​There are many reasons a candidate may choose to leave their current job in search of a new one. Some will make it public knowledge that they are job hunting, others will be a bit more secretive about their desire to jump ship – but there are signals that might inform when a candidate could be open to a conversation, even when they’re not advertising their availability.​The...

​Most people start their quality assurance career in a permanent position. Traditional attitudes toward work suggests permanent employment offers a higher level of job security, a greater chance at career progression, and more job opportunities – but that’s not necessarily the case anymore. ​A rise in remote work and decentralised project teams has decreased the candidate ma...

Careers in STEM now account for around 7% of all US occupations, so it’s no wonder that employers are having to compete for the best candidates. As a result, those with the experience and skills in high demand, will be looking for a host of benefits from businesses before taking that leap into a new role. Many of these will be non-negotiables, so it’s important for employers...

​On average, companies will receive over 80 applications per job vacancy, with some top employers seeing over 650 CVs per role. It’s therefore important to differentiate and stand out amongst others going for the role. So, how should you go about this? ​​Do your research before rushing in Whilst it’s not essential to have any prior experience in recruitment for an entry-l...

​The east coast of America is seeing a boom in the number of cell and gene therapy (CGT) start-ups setting up shop. In particular, Massachusetts has seen a real rise in the number and some of these have huge promise. Here is a list of four Massachusetts-based CGT start-ups that are already making an enormous impact on the industry and will continue to do so into the future. ...

Reaching the market with cell and gene therapies (CGTs) is no easy task. Despite there being over 1,000 ongoing clinical trials for cell and gene therapies, there are currently only 23 FDA approved CGTs on the market globally. This is not putting off investors though, roughly a third of all private investments made last year in the life sciences industry were within CGT: a w...

​I started my recruitment journey back in 2019, just shy of three years prior to joining SEC. I began my career working the EU and UK markets, but was drawn in by the hustle and bustle provided by the US market. I soon switched my remit and have been working with stateside clients and candidates ever since.​When the opportunity came up to join the newly formed US division at...

A mental health crisis has sparked innovation from major names within the biotechnology industry, with several firms hitting the spotlight in the last few years as a result of cutting-edge research, contemporary methodology or innovative product application in the treatment of anxiety, depression, PTSD and other cognitive disorders.​A particularly flourishing branch of menta...

​I joined SEC back in July 2021. I had just moved from Canada in 2020 and was working in the retail and hospitality sector. Being in these kinds of roles meant that I was constantly talking to people, so this really honed my ability to communicate with strangers. Throughout my life I’ve always had a good work ethic, I’m constantly striving to achieve the best. So, when I fir...

​In today’s increasingly competitive life science market, many active candidates are juggling two or three processes when it comes down to offer stage, and the most in-demand passive candidates are approached by dozens of talent acquisition teams each month. With 75% of candidates looking into your reputation before they even consider applying to your vacancy, taking control...

March 8th marks International Women's Day, and this year the theme is #BreaktheBias. ​Since 2015 the number of women graduating in core STEM subjects in the UK has grown from 22,000 to almost 25,000, but in 2021 females still only made up 26% of those graduating in STEM subjects, and just 24% of the average STEM workforce – this figure drops to as low as 10% for some industr...

Danny has been involved in life science recruitment since 2012 with experience in both permanent and contract hiring. He joined SEC as associate director in October 2021 and has been heading up the contract team since. In that time alone, Danny has grown his contract team from six to ten, and has ambitious plans for further headcount growth. We sat down to talk to him about ...

Despite being an industry that serves the general population, the pharmaceutical industry has always polarised public opinion, faced antitrust scrutiny and had business practice continually under fire. Now, with the effort against Covid-19 dominating headlines for close to two years, pharmaceutical companies have now become household names. Unsurprisingly, as more people bec...

​Last year, and in partnership with In2ScienceUK, we launched the SEC Scholars initiative; a 5-year programme that will provide at least 50 young people with guidance, mentorship, and practical skills to support their journey towards a career in STEM. Last summer we supported 11 students through the programme – here are the stories of two of our recent graduates. ​Barriers f...

In the last 20 months the healthcare tech sector has been turned on its head, with medical technologies being designed and implemented at a pace previously unforeseen in the healthcare industry. As the world was thrust into lockdown, it became uncertain how patients would be able to access the treatments they needed, and how frontline clinicians, physicians, and healthcare p...

​The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically derailed onsite clinical trials worldwide, leaving lasting impacts on the life science sector. Clinical trials often deal with vulnerable groups of people who are at the highest risk if exposed to COVID-19, so a large percentage of trials have been paused or stopped altogether. Social distancing regulations have forced clinical trials t...

As an industry that is positioned to bring value by providing products and services that contribute towards the health of the public, the conversation around ecological sustainability tends to skip over the pharmaceutical industry. Sectors such as large-scale manufacturing, automotive, and agriculture battle constant public scrutiny over their sustainability practices, so ho...

​Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking the world by storm, with the global AI market expected to be worth $60 billion by the year 2025. Reports state that AI can increase business productivity by 40%, so it is clear to see why business are looking to invest in the new tech. ​Within the life science industry, AI has already begun to improve the sector through advancements in...

​Data is integral to the development of new drugs. As the linchpin around which analysis, submission, approval, and marketing of a new product revolves, it’s one of the most valuable assets at the disposal of drug development companies – but only when its integrity can be relied upon. ​Data has always been key to the discovery, research, and development of a new drug. But it...

​From seeing the big wins and growing our impressive team, to watching our people delivering a little extra every day to bring great teams to life around the world - we’ve got a lot to celebrate.After a year and a half of distributed working and remote collaboration, we’ve learned a lot more about our brilliant people. Yes, we now know the layout of their kitchens a little t...