditionally slow and arduous hiring process.The easiest way to utilize interim contracting is to work with a resourcing firm whose recruiters can tap an active and extended network to source hard-to-find and specialized talent,deliver them on contract,and
14、provide active project management if appropriate and preferred throughout the engagement.The right resourcing partnerone whose recruiters are qualified life science subject matter experts themselvescan also help evaluate job descriptions for specialized roles and draw on experience to make helpful r
15、ecommendations as to what you really do and dont need in a resource given the needs of a role.Here at The FDA Group,were helping companies deploy interim contractors to tackle project work in just about every stage of the product lifecyclefrom clinical development to commercializationand across vari
16、ous functional areas,including Quality Assurance,Regulatory Affairs,and Clinical Operations.Given that no two life science companies find themselves with the same goals,needs,or constraints in their hiring program,the way employers use interim contractors varies from one company to another.Connect w
17、ith us to discuss the applicability and best use of these resources in the context of your organization.Revisiting the Value of Interim Consultants and Contractors|4TheFDAGRevisiting the Value of Interim Consultants and Contractors|5TheFDAGRevealing the Full Value of Interim ContractorsWe know most
18、people involved in hiring decisions understand interim contracting.Again,its nothing new.What weve noticed,however,is that it comes up as an option in resourcing discussions a little less than it should.And when it does come up,its utility tends not to be fully realized.To expand on the overview we
19、just offered,heres how we see the model working to its fullest:A company has a project and perhaps a full-time role to fill.They borrow consultants and contractors from a resourcing firms trusted network to get work started,fine-tune the job description,and validate the need for a full-time employee
20、.Depending on the outcome of this interim project,the employer then has some options that make life much easier:If it turns out an FTE isnt needed,but theres more work to do,they can extend the existing contract or bring in another contractor to do the remaining work.If an FTE is needed,and the now-
21、trained and onboarded contractor is suitable for the role,they can be offered the full-time position.(Contract-to-hire.)If an FTE is needed,but the lessons learned during the interim project changed the job description considerably,the employer can now hand their recruiter a refined job description
22、and execute a permanent placement search for more precise candidatesradically improving the quality and speed of the eventual permanent hire.The takeaway is this:Beyond just getting work done in the interim,contracted resources can help employers better understand exactly who they need to hire,and e
23、ven step in to fill that role at the end of the contract in some cases.The work doesnt have to wait on an arduous recruitment process that turns off great candidates,and the employer can sharpen their job descriptions by watching the work get done.Revisiting the Value of Interim Consultants and Cont
24、ractors|6TheFDAGWhy is Interim Full-Time Contracting Especially Advantageous in the Life Sciences?With so much rapid growth happening throughout the industry,companies are scaling their frontline and back-office operationssometimes a little,sometimes a lot.Unfortunately,finding the skilled people ne
25、eded to support this growth isnt nearly as easy to scale as companies would like.Demand for highly specialized talent is outpacing its supply in the labor market.Securing competent and driven specialists in areas like Quality Assurance,Regulatory Affairs,and Clinical Operations is arguably one of th
26、e biggest hurdles to bringing innovative healthcare products to life and keeping them there.Interim full-time contracting is especially well-suited to overcome project bottlenecks common in highly interdependent,timeline-driven life science projects and expedite the hiring process by enabling compan
27、ies to support these projects with a specialized group of contracted resources that can:keep work moving forward;help validate the need for FTEs,and refine the job descriptions used to attract them.Interim contractors that can work in and on the role can be especially advantageous when leaders are t
28、asked with finding talent with specific and competitive skills in very little time.When an FTE is needed after a contract ends,this approach can morph into a traditional contract-to-hire outcome or go on to enhance a new candidate search.The contractor,whos now been trained and integrated into the w
29、ork,may simply be hired full-time.If,however,the employer needs to change the job description based on its experience with the contractor,it can refine the details and pass those updates onto its recruiter,who,in turn,can improve the quality of the candidates they deliver once the contract ends.Revi
30、siting the Value of Interim Consultants and Contractors|7TheFDAGThis clever linkage between borrowing and buying talent is more often stumbled upon than sought out intentionally.Here at The FDA Group,we see it happen nearly every day.A hiring manager may engage us looking to hire an FTE expecting to
31、 wait as long as 90 days to find oneonly to come away with a full-time contractor who can hit the ground running in days while they continue to work on the role.During this time,we may continue to narrow our search based on lessons from the contractor if another resource will eventually be needed af
