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Dr.Shruti Bhat, Leader Pharmaceutical R&D and Expert in hiTech formulation development for over 35 different therapeutic class of drugs moeities, brings to you some highlights from current pharma and clinical research news, views and data.

 “It’s been a week since my interview and I haven’t heard anything...”

“I had a great informational interview but that was the last I heard…”

“I had a phone conversation with a good contact in the company…”

“I have almost 100 people I’ve networked with in my job search so far…”

“I met someone, at (an event) that said they knew someone, but haven’t heard back…” 

“…should I follow up?”these are the most common questions I’m asked regularly. And my response is always the same: YES!!! 

“But I don’t want to annoy them, or come across as a stalker.” …is a common reply.

In my experience, I’ve found that candidates think they are being annoying long before the recipient of their follow ups ever do. Professional, timely, pleasant follow up is key to setting yourself apart from other candidates they are pursuing. 

Why should you follow up, and how do you do it effectively? Here are some ideas… 

Most people don’t follow up, it’s a chance to set yourself apart. Even after a formal job interview, generally less than 25% of people send a Thank You note of any kind. Other meetings, phone calls, email contacts generally get little to no follow up from most people. Doing something different from the norm, in a professional and upbeat way, will virtually always create a positive impression. You have far more to lose by not doing it, than the infinitesimal risk of losing an opportunity by doing it. Especially if someone else does follow up, and you don’t, you will lose by comparison. 

It’s another chance to cement a relationship. Whether it’s a casual networking contact, or a formal interview, the chances of gaining more consideration from them is very much dependent on building a relationship. If you only make an initial contact and they never hear from you again, it creates no reason on their part to invest any more thinking in helping or working with you. Building a relationship requires contact and effort in following up. 

It’s another chance to mention something you may have forgotten before. Although you don’t want to launch into an in-depth explanation of something else in your background in a follow up… a succinctly worded phrase or sentence adding value to your earlier discussion can help in improving their impression of you. It’s another chance to provide additional or new relevant information.

Keep it brief! Too often, if someone does follow up, they either ramble on too long on the phone, or write too long in an email or letter. After the first minute of engaging in some way, patience begins to run out and there is either no chance of making a positive impact after that, or you are actually increasing the risk of annoying them. Even an extremely short “Just wanted to thank you again for your time” will have a more positive impact than 5 or 10 minutes of going further into in-depth information. That’s true in a phone call or written communication. It’s best to carefully plan exactly what you want to convey and say it as briefly as possible to make the best impression. 

Be professional! Regardless of how friendly your meeting or prior discussion may have gone, never assume too casual a relationship. Even though a hiring manager wants to like you to hire you, or a professional networking contact enjoys talking to you, in order to take additional steps with you they need to feel confident that you will always be professional with others they introduce you to as well. The referral process, and the hiring process is still essentially a business transaction. Don’t take it too lightly. 

Switch it up! Effective, and consistent follow up doesn’t mean a steady stream of phone calls every other day. That does become annoying. However, you can have some form of contact with them regularly to keep you fresh in their mind and build a further relationship with them in the process. Within a day of any of the scenarios listed at the top of this piece… Thank them. You might send them a Thank You card in the mail, or email a brief note, leave them a voicemail, or call and thank them for their time. Then, in a week or two, connect again, but in another form, and in two to 4 weeks again in yet another form. Keep the process going, but you end up actually talking to them directly only every couple of months. 

If they are hearing from you regularly, but in various and unobtrusive forms, you are building a relationship, not haranguing them. Building that professional relationship has everything to do with their perception of your persistence, your follow through, your professionalism, and their interest in you. 

Should you follow up??? Yes! Definitely! Absolutely! …but do it right! 

Disclaimer- The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

Http://www.drshrutibhat.com
Expert at leading Pharmaceutical R&D.
Translates innovative concepts to PROFITS.
YouTube Channel : Http://www.youtube.com/user/ShrutiBhat10
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Dr.Shruti Bhat, Leader Pharmaceutical R&D and Expert in hiTech formulation development for over 35 different therapeutic class of drugs moeities, brings to you some highlights from current pharma and clinical research news, views and data.

This article captures situations that can derail a job interview, along with advice on how job seekers can get back on track.  

So you arrive at a big job interview confident and prepared. It starts off strong. Conversation flows smoothly. You're saying all the right things...Suddenly, the hiring manager asks you a question you didn't anticipate.  

The "deer in the headlights" look washes over your face. You flounder for an answer that fails to impress the hiring manager. Your confidence takes a hit, and the interview, along with any chance of getting the job, quickly head south.  

1.      You're caught off-guard by an inappropriate or illegal question.

By law, employers aren't allowed to ask job seekers certain questions, such as "Are you married?" or "Do you have kids?" But some hiring managers do so anyway, and these questions can throw a candidate for a loop. 

Interview Magic, a best selling book on interview successes, recommends a three-step process for answering touchy questions...  

2. You need to address the dreaded "sticky wicket." 

Many job candidates have a "sticky wicket" in their employment histories, such as a layoff, job-hopping or even termination with cause... 

3. You give a ho-hum answer. 

No matter how much you prepare for an interview, a hiring manager is bound to ask a perfectly legal question that you never anticipated. If your mind goes blank and ... 

"Answers to unexpected questions will come to you. Sometimes you just have to relax."  

