PharmiMike

Why is it that so few companies provide us with RSS feeds of their news?

I know RSS has been around for a long time (in web terms) but with my “PharmiWeb editor” hat on, I find it incredibly useful to keep track of multiple companies (and topics) in one place. Tools like Feedly, make it very simple.

However, probably less than 10% of companies provide a News RSS feed. Which means I either have to trawl round dozens of sites, or as is more often the case, I don’t bother. I’m not sure who’s missing out most?

Now there are tools to turn a website into an RSS feed, but I’ve not found them to be very intuitive or easy to set up: but why should I need to do this, when its far simpler for every company’s website to provide it for me.

Come on guys, make 2014 the year of RSS.

Fascinating sessions at the 2013 JobG8 job board summit yesterday. Thanks to all the speakers and sponsors.

My key takeaways (in no particular order):

• Give clients (and candidates) more “insight” by digging into our “big data”
• Don’t lose focus and continuously improve the key user experiences
• Don’t ever forget your core product
• Invest in your “Tech Team”
• Nobody’s quite figured out how to apply by mobile (or are not saying).. attach Cvs from dropbox/gDrive etc
• Need to focus on mobile and the huge variations of device
• Survey your users continuously
• Don’t forget Google+
• Job boards are not going away
• LinkedIn are not perfect (and may not be around forever)
• Candidates can be described as “active” or “random”
• Smart Posting? – we post for client –  Added value (£) (Post & candidate filtering?)
• Adaptive – Responsive is the way to go
• API the product
• Aggregators are a necessary evil (for now) – and everyone uses them
• Automatic job matching based on candidate’s profile/behaviour
• Continuously improve job search.
• Clients want quality not quantity
• Candidates want quality (relevance) not quantity
• Minimise barriers to everything
• Put yourself in the shoes of the candidate
• Loading times on mobile are crucial
• Candidates hate not knowing the application status
• eHarmony are still working on their job board
• Not enough innovation
• Everyone is seeing growth – good indicator for economy!

I’m sure there’s loads more that will come back to me, but this is a good start!

Mike

If you’ve not ready this before, get ready for a good chortle.

http://realbusiness.co.uk/article/21433-richard-branson-the-best-virgin-atlantic-complaint-letter-ever

The brave new world of social media has given employers fresh terrain to navigate and potential minefields to avoid. Given the increase in the use of social media and the rapid speed at which the legal and legislative landscape is changing, employers in small, medium and large companies need to properly institute policies and training in the workplace regarding: (i) managing and monitoring employee’s social media usage; and (ii) using it for recruiting purposes.

A recent survey conducted by Emedia.com and XpertHR, combined with our own independent research, shows that social media use on the whole continues to rise. Also on the rise is the number of individuals who use social media while they are at work (67% of companies permit access to social media for business use and 30% allow access for non-business use) and the number of employers who use it for recruiting purposes. Although an increasing number of companies of varying sizes have instituted social media policies (ranging from 51% of small companies to 80% of large companies) and may even monitor employee use of social media (40% of companies monitor use on a company provided computer), employers are not following up by being diligent and providing social media training to supervisors, managers and employees. These individuals potentially remain unaware of the legal issues surrounding their use of social media at work and how to engage in proper and appropriate use. As a result, employers find themselves facing more and more instances of discrimination, harassment, bullying and inappropriate conduct on social media which could lead to employer liability. They may also face claims that they violated the National Labor Relations Act and First Amendment in taking action against employees for negative postings about the company or employer on social media. Lastly, they should be aware that employee misuse of employer-provided computers with respect to social media use can put the employer’s networks and equipment at risk.

Author: Beth P. Zoller, XpertHR Legal Editor  June 13, 2013

 
Infographic on Social Media in the Workplace by XpertHR

Apparently the government is looking into this as an option. I think this makes perfect sense. It would certainly encourage business’ to take on apprentices, and help train our youngsters in real jobs not just endless “training courses” and schemes.

Interesting article by Charlie Mullins http://realbusiness.co.uk/article/22253-finally-some-common-sense-employers-to-be-paid-for-apprentices

Getting a job that needs experience you don’t have - It’s a common problem. You want to get a job in a given field, but you have no direct experience, and all the job adverts say “experience needed”, so how do you get experience without getting a job – Here are a few tips that might help:

Qualifications - before we start – make sure your qualifications are up to scratch – clearly if you don’t have the relevant qualifications OR experience, you’re going to be fighting a hard battle!