32、ter the contract.Two Problems Solved by a Smart Interim StrategyBefore we dive deeper into fully flexing the interim model,its important to touch on two underlying hiring problems that make it advantageous in the life sciences.1.Current workforce strategies are often misused to the detriment of ever
33、yone.All life science companies,regardless of size,need specialized skills.They may not require specific skills all the time,but when they do,theyre critical.Some companies hire FTEs for basically everythingregardless of whether a skill is needed temporarily or permanently.Most of the time,this turn
34、s out to be a short-sighted and ultimately costly strategy.If the role isnt permanent enough to justify an FTE,employers almost certainly end up paying more without any upside.They pay in the time it takes to find,hire,and train someone.They pay in overhead and payroll expenses.They pay in the proje
35、ct delays that invariably happen when they learn too late that the hire isnt the right fit and have to go back to square one.They incur all of these costs just to end up laying someone off a few months later when the project wraps,and theres no longer a need for them.Revisiting the Value of Interim
36、Consultants and Contractors|8TheFDAGImmediately hiring an FTE and ignoring the benefits of a first round of interim contractors,as weve alluded to a few times now,also often means halting some or all work projects while the role gets filled and failing to fine-tune the position that should be captur
37、ed in the job description,thereby keeping the door wide open to the risk of a bad fit.(According to the U.S.Department of Labor,bad hires cost most companies on average 30%of their first-year potential earnings.Others argue that the cost is much higher.)Of course,misusing contractors and consultants
38、 causes problems,too.The classic case here is relying on temporary resources for what ought to be a full-time role and paying more in hourly rates than an FTE.Since the staffing provider factors the costs of benefits into the rate,keeping contractors on for too long can lead employers to pay more ou
39、t of pocket for contingent staff when full-time employment would have been a more suitable and cost-effective choice.Also,working too long with a contractor can become a legal liability with co-employment laws.There are,of course,many situations that do call for either FTEs or contractors.In the for
40、mer case,a company may be scaling up manufacturing for the first time following market approval or simply building out one or more of its teams.In the latter case,the demands of a projectwhether skills-based or personnel-basedmay simply be three to six months long,in which case,hiring an FTE would b
41、e comparatively costly and labor-intensive.But as weve seen firsthand,many resourcing needs that arise inside pharmaceutical,biotech,and medical device companies arent so clear-cut for contracting or full-time hiringat least initially.Hiring managers are too often forced to choose a model before kno
42、wing everything they need to know about the role.Interim contractors solve this problem by enabling hiring managers to test-drive their job descriptions and see the work get done before they have to make a significant commitment one way or the other.It offers a degree of flexibility and responsible
43、experimentation that a more“rigid”workforce strategy cant.Revisiting the Value of Interim Consultants and Contractors|9TheFDAG2.The traditional recruitment and hiring process is too slow for the fast-paced life sciences labor market.This problem is worth lingering on because its so insidious and wid
44、espread.When an employer needs to fill a permanent role,finding and hiring good people quickly is obviously a massive challenge,especially in the hyper-competitive life science industries.The simple fact is,the time it takes to land the right hire when going through the traditional hiring process is
45、 often too slow to keep pace with the speed that specialized life science talent moves in and out of the labor market.In the time it takes to execute a search,review resumes,conduct interviews,check references,and make an offer,a more innovative and fast-moving recruiter and employer will have very
46、likely stolen that opportunity right out of your hands.Over time,no one should be surprised if we see the best talent migrate to the organizations with the most to offer candidates and those with the most innovative workforce strategies,leaving others behind.In addition to offering hiring managers m
47、ore flexibility and the ability to experiment with how they build their teams,an interim contract can also expedite time-to-hire.While most companies“sit in traffic”waiting on recruiters to deliver candidates the traditional way,companies using this new model get to dip into the fast lanegetting qui
48、ck access to experienced contractors who can get work done and,again,refine the role while they work.Defining the Role of the Consultant or Contractor in the Modern Life Science OrganizationBorrowing talentwhether through consulting or staff augmentationisnt new to the life sciences.Consultants and
49、contractors have been around for decades.The problem is,theyre still often perceived as temporary or“dispensable”resourcesoutsiders you bring inside for a short time to work on a specific project.Revisiting the Value of Interim Consultants and Contractors|10TheFDAGWhile theres no shortage of project
50、-based work to do,these specialized workers,as we argue here,have more utility outside of this narrow use case.Todays most innovative(and successful)resourcing professionals are making contractors an integral part of their broader workforce strategy.Employers are realizing just how well an interim s
