Sandra H. Shichtman

 

AS BABY BOOMERS AGE, THE NEED FOR PHARMACEUTICALS AND RELATED PRODUCTS ARE EXPECTED TO GROW

 

IN THE 2010 CENSUS, THE MOST RECENT, THE US CENSUS BUREAU TALLIED 13 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION AS 65 YEARS OLD OR OLDER. THAT TRANSLATES INTO 40,267,984 SENIOR CITIZENS, MORE THAN LISTED IN ANY PREVIOUS CENSUS. ON AVERAGE, SENIORS REQUIRE MORE MEDICINE TO MAINTAIN THEIR GOOD HEALTH AND TO RECOVER FROM ILLNESSES THAN THEIR YOUNGER COUNTERPARTS. THEY ALSO NEED MEDICAL DEVICES SUCH AS STENTS, IMPLANTS, DIALYSIS MACHINES, AND HEART VALVES IN GREATER NUMBERS. PHARMACEUTICAL AND BIOMEDICAL DEVICES COMPANIES ARE EXPANDING THEIR PRODUCT OFFERINGS TO MEET THOSE NEEDS AND, AS A RESULT, MANY ARE INCREASING THEIR WORKFORCES.

 

SANDOZ: IMPORTANT INITIATIVES

SANDOZ, THE GENERIC PHARMACEUTICALS DIVISION OF NOVARTIS, IS A GLOBAL LEADER IN THE GENERIC PHARMACEUTICAL SECTOR. THE COMPANY EMPLOYS OVER 26,500 EMPLOYEES ACROSS MORE THAN 160 COUNTRIES, OFFERING A BROAD RANGE OF HIGH-QUALITY, AFFORDABLE PRODUCTS THAT ARE NO LONGER PROTECTED BY PATENTS.

 

Sandoz hires candidates with varying levels of college degrees across a wide swath of job functions. The company looks for undergrads with degrees in business administration, accounting, economics, communication, pharmacy, biology, chemistry, microbiology, and multiple engineering disciplines; and graduate degrees in medical biophysics and MBAs with concentrations in marketing, engineering, and mathematics. Candidates with PhDs in pharmaceutical science can find a home at Sandoz, as well as MDs, sought for therapeutic development and medical affairs.

 

“We hire a limited number of college graduates straight out of school,” acknowledges Rossana Gray, head of human resources for North America at Sandoz. “We prefer a little experience with other companies. When we hire, we don’t look only for the generic pharmaceutical experience. We also look for consumer products and regulated manufacturing experience, among other industries.”

 

Recruiting is accomplished through a variety of channels—posting open positions internally within both Sandoz and its parent company, Novartis, and on job-posting boards, social media, and through thirdparty job vendors. Current employees, called associates, can also refer candidates for posted positions. “We always keep multiple candidates having the same skills in specific folders in our database for quick access when a position becomes available,” Gray comments. “We also engage in exploratory interviews for relationship building. When the need comes up, then we have candidates readily available.”

 

The company is a market leader in complex differentiated therapy. “These are difficult-to-make products, including biosimilars, oncology injectibles, opthalmics, and inhalation drugs as well as antiinfectives. Differentiated products comprise about 45 percent of our business and it’s still growing,” Gray explains.

 

Sandoz’ diversity outreach coordinator recruits in local areas where the company’s headquarters and manufacturing plants are located. “This person is responsible for creating a pipeline that includes military veterans, individuals with disabilities, and diversity of candidates,” Gray explains. “The coordinator insures that the local community is aware of our job postings and works closely with local community workforce agencies and the military. We also work very closely with all of our recruiters in order to source directly from these talent pools.”

 

As a means of promoting diversity & inclusion (D&I), Gray says, “We are participants in the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association an organization committed to the advancement of women in the pharmaceutical, biotech, and healthcare industries. The company also attends diversity job fairs.

 

The diversity and inclusion team is actually a resource group that looks at the company’s culture to make certain Sandoz’ three strategic D&I priorities—talent, culture, and marketplace—are in place and working. Other resource groups include Women at Sandoz and, as part of that, Women in Leadership, a special women-driven leadership network. “We aim to become an employer of choice by attracting as well as retaining the top talent across the world,” Gray says. “Our D&I mission is to become the leading generic company by cultivating an inclusive, high-performance environment based on our diversity.”

