Observations and Insights on Entry-Level Hiring Trends in Medtech, Pharma, and Bio Industries

[MedtechQuality]

Hello Everyone,

Here are some of the trends have emerged in the hiring process within the Medtech, Pharma, and Bio industries. (especially for entry-level roles)

1. It has been observed that many entry-level positions within the Medtech, Pharma, and Bio industries list a requirement of 2+ years of experience.
2. Additionally, certifications from organizations such as ASQ, including Six Sigma Green Belt or CQE, are frequently required for entry-level roles. However, there seems to be a contradiction, as candidates must already have a certain amount of professional experience based on their educational qualifications in order to apply for these certifications. For instance, individuals with a master’s degree are often required to have at least 3 years of experience.
3. It is common to see entry-level positions requiring 0-2 years of experience, yet it remains unclear whether employers genuinely consider candidates with only 0 or 1 year of experience, especially when the maximum experience requirement is 2 years.
4. There are instances where HR representatives contact candidates to schedule interviews, guide them through multiple rounds of interviews (typically 4-5), and then fail to follow up afterward. This is a frequent source of frustration for many candidates.
5. Some job descriptions indicate that educational qualifications can be considered in lieu of a certain amount of professional experience. For example, a candidate with a Bachelor’s degree and 2 years of experience may be treated differently from someone with a Master’s degree and no experience. This raises the question of how employers generally weigh educational accomplishments when deciding between a candidate with an associate degree and practical experience versus one with a Master’s degree but no professional experience.
6. Furthermore, it is common for entry-level roles to require 4-5 rounds of interviews, which seems to be a standard part of the hiring process for many companies.
7. Finally, the hiring process—from scheduling interviews to extending offers—often spans 1-2 months, which can create a lengthy waiting period for candidates.
8. Industry placing greater emphasis on certifications than a Bacehlor's or Master's degree when evaluating candidates.

What does the future hold for recent graduates and students who invest significantly in their degrees, with the expectation that they will secure their dream job upon graduation?
If you notice any additional trends or insights beyond the points I’ve outlined, please feel free to share them in response to my post. I would also welcome your perspective on these observations.

 

[Jen Kirley]

My heart is with you. I do regret that you did not hold off on that Masters for a few years. But here we are.

Being ghosted is far more common than not. Yes the process feels interminable. I think this is more so for the higher positions.

I suggest you try leaving off mention of the Masters for now and apply for a floor position. It is way too soon to think about your dream job. Until you get some time in, you have nothing upon which to put your degrees to work. They want 2 years because they want someone who knows a little bit about the work, also how to work. You can list less under "relevant education" and not be lying on your resume, whereas padding your resume to make you appear to have more xyz than you have is lying. I hope this makes sense. I welcome Covers to tell me I'm wrong on this.

Some certifications want time in "decision making roles" while others don't. For now, go for the ones that don't. If you can get in at the production level you can volunteer to do internal audits. You might also find a chance to volunteer for some collateral duty in EHS. Take it, even if it is HazMat Technician. It is good to push the boundaries of where you thought you'd be, and it can lead to good things. It did for me.

Careers are about the journey, not the destination.

 

[Bev D]

Welcome to life. While there are brief periods of time where companies in certain industries hire new graduates with only a little or no expereince at greater than entry level jobs these periods are rare and don’t last. Are companies rude in the hiring process? Yes when there are more candidates than openings. When there are fewer candidates and many openings the leverage switches. One piece of advice I alwasy give those still in university is to do internships. While it may extend your time it gives you actual experience and you get to know and show peopel what you are capable of…That’s the way it is. And understand that those ASQ certifications are just another barrier to reduce the candidate pool. So while it sounds contradictory…it is. There are very few ‘dream jobs’ that can be attained upon graduation. This is because an eduction is only a minimal qualification for a job. Real world experience is the real qualification that advances your career. And who you know. It is a life long endeavor. And as a woman I can attest that it’s even harder for women and other minorities as most people hire other people who look like them and think like them…

And unfortunately with the recent influx of veterans and other government workers the labor pool will be getting many more experienced and qualified people looking for the same entry level jobs.

The key is to get that first job - even if you feel its beneath you - and keep going. Learning and improving your qualifications through expereince and study are a life-long journey. This isn’t meant to discourage you but to state the realities that (almost) everyone faces. Work is harder than college…

The good news is that I know of many people who took those entry level jobs (engineers who took a tech job for example) and that helped shepherd, teach, coach and promote through the years and they are now very successful leaders and experts in their field.

Good Luck!! Keep at it and good things will happen

 

[Jen Kirley]

I thought of more. Not knowing what or where you've applied to so far, here are more ideas.

