What Scientific/Clinical Hiring Managers Check

What Scientific/Clinical Hiring Managers Check

Science professionals enjoy a good job outlook, with many companies competing for top talent. If you’re in the market for a new job, it’s still important to know the best way to package your skills and accomplishments to stand out to scientific and clinical hiring managers.  

Keep the following tips in mind: 

  • Your résumé is your most important calling card. In the age of online profiles, the résumé is still king.According to the scientific and clinical hiring managers surveyed, 65 percent prefer digital or electronic résumés when evaluating scientific candidates. A traditional or hard copy résumé is preferred by 32 percent. Therefore, in order to be able to send out your résumé quickly, make sure you have it saved in a number of file formats including a Word document, pdf, and .txt.
  • Alternative résumé formats aren’t widely adopted. Only two percent of scientific and clinical hiring managers prefer to review personalized websites or "digital portfolios"; one percent prefer LinkedIn profiles; and none prefer to receive a video résumé. Clearly, unless a job posting specifically asks for one of these formats, you’re best off focusing on a digital or hardcopy résumé.
  • Your qualifications must match the job description. An overwhelming 82 percent of scientific and clinical hiring managers agree that this is the most important résumé component influencing their decision on which candidates to interview. Before you send out your résumé, invest some time in tailoring your qualifications and experience to match the job listing. It’s also advisable to feature the same keywords in your résumé and cover letter where appropriate.
  • Social media. Surprisingly, the majority of scientific and clinical hiring managers do not frequently check social media to review a candidate’s information or background. Only nine percent report regularly doing so. Similarly, only a small number(eight percent) have ever disqualified a candidate based on a review of their social media profile.
  • What about LinkedIn? Of the scientific and clinical hiring managers who say they do review LinkedIn, 91 percent are reviewing your employment history.
  • What are the benefits of social media? Hiring managers may not always be looking here, but social media may still aid indirectly in your job search. The majority of scientific professionals surveyed by Kelly® (70 percent) say social media is their primary method of networking, and 37 percent use their social media networks when making career or employment decisions. Add to this the fact that employee or industry referrals are top ways hiring managers find talent, and it’s clear that social media is a vitally important tool for establishing and building relationships with your peers and industry leaders.

To position yourself to your best advantage in the job search process, always make sure your résumé is up to date and tailored to the position you want. For scientific professionals in particular, it’s still advisable to keep your LinkedIn profile current and your social media profiles active to build your network.

Survey methodology: The 2015 Hiring Manager Research (U.S./Canada) was conducted by RDA Group on behalf of Kelly. Over 1,000 hiring managers in the U.S. and Canada were surveyed. Participants had direct hiring responsibilities for talent in healthcare, engineering, finance and accounting, IT, and scientific fields. Results represent a cross section of industries and career disciplines. Of the total surveyed, 212 were scientific and clinical hiring managers.