Just a contingent recruiter

I had an HR Director once say “but Kerry, you’re just a contingent recruiter”. Yikes.  Her words stung.  I felt like a complete loser. While I’ve been recruiting since 2000 as a contingent recruiter, I’ve always focused on exceptional service and stellar results for my clients.  It didn’t matter to me that I didn’t get 30%…

Read More

What do you want?

I had a business coach ask me this over and over again to the point of annoyance. The first time he asked, I thought about it and I didn’t have an answer. By the time he asked for a 5th time, I felt cornered. He made his point. How can we make progress toward our goal…

Read More

BIO 2024 Recap

Amazing BIO Conference in San Diego last week! The key lesson that I learned at the BIO conference was that the most common traits among scientists are hard work and resiliency. I had the opportunity to attend some incredible sessions including the following:  Looking forward to next year’s BIO conference in Boston, see you then! #biotech…

Read More

Spring has sprung!

This 2024 spring has been interesting……… As we wait for the interest rates to fall (what happened to March?!?) and the decision makers stall due to the impending election, I get the vibe we’re springing forward and yet at the same time, slipping back a bit. 2 steps forward, 1 step back?  Or this week…

Read More

Make the Leap

Are you in academia and want to make the leap to industry? Or maybe you’re in industry and ready for a new role? Let’s discuss how to make that leap! Whether you’re joining industry for the first time or jumping to a new firm, here are some ideas to consider: Where are you now: 1.      …

Read More

Expectations

Today I strolled down the driveway to find 10 utility trucks parked in front of my house with a 12’ hole dug in my yard.(I hadn’t been warned this was happening, but there were some cones placed out front last week so I had some clues.)I wasn’t completely aggravated, but I would have liked to…

Read More

The Scavenger Hunt

What’s a scavenger hunt, you ask? If you missed out on this as a kid, a scavenger hunt is a game where you and your friends race to find items (or complete tasks) from a list. It’s kind of like a treasure hunt, where you’re solving puzzles and taking on adventures.When I’m speaking with job…

Read More

Be prepared

For 100+ years, the Boy Scouts have preached as their motto:  Be prepared. I’m learning to heed this advice more as I head out on adventures.  Traveling in the winter can create all sorts of problems.  Whether it’s the snow in Pittsburgh, the rain in Florida, or even the NFC Championships in San Francisco, my…

Read More

Advice from Mark Murcko — Building great teams and companies

It was incredible to have the renowned scientist Mark Murcko attend the BioBreakfast meeting in Pittsburgh this week.  He’s so down to earth and generous with his time!  For me, the highlight of his talk was when he described the essentials for building a great company:   As a recruiter, I was especially excited to hear how important…

Read More

Overcommunication is the Key to Success

Have you ever heard anyone say that they received too much communication in the interview process?  I’m guessing not.  When you’re waiting to hear back from a job application or waiting to set up an onsite interview or anticipating a job offer, have you ever received too much communication?  Probably not.  I’m not sure it’s possible to over…

Read More