Employers are finding it increasingly tough to locate high-achieving medical devices talent, and there are a few different reasons for this.

From the medical devices skills shortage to increased competition levels from employers within the sector; getting top-quality talent to apply for your roles can be an arduous task.

And this is without the added complications of Covid – which have left the once relatively straightforward mission of interviewing and onboarding logistically challenging.

But even in a problematic environment, medical devices organisations must continue to recruit. Now, more than ever, your business should not be operating with critical vacancies; top talent is essential for the survival of your company in our post-pandemic world.

So, today we share five expert recruitment strategies you can start implementing today.

1. Think Outside the Box on Experience

When it comes to recruiting medical devices talent in 2021, taking a holistic approach is needed.

Often, hiring managers can have an inflexible idea of what they are looking for in their candidates and feel frustrated when they can’t find the ‘perfect’ match.

Add to this the challenge of potentially having many candidates to sift through, and this can equal a lengthy recruitment process – not ideal considering three out of five candidates have taken a second-choice job because their first-choice employer took too long to respond.

To combat this, introduce another dimension to your recruitment search – look for relevant industry experience. You will have the ‘must-haves’ for your role, such as specific qualifications, but introducing a wider-angled approach to your hiring could return you more valuable candidates. You could find yourself in touch with a great candidate sooner than you expect when you start to think outside the box.

For example, you might be looking for a standout Medical Devices Sales rep, but someone with a proven track record of delivering IT sales results applies – just because this individual has limited knowledge of the medical devices sector, they could still be an excellent addition to your team.

If you would like to bring a fresh approach to what you are looking for in your next medical device hires – talk to a trusted recruiter.

Next, let’s look at the importance of attitude when hiring new talent.

2. Hire For Attitude

Hiring for attitude rather than skill is a strategy that medical devices employers are increasingly adopting.

The demand for medical devices talent this year has been tremendous, with this only set to continue as we battle the pandemic and develop new life-saving medical equipment. You need to know you have team players, with problem-solving and can-do attitudes on your side.

Imagine you are interviewing two candidates for one role. One candidate has more experience, but they fail to demonstrate a winning attitude in the interview, hiring the less experienced candidate could be a smarter move here.

You can teach skills; you cannot change a negative attitude.

Since the pandemic, employers are increasingly looking for candidates who can demonstrate resilience, flexibility, the ability to improvise, and those who are genuine team players.

Does your person specification reflect these new in-demand skills?

3. Review Your Employee Incentives and Schemes

A significant part of attracting high-performing medical device talent is to make yourself an employer they are genuinely invested in developing their career with.

This means demonstrating your value as a top employer and offering the most competitive employee incentives, benefits and schemes.

Career progression is a must for top medical devices talent – even despite Covid, are you offering all you can in terms of career development with both internal and external training?

Additionally, since the pandemic, employees are more focused on the values of their employer. You must be able to demonstrate that you have an excellent wellbeing programme in place.

Do you:

• Offer flexible working?
• Have a wellbeing pledge that you implement and monitor in the form of managers checking in with employees mental and physical health?
• Lead the way in terms of diversity and inclusion – are you an employer who listens and treats everyone fairly? If so, do you communicate this to potential candidates?

Medical device employers can’t get away from the fact that top talent is now looking to develop their careers with compassionate organisations, dedicated to their teams.

4. Update Your Recruitment Strategy

Updating your interview strategy for 2021 is a guaranteed way to get better results from your recruitment, and you can do this in a few ways.

• Update your role descriptions working closely with members of each department – you may need to develop or create new roles for the post-Covid market
• Eradicate any unnecessary stages in your recruitment, and cut your hiring timelines, so candidates stay engaged in the process
• Refresh your employer branding in terms of job adverts, social media and other online content – this will keep your talent pipeline connected with what you are doing in terms of recruitment
• Ensure your online interview process is smooth and up-to-date, especially if you plan on asking for pre-recorded interview questions. Demonstrating cutting edge technology will help you stand out as a progressive employer.

Finally, let’s look at how working with a medical devices recruiter can help your 2021 hiring strategy.

5. Research Different Options with Your Recruiter

It is understandable in the uncertain economic times we have been living through that medical device organisations want to protect their investments, and many are even making cuts.

But cutting your hiring budget often ends up creating further problems for your business. At Kinetic, we offer tailored recruitment packages to companies of all size, ensuring your ROI is always protected.

This means that you can guarantee you get the results you want, all at a pre-arranged fee you are happy with. The alternative could be to spend months on a potentially unsuccessful recruitment drive without guaranteed results at the end.

Speak to our medical devices recruitment experts today to find out more about how our services can help you reach your recruitment and business growth goals this year. Click here to contact us, or call on +971 (0)4 442 0921.

Thanks,

Rudy

How Kinetic Can Help

Kinetic sources professionals locally and internationally for leading multinational, regional and local Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices companies, including Consumer Healthcare organisations.

If you need help sourcing the best candidates for your pharmaceutical or medical device organisation who will help drive your business forward this year, get in contact with us today.