Field Service Engineers get a solid understanding of how and why electro-mechanical things actually work, or not. The level 1 position I reviewed does not require experience if you have your Bachelors. Leave off any mention of your Masters as well as graduation date for your Bachelors. Being able to travel opens up your options by far.

Have you looked into Robotics Mechanical Engineering? An auto manufacturing site is just now opening in my state. All of the work is automated to the point of final assembly. All those robots will be on a maintenance schedule and might sometimes need repairs. That might be done by an internal crew or it might be contracted. In semiconductor and medical device manufacturing you may need to wear clean room suits. Do research on new site builds, including medical centers so you have a likelier target. Seek out the manufacturers of robots and look for installation and/or repair positions in those organizations' individual web sites. I expect some won't require prior experience for Level 1 positions. Again, leave off your Masters and graduation dates when applying if you can. Travel may also be involved.

Maintenance Engineers are retiring at an alarming rate, which means openings are out there so don't rule this out. This would likely be inside the plant or within driving distance to a sister plant. Once again, leave off any mention of your Masters as well as graduation date for your Bachelors if you can.

You spotted the pattern, I am sure: make your Masters your secret weapon. Once you get in the door for a time you can volunteer for improvement projects and have a look around for manager positions. If they then say "Why didn't you tell us you had these Masters???" you can simply say "They weren't needed for what I wanted when I first applied, which was to get in and learn the work."

This is not a time to make pay a priority, but knowledge is a kind of power here too: you will find most employers don't advertise it so you can look in ads from places like Colorado and New York, where it is required to make the pay range available.

I hope this helps.

 

[Miner]

4. There are instances where HR representatives contact candidates to schedule interviews, guide them through multiple rounds of interviews (typically 4-5), and then fail to follow up afterward. This is a frequent source of frustration for many candidates.
7. Finally, the hiring process—from scheduling interviews to extending offers—often spans 1-2 months, which can create a lengthy waiting period for candidates.

I can provide some insight into these behaviors as I work at a large global company (not medical).

Regarding item 4, this is usually a deliberate action on the part of HR for fear that a candidate that was formally rejected will turn around and sue for discrimination (it has happened). That is harder to do, if you were simply ghosted.

On item 7, the bigger the company, the longer the time. Often this is due to the hiring manager holding out for the "perfect" candidate. But even when they decide, it takes a long time to agree on the formal offer and get it approved by whatever delegation of authority the company has established. Some companies have also imposed DEI guidelines that require a certain percentage of interviews and hires be diverse candidates, which can slow things down if you are not in a major metropolitan area. I was a quality manager in a VERY rural area. During the phone screens, 100% of every diverse candidate said "No way!" when they found out where the plant was located. Never got to an on-site interview.

 

[Randy]

Want some leadership and management experience? Go into the service, with your education you can start out as an officer and probably in the field or close to the field you want. Don't kid yourself, there are some sharp tacks in uniform and a crap pot full of opportunity if you really want it. Look at the tech heavy and med heavy branches.......That leaves out the Marine Corps, trust me, you'd not make it. The AF, Navy and Army are heavy med organizations, not really sure about the Coast Guard (they do have nice boats, helicopters and get to capture drug sub's in the Gulf), and the Space Force..........Who the heck knows?

 

[Jen Kirley]

To @Randy 's point, yes the USAF is looking for Mechanical Engineers. I did not find an equivalent in the Navy in my search. And yes, you would absolutely come out of that with x years of decision-making position experience.

In my view, if you can handle the physical and behavioral requirements it could be a good ride. I have known the AF bases to have nicer facilities than the other branches.

 

[Randy]

I have known the AF bases to have nicer facilities than the other branches.

Definitely better than the stinking Marines.

 

[Tidge]

Medtech hiring (outside of 'grunt work') has been a hot mess for a while. Even in the precious few orgs that have their businesses well under control and making equipment and profits candidates will struggle because of just how bad the job market is on the white-collar side (at other companies).

"Struggling" Medtech companies are very likely to be struggling because the management hasn't been up to the task of doing their job... which includes making sure employees have direction and are achieving. This puts a peculiar burden on hiring managers, job reqs, etc. because many middle managers end up emulating the behavior of those above them... this is the old Soviet mentality of "Keep Stalin happy, preferably by not drawing Stalin's attention towards yourself."

Yes there can be external forces, but it is far more likely in my experience that management decisions are purely reactionary. If a company can delay hiring a white collar worker for a few months, that's at least tens of thousands of dollars they didn't spend.

 

[FRA 2 FDA]

Don't discount experience that YOU don't necessarily see as relevant. When I first graduated from college, I managed to land a job as a tech in a biotech facility of Stryker. I later learned that the reason they hired me was because when I was in college, my part-time job was in the lab at Lenscrafters making glasses. They saw manufacturing experience. I saw part-time, meaningless job. Made a big difference.