Employment Group Helps Find the Right Person for the Job
By Mika Ono
How do you find the best-qualified candidates for a position,
convince them to apply for the job and accept it if it is
offered, and set the stage for a productive employer-employee
relationship? These are the questions that Employment Manager
Lori Escobedo and her team in the Human Resources Employment
Group address daily.
"We try to make it as easy as we can for managers to identify
and hire the best person for the job," says Escobedo. "We
know there are other demands on their time."
Those in the Employment Group reach out to potential candidates
in a variety of ways. They attend career fairs, sit at booths
at biotech conferences, meet with other human resources managers
in the area, make presentations on scientific careers at local
high schools, and target relevant trade groups.
"We try to get The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) name
out there," notes Escobedo. "One of our best sources of candidates
is referrals from current employees. I'd say we end up hiring
50 to 60 percent of these referrals. Employees know our environment
and the type of person who would be successful here."
Finding qualified candidates to fill the 400 or so positions
(not including postdoctoral fellowships) that open up each
year is a challenge. Contributing factors are the tight labor
market, the specialized skills needed for many jobs, and the
institute's tremendous growth over the past several years.
To fill these positions, 8 to 10 candidates are interviewed
for each opening. A total of over 10,000 resumes are received
each year.
Escobedo notes that TSRI is in competition with other academic
institutions and the biotech industry to attract good candidates.
"Part of our job is to convince potential applicants that
TSRI is a good place to work," she says. "The institute's
biggest selling points are its stability, its growth, the
terrific benefits here, and the enjoyable yet challenging
environment."
The Employment Group, which also supports hiring managers
by checking references, making job offers, and conducting
employee orientations, is currently streamlining the hiring
process. The web page listing jobs (www.scripps.edu/hr/jobs)
can now be searched by department or category. Relocation
information has been added to the site. With the help of Webmaster
Jim Keais, the group is working on a resume builder so applicants
can submit a resume online. In addition, a system that would
enable resumes to be received online and forwarded to hiring
managers more quickly is under review.
"Timeliness is everything," says Escobedo. "If we take too
long to process a resume, a candidate we want to hire may
receive other offers. We want to get the technology in place
to turn resumes over as fast as possible so we can continue
to attract the best-qualified people to work here."
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"We try to make it as easy as we can for [hiring] managers,"
says Employment Manager Lori Escobedo. Photo
by Mika Ono.
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