4. You ramble.

When job candidates don't know how to answer a question, they'll often ramble until they zero in on the answer. The risk with this strategy is that a tangent may never lead to the bull's eye... 

5. You lack an important skill. 

An average of eight job seekers compete for every open position, and Employers can afford to be picky. Chances are you don't possess all the criteria the hiring manager seeks in a candidate. This means ... 

6. You lose steam.

Job interviews can be physically and emotionally taxing. They can last all day and involve intense conversations with multiple decision-makers inside an organization, sometimes in ... 

7. You experience a wardrobe malfunction. 

A run in your stockings. Trouser socks that sag around your ankles. Food in your teeth. A fly that ... 

8. Your cell phone rings. 

You're nervous. You have a million things on your mind. In the process of reviewing facts and figures about your employer and answers to potential interview questions, you forget to shut off your cell phone. True to Murphy's Law, the darn thing ... 

More at http://www.pharm-education.com/2010/05/personal-development-for-pharmaceutical.html 

Disclaimer- The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances. 

Http://www.drshrutibhat.com
Expert at leading Pharmaceutical R&D.
Translates innovative concepts to PROFITS.
YouTube Channel : Http://www.youtube.com/user/ShrutiBhat10

Do you have questions for the author? 
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Leonardo DaVinci was the ORIGINAL Renaissance Man. Modern day job seekers can learn a lot from Leonardo!

Below is a copy of a letter Leonardo sent over 600 years ago to the House of Sforza. Look closely, it’s his resume!  

Most illustrious Lord,
Having now sufficiently seen and considered the proofs of all those who count themselves master and inventors of instruments of war, and finding that their invention and use of the said instruments does not differ in any respect from those in common practice, I am emboldened without prejudice to anyone else to put myself in communication with your Excellency, in order to acquaint you with my secrets, thereafter offering myself at your pleasure effectually to demonstrate at any convenient time all those matters which are in part briefly recorded below,

1. I have plans for bridges, very light and strong and suitable for carrying very easily…

2. When a place is besieged I know how to cut off water from the trenches, and how to construct an infinite number of…scaling ladders and other instruments…

3. If because of the height of the embankment, and the strength of the place of its site, it should be impossible to reduce it by bombardment, I know methods of destroying any citadel or fortress, even if it is built on rock.

4. I have plans for making cannon, very convenient and easy of transport, with which to hurl small stones in the manner almost of hail…

5. And it is should happen that the engagement is at sea, I have plans for construction many engines most suitable for attack or defense, and ships which can resist the fire of all the heaviest cannon, and powder and smoke.

6. Also I have ways of arriving at a certain fixed spot by caverns and secret winding passages made without any noise even though it may be necessary to pass underneath…a river.

7. Also I can make covered cards, safe and unassailable, which will enter the serried ranks of the enemy with artillery, and there is no company of men at arms so great as not to be broken by it. And behind these the infantry will be able to follow quite unharmed and without any opposition.

8. Also, if need shall arise, I can make cannon, mortars and light ordnance, of very beautiful and useful shapes, quite different from those in common use.

9. Where it is not possible to employ cannon, I can supply catapults, mangonels, traps and other engines of wonderful efficacy not in general issue. In short, as the variety of circumstances shall necessitate, I can supply an infinite number of different engines of attack and defence.

10. In time of peace I believe that I can give you as complete satisfaction as anyone else in architecture, in the construction of buildings both public and private, and in conducting water from one place to another.

11. Also I can execute sculpture in marble, bronze, or clay and also painting, in which my work will stand comparison with that of anyone else whoever he may be.

12. Moreover, I would undertake the work of the bronze horse, which shall endure with immortal glory and eternal honour the auspicious memory of the Prince of your father and of the illustrious house of Sforza.” 

What strikes me as most impressive (and perhaps most instructive for job seekers) is the way in which Leonardo highlighted his talents to meet the needs of his potential employer(s).

Leonardo most enjoyed painting and sculpting — it’s what he is MOST known for these days (think of the “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper.”) However, he doesn’t mention that until number 11 in his list! That’s because he knew Sforza was looking for someone who could provide assistance with his military and building affairs.

Did it work? Go to Milan, Italy and you will see that Leo did indeed get the job!

What can YOU learn about your job search from Leonardo DaVinci?
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Here is another great article from my reading- We all know Albert Einstein was a genius in mathematics and physics. But did you know he had a hard time finding a job when he got out of university? Why?

Albert really wanted to teach when he graduated from the Polytechnic Institute in Zurich. However, he couldn’t get past square one to get a teaching position. Nobody would hire him because they didn’t see him as a great teacher. And he’d never taught before.The same problem exists in today’s job market. People are getting hired today because they have experience doing the same thing for someone else. For that reason, Einstein never did become a teacher (at least until very later in life). So, you be the judge. Is the best predictor of success the fact that you’ve done the job before? Obviously not, but that’s the way most hiring is done today.So what is the test predictor of success? Some would say it is all about passion. Let’s examine that using Einstein as an example...Einstein passion was mathematics and physics, but he really loved his violin. He loved the mathematical nature of a violin. He was determined to master it. And he did get pretty good at it… good enough to have a private audience with Queen Elizabeth. He was indeed a good violinist, but he was a much better physicist. Why is someone as smart as Einstein not able to master the violin to the level he could pick up physics?

For details please visit http://www.pharm-education.com/2009/10/can-you-imagine-albert-einstein.html
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