 

ZIMMER BIOMET: SHAPING SOLUTIONS

ZIMMER BIOMET WAS FORMED IN JUNE 2015 WHEN ZIMMER ACQUIRED BIOMET TO CREATE A LEADING INNOVATOR IN THE $45 BILLION MUSCULOSKELETAL HEALTHCARE MARKET. “OUR COMPANY IS COMMITTED TO SHAPING SOLUTIONS FOR THE EVOLVING HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY AND OFFERS A COMPREHENSIVE AND DIVERSIFIED PORTFOLIO OF MUSCULOSKELETAL SOLUTIONS,” SAYS ERIN MORRIS, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, TALENT ACQUISITION.

 

Zimmer Biomet hires the newly-graduated with undergraduate degrees as well as MBA degrees, and provides development programs for new hires.

 

The company looks for people who are interested in helping restore mobility, alleviate pain, and improve the quality of life for patients around the world. Its leadership development program accelerates the development of high-potential candidates with an interest in becoming future corporate leaders. Participants work through three eight-month rotations in marketing, quality and regulatory affairs, and supply chain. Challenging assignments offer experiences in global project management, team building and leadership, finance management, and negotiations.

 

Other two-year development programs, including finance, quality, and operations, give students an opportunity to hone leadership skills. Upon completion of the program, the experience and newly-acquired skills could lead to a variety of career paths for participants.

 

In addition, internships offer a great introduction to students in various fields of study—science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Students gain real-world experience through paid, supervised training. The Cooperative Education Program can help students put classroom knowledge to work in the real world and participants typically are engineers who have completed their sophomore year and complete a series of three-to-five rotations through various areas of engineering.

 

“Experience gained through internships and/or prior work experience is favorable when we look at new college graduates’ resumes,” Morris explains. “Steps that a student takes to differentiate themselves from the competition help set them apart as our recruiters review their resumes.” Both students and recent graduates can find career opportunities and apply for positions at www.zimmerbiomet.com.

 

Morris also says the company is proactive about assuring a diverse workforce. “We make sure our open positions are posted on a number of diversity-focused career opportunity sites and we participate in on-campus events as well as recruiting events such as the National Black MBA annual conference.”

 

She sees growth occurring across the en tire industry as well as within Zimmer Biomet, based on current and future demographics. “With a large baby-boomer generation and a population of individuals with health issues, the need for the products we offer is growing every day. This is true of our sports medicine and intervention and joint preservation offerings as people seek prevention before they need to have a replacement procedure.

 

“With a focus on achieving game-changing innovations and extraordinary patient outcomes, individuals with engineering experience will be needed,” Morris adds. “The quality of our products also is very important to us, so we will continue to look for talent in the area of quality assurance and regulatory affairs.”

 

EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES: FOCUSED INNOVATION

A MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANY, EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES HIRES, AMONG OTHER TECHNICAL EXPERTS, COLLEGE GRADS WITH EITHER BACHELOR’S OR MASTER’S DEGREES, PRIMARILY IN MECHANICAL, BIOMEDICAL, ELECTRICAL, OR CHEMICAL ENGINEERING. IT ALSO HIRES INDIVIDUALS WITH FINANCE, BUSINESS, COMPUTER SCIENCE, AND MARKETING DEGREES, AS WELL AS MBAS. THE COMPANY OFFERS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR NEWLY-GRADUATED ENGINEERS TO APPLY FOR AN ENGINEERING ROTATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, CALLED THE TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (TDP), AND A FINANCE DEVELOPMENT ROTATION PROGRAM FOR FULL-TIME FINANCE GRADUATES.

 

“Edwards views recruiting new grads as a strong investment into building our talent pipeline for future leaders and we have been doing so in a concentrated way for the past ten-plus years,” says Tori Brent, senior manager, university relations.

 

“Our university recruiters focus on new graduates with internship experience,” she explains. “Engineering candidates typically have industry experience from previous internships. Non-engineering positions also need internship experience in related fields, although it does not need to be industry-specific.”

 

No matter what the area, recruiters look for candidates that have passion, are confident yet humble, and who can provide diverse perspectives.

 

Typically, Edwards hires interns who are in their third or fourth year and have had a prior internship, although other candidates are also considered. In summer 2015, a large number of interns pursuing college degrees worked in the company’s Irvine, CA and Draper, UT locations.

