In today’s hectic business landscape, your time comes at a premium. For hiring managers, filling positions often requires finding top-notch biotech and medical device industry talent within a very tight turnaround time. Unfortunately, there are times when hiring managers don’t follow procedures to the letter. As a result, it’s crucial for hiring managers to be aware of the best practices they ought to keep in mind at all times.
In this article, we’ll discuss ten hiring rules that most managers forget to follow. Keeping these rules in mind will ensure that hiring managers attract the best biotech and medical device talent out there while meeting hiring deadlines.
1. Hiring managers are policy experts
All too often, hiring managers forget they are subject matter experts in their company. Company staff view hiring managers as the definitive expert in all matters related to attracting, hiring, and retaining talent.
As a hiring manager, you have the authority to direct hiring practices within your company. This attitude isn’t about arrogance or hubris. Your company has entrusted you with a crucial role. Therefore, it’s up to you to take the lead and establish the guidelines for your company’s hiring policies. Ultimately, you are the go-to person in all things related to talent acquisition; don’t be hesitant to own it!
2. Getting detailed information from applicants
A hiring manager’s primary focus is to fill out positions as soon as possible during peak hiring seasons. This urgency may lead to staff forgetting to ask candidates for detailed information during ID verification. Unfortunately, there are times when companies realize they’ve missed key information when it’s too late.
Keeping a detailed checklist of essential information is a great way to avoid missing important details. For example, getting proof of residence, ID, I-9 forms, and social security number are all key elements to get from applicants. Collecting this information upfront will save your staff time down the road, particularly during payroll and tax seasons.
3. Keeping employee information secure
Some companies become lax in keeping employee information secure when it comes to sensitive information. Paper and electronic records must remain safe. In particular, electronic records require good information security practice. A data breach can jeopardize employees’ personal information such as name, address, social security number, and bank account numbers. Beyond employment data, a data breach can also put vital intellectual property at risk, potentially harming your entire organization.
Consulting with an information security expert is a great way to avoid unfortunate data breaches. Paying for an information security audit is far cheaper than paying the costs associated with a data breach. Keep in mind that employees can sue the company if their personal information gets into the wrong hands.
4. Knowing the right questions to ask
Amid the buzz during intense staffing campaigns, recruiters might rush through interviews in hopes of saving time. However, attempting to save time may lead recruiters to miss essential information. Moreover, inappropriate questions about race, religion, age, ethnicity, or marital status may slip through the cracks. Asking these questions constitutes a breach of hiring best practices and may construe discrimination.
During busy hiring times, managers and recruiters can rely on pre-approved questionnaires. Like checklists, questionnaires take the guesswork out of interviewing applicants. Additionally, a carefully curated questionnaire ensures that the right candidates make the cut.
5. Brushing up on employee rights
Biotech and medical device company hiring managers must be aware of employees’ rights. Nevertheless, regulations can change without notice. As such, employers may inadvertently neglect to follow current workers’ rights. After all, failing to comply with employee rights may bring legal consequences for the company. For instance, staffing professionals must be aware of current guidelines on drug testing, proof of vaccination, or background checks. Failure to comply with approved guidelines may constitute a violation of employee rights.
Keeping current on employee rights is a must in the hiring profession. As such, you can regularly check the Department of Labor’s website to follow updates. Moreover, you can contact your state’s labor office to receive updates whenever policies and regulations change.
6. Ensuring health benefits are compliant
Like employee rights, health benefits are crucial for hiring best practices. In particular, you must ensure your company’s health benefits are compliant when issuing an offer to an applicant. In doing so, you can avoid possible legal consequences for the company.
A good rule of thumb is to match health benefits according to each position in the company. This approach is important, especially if your company offers differentiated benefits. Moreover, your state may have different minimum requirements based on employee job classification and income bracket. Therefore, having a table handy will ensure that job offers are compliant with your local regulations.
7. Disclosing salary
Disclosing salary is an important part of hiring best practices. Interested applicants must be aware of how much your company offers for a specific position. Consequently, disclosing salary information during the hiring process breeds transparency throughout every step.
A good practice is to list a salary range in your company’s job postings. In doing so, interested candidates will know where your company stands. Your company can demand that interested applicants follow its lead by being fully transparent. Ultimately, transparency from all sides fosters trust.
8. Being thorough
Paying attention to detail is a crucial element of any successful hiring process. Nevertheless, there are instances in which pressure forces hiring managers and recruiters to work as quickly as possible to meet expectations. As a result, some details may go unnoticed. Missing details can lead to issues down the road. For instance, not fully vetting a candidate’s background may result in hiring the wrong person for a position.
Hiring managers and recruiters must be as thorough as possible throughout the hiring process and should include things like contacting references, consulting criminal records, and credit scores, as appropriate. Going through these sources of information may reveal red flags or confirm that this candidate really is the best person for the role. Ultimately, being thorough can save the organization a significant amount of time down the road. This is critical for biotech and medical device industry staff dealing with sensitive data that are often required for certain positions.
9. Setting clear rules
Companies tend to have plenty of procedures and policies in place. However, more rules don’t always mean better results. Ideally, companies should only have as many rules and policies as needed. However, these regulations must be clear. Having lots of unclear or contradicting policies adversely affects a company’s ability to attract high-quality talent.
Hiring managers should strive to set clear rules as much as possible. For instance, hiring managers should set specific guidelines recruiters must follow in certain situations. Furthermore, hiring managers must instruct their staff on how much freedom they have to act. Ultimately, a clear rule can save your company from making unnecessary mistakes.
10. Being human
Hiring managers may sometimes forget they are human. They work long hours and take on intense workloads. Naturally, such workloads are unsustainable. Savvy biotech and medical device company hiring managers must learn when to delegate tasks and when to cut back on their workload. Please remember that you are human. So, it would be best if you recognized when it’s time to take your foot off the gas. Take the time to rest and recalibrate your focus. In doing so, you’ll be at the top of your game all the time.
Hiring a staffing agency is a great way of dealing with an intense workload. Particularly, bringing a staffing agency into the mix can reduce the number of tasks and time needed to fill spots, attract top-quality talent, and boost productivity. Meanwhile, company executives can take a moment to catch their breath and refocus. Ultimately, a staffing agency becomes a trusted partner whenever hiring managers need a helping hand.
How Can Simply Biotech Help You Make a Difference in Your Biotech or Medical Device Company?
Simply Biotech is a trusted leader in the talent acquisition field. We have helped scores of biotech and medical device companies, like yours, save time and effort. At Simply Biotech we aim to provide top-tier services for our business partners. We know what it’s like to work with tight turnaround times and complex recruiting projects.
We have the talent and experience your company needs to facilitate your biotech and medical device staffing needs. With Simply Biotech, you don’t have to worry about missing important details or forgetting critical rules. We have you covered every step of the way. Contact us today to learn more about what we can do to help you make a difference in your company.
This post is made available for informational purposes only to provide a general understanding of the topics discussed herein. It is not intended to provide specific business, legal, or professional advice, and should not be relied on as such. Simply Biotech is not liable or responsible for any damage or loss arising from any reliance placed on such materials.
