PharmaCareers

Pharmacist - Strategies to Increase Your Value

For the first time in a long time, as mentioned last week, some pharmacists are being laid off. I have been suggesting that  important job strategies during tough economic times include: (1) adding to your skill set, (2) increasing your value to the organization, and (3) going beyond your job description.

In his excellent book, How to Keep Your Job in a Tough Competitive Market, Michael Kitson provides some very specific suggestions for accomplishing these goals (see the sidebar for book details), such as this one:

Volunteer to Oversee New Hire Orientation for Your Company: This will...

1. Take a load off your supervisor, making you his favorite employee!
2. Gain you another loyal friend in the company
3. Improve the on-boarding process of your company (enhancing retention)
4. Present you as a company-oriented team player (getting you noticed)

Getting Started Developing a New Hire Orientation Process: First, seek the support and  input of your supervisor as to the timeline, topics to cover with a new hire, goals and objectives for the process, etc... Then, with his or her approval, begin engaging immediately with new hires and preparing on-boarding materials for them such as:

• Company organizational chart
• Office directions
• Important phone numbers
• Procedures manual
• Schedule for the first day

Be there when they arrive to make introductions and to make them feel welcome on their first day. Do a wrap up and debrief with them once the orientation is over. Report back to your supervisor once the process is complete.

Check out the 100 additional strategies in MIchael's book. You may also want to read this article on How to Determine Your Value to Your Company.

Pharmacist - Can't Find a Job?

    For the first time in a long time we occasionally talk to unemployed pharmacists who describe their present circumstances with the words, "down-sized." Since the economic tsunami late last year there has been significant knee-jerk slash & burn going on at the corporate level. In fact, according to the global consulting firm Watson Wyatt, 3/4 of U.S. companies have instituted a hiring freeze. A recent article in The Economist captured this phenomena with the title "You're HIred....Next Year." Not only are some companies in the pharma sector (most notably Big Pharma for entirely other reasons) downsizing, most are hiring sluggishly or not at all.
    Smart employers would be wise to take the advice of Allan McKisson of Manpower: "Companies should be adopting a 'ramp up' plan and hiring talent now to ensure that they are firing on all cylinders when the economy rebounds." CEO's should be carefully considering that across the board budget cuts fail to distinguish between ancillary and mission-critical (even profitable) programs.
    Pharmacists that are temporarily unemployed should take advantage of the opportunity to seize personal responsibility for their career and their personal brand rather than passively submitting to dependent employment model of the past. A professional career agent can help in the following ways:

• We are aware of jobs that are not advertised so that your relationship with us gives you a clear edge in the market
• We specialize in personal branding and can assist you in developing and marketing your brand
• We are aware of opportunities that will enable you to expand your skill set so that you have more options when jobs are more scarce
• We present you directly to the hiring authority like a well-prepared meal ensuring that you stand out from the crowd.

    Why not give us a call. We'd love to hear your story and to help you write the next chapter. Meanwhile don't take your lay-off too personally, even Playboy Bunnies are getting laid off.