 

“We like to stay connected with previous interns as potential new hires when they graduate. The investment starts early and we like to see them return. To help bridge academics to industry, we created a summer program for new grads and interns. Our interactive program offers technical and leadership development opportunities and acts as a launching pad for their careers,” Brent says. “We do have a few co-ops, but typically those positions are shorter in duration and over the summer.”

 

Internships are not rotational, she adds. “However, we sometimes see previous interns working in different business units or on different products when they return.”

 

Brent adds, “We advise college students to network and get connected with professors and campus clubs that have industry leads to internship opportunities. Companies look for students who are involved with clubs and attend industry-sponsored events or industry-led lectures. We encourage students to be authentic and open minded to where their major can lead, possibly someplace they haven’t thought of before. Be adventurous and consider relocating for the summer. It will be a great experience.”

 

Edwards’ recruiters attend conferences of organizations and sponsors events on college campuses, including career fairs and club networking events. Diversity is also incorporated into Edwards’ Integrated Talent Management Process, which includes—but is not limited to—gender, ethnicity, culture, and generations. Two diversity council groups foster employee advancement through mentoring and leadership development programs..

 

Looking into the next decade, the company expects many aspects of the healthcare environment to change, from the delivery and documentation of patient care to the adoption of new treatments and devices and expanding regulatory requirements. Edwards is committed to being part of this change through what it calls focused innovation. “We’re proud to be aggressive investors in innovation to provide solutions to save and enhance patients’ lives,” Brent says.

 

FMCNA: FOSTERING CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

PREMIERE HEALTHCARE COMPANY FRESENIUS MEDICAL CARE NORTH AMERICA (FMCNA) IS FOCUSED ON DELIVERING THE HIGHEST QUALITY CARE TO PEOPLE WITH RENAL AND OTHER CHRONIC CONDITIONS.

 

“The most likely positions we would hire for without direct healthcare experience is for our patient-care technicians,” says Brian Silva, chief HR officer & senior vice president. “At any given time we have approximately 1,000 job openings across the country for patient-care technicians.”

 

Besides nursing degrees, FMCNA hires individuals with degrees in healthcare, legal, engineering, finance, accounting, biology, chemistry, social work, and information technology. Employees work in the dialysis clinics, corporate locations, manufacturing facilities (where dialysis machines are made), warehouses, phlebotomy labs (where patients’ blood is tested), and the pharmacy.

 

Although FMCNA hires college grads that don’t have work experience, “in a competitive job market, the more experience you have is, of course, always helpful and, in some cases, required for our positions,” exlains Silva. It could be actual work experience (not necessarily in the healthcare field), an internship, or a co-op; all work experiences should be included on the applicants’ resumes. FMCNA also offers a summer help program to students who are in their third and fourth year.

 

The company has more than 60,000 employees working in North America and 2,200 dialysis clinics in the US. Workforce diversity and inclusion is a critical part of its organization. “We think it brings creativity,” Silva says. “We think that diversity brings innovation, productivity, and it also reflects a diverse patient profile that we also support.”

 

To that end, recruiters attend diversity job fairs and professional organizations and make on-campus visits. “But, of course, these days, a tremendous amount of what we do is through social media, through diversity websites, career blogs, and diversity job locators,” acknowledges Silva.

 

Because two-thirds of FMCNA employees work in its clinics, recruiters look for individuals who are passionate, creative, have a team orientation, and are innovative. “For those who deal with our patients—and that is our number one focus—people with compassion, empathy, and who have an orientation for working with others who are in need are really important,” Silva says.

 

Employees with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations may request them from the service center located within FMCNA’s HR department and accessed through an Ask HR tool located on the company’s intranet. This allows the HR service center to contact the employee, understand that employee’s needs, and then “act as a conduit between the employee and his or her boss to work out reasonable accommodations for anyone who’s requested it.”

 

Silva looks forward to growth within both the medical devices field in general and FMCNA in particular, with “a tremendous amount of innovation and creativity.” Five, ten, and even 15 years down the road, he expects FMCNA to be making devices much smaller, from a technology standpoint, and, from a software standpoint, much more userfriendly. “We would like to get to a place where we could have 20 or 30 percent of our patients doing dialysis by themselves in their homes,” he explains. For the near future he adds, “We’re currently doing some work on something that would be a dialyzer that a person could actually wear on his body.”