Entry Level Roles - Firstly many companies or agencies advertise “entry level” roles. These roles generally need little experience, but usually still need suitable qualifications. Take a look here: http://www.pharmiweb.com/jobs/entry-level.asp?section=jobsearch

Look at your “transferable” skills. Soft skills such as people management or project management are easily transferable, so make sure you highlight these in your CV.

Look outside your work - Maybe you already do something or can do something outside of work that demonstrates your passion for the subject and your enthusiasm. Not only does this demonstrate that you’re keen, but that you’re a do-er. It will also build up your skills.

Research - if you are desperate to become a Clinical Researcher for example, read up all you can about the subject. If you get a chance for an interview (or even bump into someone at a party), you’ll need to talk knowledgably about the job and demonstrate your enthusiasm.

Courses - There are loads of online courses available now, and many are free. If you have the time, do them. They will build up your knowledge and also look good on your CV.

Network - Online or offline, networking is a great way to get your foot in the door, or start to mingle with people in your target field. Attend a conference or two if you can afford it. Join appropriate LinkedIn groups.

Webinars - there are loads of online webinars now. many are free. http://www.pharmiweb.com/events/webinars.asp

Experience by osmosis - If you’re looking for a medical sales role for example – find someone who’s already doing it and ask them (nicely) if they mind you shadowing them for a day. You’ll gain a great insight, and have something solid on your CV.

Volunteer - depending on the role, you may be able to volunteer or offer your services somewhere that’s relevant. Do thorough research to see who’s in your area, as you may be able to offer your services for a week or so at a suitable local company. Again, great for experience and networking.

Start your own website or business - Clearly this depends on your target role, but if you don’t have experience, you can always hire yourself! Consider what is connected to your target role, and see if there’s a gap in the market. Even just the research will help to add to your skills and knowledge.

Blog or Write - Blogging can be a great way to demonstrate that you know something about your chosen field. Writing an article and contributing it to an online or offline publications can be a great way to get exposure and also looks great on your CV.

Go out and get it - if you’ve identified the perfect job at the perfect company watch them like a hawk, and contact the relevant individuals regularly (but don’t become a nuisance!)  - you need to show them that you’re keen!

If you follow some of these suggestions you should increase your chances of landing that job! and don’t forget to keep checking : http://www.pharmiweb.com/jobs/entry-level.asp?section=jobsearch

An interesting post from Fordyce…

Placement Fees Are Cheap When You Look At Them This Way

Employers seldom complain about the services of headhunters, it’s the headhunters’ fee that has become their pain point….

 

Read more

I’m not sure that anyone knows when the end of the world will be, but the chances are that its not today, despite the predictions of the doomsday “believers”. So what will you be planning for 2013 – assuming we get there?

Personally, I’m in a planning frenzy right now, and looking at how I can reach and interact with even larger groups of Pharma candidates. Lots of ideas in the planning stage, and I hope that throughout 2013 I can report successes (and failures) of various strategies and campaigns.

In the meantime, have a great break over the Christmas period, and use it wisely!

A quick look at my calendar this morning made me realise that today is 12/12/12. Not that having the same number 3 times in a date is statistically that rare over the last 12 years (work it out if you want), but I guess its the last time it will happen this century. So are you going to make 12/12/12 important? Personally I’m going to spend as much as I can planning 2013, but whatever you do, make sure you spend it wisely.

I came across this article about Ray Avery (pharmaceutical scientist, inventor, and social entrepreneur) who uses the philosophy “Reverse Engineer Your Life and Make it Count”. That is, you know roughly how many days you are going to live, so if you work backwards from that. So it makes you acutely aware that they are in short supply, and that you’d better get on with things.

http://techcrunch.com/2012/12/11/sir-ray-avery-nz-makes-you-dangerous/

Obviously Ray doesn’t believe that updating his blog ranks as “important”, because it hasn’t been updated for 2 years.. but it’s still an interesting concept.

Netflix employees have one less thing to keep track of: the amount of vacation days they take. Co-founder Reed Hastings recently told Bloomberg Businessweek that Netflix has an unlimited vacation policy.

http://mashable.com/2012/04/13/netflix-unlimited-vacation/