Tag: Recruitment Outsourcing

Client Challenge

A publicly traded specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the research, development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of prescription pharmaceutical products wanted to find a cost-effective Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) partner that could manage:

• Full lifecycle sales recruitment and strategy
• Candidate generation and identification
• Talent database development
• Applicant tracking
• Metric reporting
• On-boarding of new hires

The recruitment efforts were to focus on identifying and hiring top pharmaceutical sales talent for two associated companies. DoubleStar was selected to provide a customized RPO approach that offered a cost-effective, high-impact solution tailored to this client’s specific needs.

Our Solution

DoubleStar’s analysis of the organization’s recruiting needs suggested that combining and centralizing the divisional recruiting efforts for all sales roles nationwide would produce the most efficient and effective result. This required DoubleStar to assist in defining a single recruiting process that would address the needs of multiple sales forces and to provide an automated solution using a Web-based ATS.

In addition, DoubleStar implemented a customized, tiered RPO solution as follows:

• Developed a comprehensive Recruitment Plan that mapped the entire project operation, roles and responsibilities, and expected budget impact
• Developed a custom recruiting toolset for recruiters and managers to drive efficient project execution
• Implemented a dedicated direct-sourcing effort to focus on hard-to-fill roles and geographies
• Implemented a Comprehensive Sourcing Plan that minimized costs to acquire active and passive candidates
• Assigned a core team of recruiters with pharmaceutical industry experience to conduct detailed interviews, document results, and consult directly to hiring managers
• Assigned a support team to handle national scheduling and candidate care
• Applied Coordination Design, a flex deployment model that adjusts resourcing levels based upon shifting demand targets

Business Impacts

DoubleStar’s customized RPO solution has enabled the client to maximize limited resources and respond quickly to market changes, including:

• A cost-per-hire under $3,500 for 5 years running
• 30-day average time-to-fill
• A centralized, automated, scalable, solution, with increased candidate flow and shorter hiring cycles
• Combined recruiting efforts for two separate field sales forces into one integrated solution
• Detailed, qualified candidate database that serves as an ongoing recruiting tool
• Reporting on talent-generation metrics, ROI, and EEO compliance

This client now has a reliable recruiting solution that can respond to hiring spikes, deliver targeted hiring initiatives in hard-to-recruit occupations/geographies, and flex to meet changing business requirements.

Client Challenge

With a new product launch on the horizon, this upstart drug developer understood the importance of capturing U.S. market share as quickly as possible following approvals. The company not only needed to add more sales, marketing, and corporate support resources, but it also needed to improve the caliber of candidate slates and quality of hires nationwide to accomplish its growth objectives.

The client had an existing RPO relationship but realized that its per-placement fee model would significantly increase its cost, and it was not delivering the quality of candidates desired. So, with their impending product launch creating a need for high-volume, accurate hiring, the company decided to use DoubleStar as its new RPO partner.

Our Solution

DoubleStar began by conducting an operational assessment to determine the company’s current state of readiness. Following the assessment, DoubleStar recommended several process and hiring practice changes; assigned an experienced project team including Recruiters, Researchers, and Support Specialists; and designated a senior leader to act as a strategic engagement manager during the first year.

DoubleStar also recommended the company create an internal project management role to lead the effort from their side. A system of metrics and results monitoring was developed and implemented, and DoubleStar co-presented the new solution at the company’s National Managers’ Meeting to roll out the process and train the managers in the new process, improved selection techniques, and the state of the pharmaceutical sales marketplace.

Business Impacts

In partnership with our client, DoubleStar created the recruiting engine to fill over 250 positions annually—45 of them for managers and above, at a cost 50% lower than their previous partner. According to the client, DoubleStar candidates stayed longer (turnover reached historic lows) and reached 100% productivity in less time than before. Also, time to fill all open positions dropped to under 40 days, enabling the company to meet its expansion goals and exceed its revenue targets. This project was renewed for three years until the company was acquired by a larger firm, and the project came to its natural end.