51、trategy can address both the cyclical project-based labor demands and enhance the traditional hiring process with something much faster and more reliable than the standard“hurry-up-and-wait”approach.In addition to staffing up during busy times and staffing down during slower ones,companies with shor
52、t-and long-term staffing needs are using interim resources to execute short-term projects and keep that necessaryand now proventalent on board to fill permanent roles.As we mentioned earlier,the interim work provided by contractors and consultants gives teams the ability to challenge their assumptio
53、ns about exactly who and what they need,too.Rather than hiring FTEs based on brand new,“untested”job descriptions,teams can validate their assumptions and make important adjustments for their eventual FTE search if a contractors output reveals needs beyond their skillsets,experience,or long-term ava
54、ilability.Here are a few advantages of bringing on interim contractors and consultants in the service of improving a full-time hiring program:Teams can start executing project work immediately.With experienced consultants and contractors used to being thrown into the deep end with a new team,employe
55、rs can keep their projects moving and get work done on time and within budget.Theres less stagnating while the team waits on a candidate search.In this labor market,you could be waiting more than two or three months for an employee.The question is,how long can you afford to wait?Teams can save time
56、and resources on hiring.Working with a resourcing partner,employers outsource the expensive and time-consuming recruitment process.Their participation and duties in the process are more or less limited to selecting the best candidates from a shortlist of perhaps one or two candidates suggested by th
57、e resourcing partner.They get talent hand-selected for their project and based on their unique requirements.Building such a team on its Revisiting the Value of Interim Consultants and Contractors|11TheFDAGown can demand incredible effort,time,and resources.And in the fast-paced,competitive life scie
58、nce world,employers simply cant afford to lose time gathering a team that would fit every new project.Teams can spend far less time managing(and more time doing).In many cases,a project manager will control the workflow day-to-day and report to the employer or an in-house project manager.The entire
59、process is transparent but doesnt require the teams constant attentionfreeing them for other business tasks.Theyre always aware of the project progress,development schedules,deliverables,and the process overall.They stay in control without spending time on direct management.Teams can fine-tune the d
60、escription of their role.While a contracted resource or team is working,there might be parts of the job description listed as requirements,but they are turning out not to be requirements.Or sometimes its just the opposite.Its discovered that something needs to be a requirement but isnt listed in the
61、 responsibilities.Employers can glean an incredible amount of practical insight about a roleespecially a new rolesimply by observing and interacting with a skilled contractor whos providing intelligence and suggestions while also delivering immense value to a project.Teams can determine the requisit
62、e soft skills and personality profile that fit the role.Many roles require much more than a skill set.Is this somebody that needs to be very direct and authoritative,or will they need a softer touch?Will their work be siloed,or is it something that requires them to wear many hats?Seeing the role pla
63、yed out with a contractor allows the employer to see precisely which personality traits complement the rolesomething thats almost impossible to pin down based on assumptions alone.Teams can detect strengths and weaknesses and accelerate training and eventual onboarding.Using interim contractors this
64、 way also helps improve the interview process of an eventual employee.As an employer,you might detect things you see as a precious asset in that individual,and vice versa,spot red flags early.This approach also provides in-work training for someone after being hired,which accelerates their ramp-up s
65、peed.Revisiting the Value of Interim Consultants and Contractors|12TheFDAG“Wait,isnt this just a traditional contract-to-hire model?”To be clear,the strategy we present here is different from traditional contract-to-hire arrangements.In practice,the contract-to-hire model presumes the organization m
66、ust fill a full-time position at some point.But as we mentioned earlier,its often unknown if,at the end of a contract,a full-time position will be necessary and more or less identical to the position the contractor was initially brought in for.This new approach attacks this very problemhelping emplo
67、yers answer those critical questions with the help of a contractor before moving to the best long-term workforce solutionwhatever it ends up being.A Simple Process for Accessing Interim TalentHeres a simple step-by-step process weve found works well for accessing and taking full advantage of interim
68、 talent:1.Find a capable resourcing partner.Few resourcing firms occupy the space between a traditional staffing agency and recruitment firm.Here at The FDA Group,we do just thathelping teams connect with consultants,augment their staff with contractors,and recruit full-time employees.We can help yo
69、u understand the benefits of interim resources and other workforce models in the context of your business and your particular resourcing needs and then execute a rigorous talent search and selection process.Learn more about our services and contact us to get the conversation started.Want to do addit
70、ional due diligence in finding and selecting a partner?Read our decision-making guide here.2.Outline job requirements.To get work started,you,the employer,need to present your initial requirements to your resourcing partner.These requirements usually include a project description,job descriptions,pr
71、eferences for workflow,number of resources if more than one,the necessary tech skills,etc.Revisiting the Value of Interim Consultants and Contractors|13TheFDAGHere are a few tips weve found to be helpful among the hiring managers we work with:First,get the basics down.Think of the competencies that
72、might be useful for someone to have in this role.Look back on the results of previous staff planning projects if possible.Consider interviewing someone who already has some of those competencies or will be working with the person in this new roleespecially if the new persons output will be essential
73、 to them.Share your plan with them.Ask them to challenge your assumptions and suggest competencies themselves.Look at current employees close to this role.What competencies do you see the employees using?What skills do you see them deploying?Highlight your unknowns.If there are parts of the role you
74、 know you dont know,write them down and put a question mark around them.A good life science recruiting partner may be able to look at similar recruitment projects to make suggestions.Otherwise,these are the areas youll want to observe and learn about with a contractor.3.Let your resourcing partner f
75、ind your resource or assemble a team.Good partners often have an extensive network of professionals ready to start working on a project immediately or very soon.If the project requires additional time,the resourcing partner takes on all the responsibility to find professionals with the experience an
76、d expertise needed.Its the employers job to approve or not the candidates from the shortlist.4.Integrate the resource or team.In most cases,a resourcing partner will aid in integrating the professionals into a project.At this point,the employer agrees on a preferred management approach.They retain c
77、omplete management control over the team and can adjust the process if needed.A good partner will also offer external resource management to lower the burden on the employers management team.5.Monitor and manage the process.The contracted resource or team starts working on assignments.The project ma
78、nager reports to the employer team regularly and provides feedback to ensure that all the project requirements are Revisiting the Value of Interim Consultants and Contractors|14TheFDAGfulfilled.The hiring manager can then observe every dimension of their output,approach,and style against the origina
79、l job description.Be on the lookout for changes to requirements,soft skills,precise knowledge and experience,cross-functional collaboration,and interpersonal demeanor.6.Pass any revisions onto the recruiter and decide on the best long-term workforce strategy.At this point,the employer can bring any
80、job description revisions to the recruiter to narrow their search and improve candidate qualityeither during the contract period if a concurrent search is being run or afterward to fill a needed FTE role.Of course,if the contractor is suitable for the role and willing to take the position,they can b
81、e hired when the contract expires.Summary,Final Thoughts,and Next StepsThe traditional approach to recruitment has multiple drawbacks and limitations in the fast-moving life science industriessome of which are severe enough to be deal-breakers searching for top talent.At The FDA Group,we take every
82、opportunity to help life science companies realize which workforce model is most advantageous to them,and then connect them with top talent through that model.After helping many organizations use various workforce strategies,weve seen this interim full-time contracting strategy emerge as a natural l
83、inkage between the benefits of contractors and the need for FTEs.This approach to recruitment enables companies to hire flexibly and refine their searchesa great option for those spearheading new program development and helping to augment a companys internal team during busy times or when a company
84、is just building out a part of its workforce.The approach we present here can help you avoid these challenges.However,if youre unsure of its applicability to your organization,we encourage you to contact us to discuss it in context.If youd like to learn how this model can be implemented into your op
85、eration,use the links below to get in touch with us and get the conversation started.We connect you to top life science talent,wherever and whenever you need themguaranteed.Need a better way to find top talent through the workforce model thats right for your organization?We rapidly identify qualifie
86、d consultants,candidates,and contractors and connect you to them through the most advantageous strategy for you.Whether you need to fill a single role or multiple roles on your team,we connect you to life science professionals with experience and expertise across functions,product lifecycle phases,a
87、nd locations to augment and scale your team through consulting projects,staff augmentation,and FTE recruitment.We can fulfill resource placement needs in a variety of roles and functions including,but not limited to:Quality Assurance Regulatory Affairs Clinical Operations Commissioning,Qualification
88、,and Validation Manufacturing&EngineeringWe help thousands of firms,including 17 of the top 25 global pharmaceutical,biotech,and medical device companies,find the resources they need,when and where they need them,through the optimal workforce model.Our resources are located in several dozen countries and have expertise throughout the life sciences.All of our services are backed by a Total Quality Guarantee.Learn more and connect with us.VIEW ALL SERVICES GET IN TOUCH Revisiting the Value of Interim Consultants and Contractors|15TheFDAG