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Recruiting Pharmaceutical Professionals: 7 Effective Steps for 2025

Ian Cook
August 25, 2025

Recruiting in the pharmaceutical industry is evolving fast.

With increasing demand for clinical research associates, regulatory affairs specialists, and medical device experts, companies are racing to secure top-tier talent.

According to IQVIA, the global pharmaceutical market is projected to hit $1.9 trillion by 2027 (IQVIA), creating more pressure for HR directors and talent acquisition teams to refine their recruitment process.

In this article, we’ll cover 7 clear, actionable steps that help you recruit the best talent while reducing turnover.

Step 1. Build Your Pharmaceutical Employer Brand With Vouch

In a talent-driven market, your employer brand matters more than ever.

Pharmaceutical professionals, whether they’re Medical Science Liaisons, Clinical Trial Managers, or Quality Control Analysts, want to work for companies with a strong reputation and purpose.

Vouch empowers companies to showcase:

  • Real stories from employees in areas like your R&D departments.
  • Behind-the-scenes looks at pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities.
  • Leadership messages from your Chief Medical Officer or heads of regulatory affairs.

According to LinkedIn, 75% of job seekers consider an employer’s brand before applying. Vouch helps you build trust with candidates by showing what your company stands for, crucial in a highly regulated industry where integrity and company culture are non-negotiable.

Step 2. Use Video in Your Pharmaceutical Job Descriptions

Static text job ads often fail to engage today’s talent pool.

By adding video to your job descriptions, you can make complex roles like Pharmacovigilance Specialist or Automation & Engineers more understandable and appealing.

Vouch’s video job description feature allows you to:

  • Highlight team members in pharma operations or quality control.
  • Show real-life examples of automated packaging equipment in action.
  • Provide an authentic preview of what working in your organization looks like.

This method can increase candidate engagement by up to 75% and improve application completion rates. For highly specialized pharmaceutical roles, that’s a game-changer.

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Step 3. Grow Your Employee Advocacy Program

Your employees can be your most powerful recruiters.

Through an employee advocacy program, you can encourage your workforce to share job opportunities and positive experiences on social media.

Here are three compelling employee advocacy statistics for 2025:

  1. Enhanced Consumer Trust: A significant 61% of consumers trust company content shared by employees, highlighting the growing influence of authentic, employee-generated content over traditional brand messaging.
  2. Increased Engagement and Reach: Content shared by employees achieves 8 times more engagement and 561% greater reach compared to content distributed through official brand channels, underscoring the power of personal networks in amplifying brand messages.
  3. Positive Impact on Employee Engagement: Approximately 83% of employees report feeling more engaged when their company encourages advocacy, indicating that such programs not only enhance brand visibility but also foster a more connected and motivated workforce.

Step 4. Go Beyond Compensation: Highlight Your Pharmaceutical EVPs

In the life sciences and biotech recruiting space, salary alone won’t win talent.

Candidates look for Employee Value Propositions (EVPs) - what makes your company worth joining beyond the paycheck.

Using Vouch’s EVP tools, you can:

  • Share videos about your development pipeline and research impact.
  • Highlight your GxP compliance culture and training programs.
  • Promote flexible career paths, from clinical operations to regulatory affairs.

Companies with clear EVPs see 69% lower turnover (Gartner). This is especially important for retaining top performers in competitive roles like Quality Assurance Specialists or Regulatory Affairs Specialists.

Step 5. Streamline Your Hiring Process

Time kills hiring, and with high-demand roles in pharmaceutical manufacturing and clinical research, delays in the recruitment process can lead to losing candidates to competitors.

How to streamline hiring:

  • Use Vouch for video interviews and faster candidate evaluations.
  • Automate background checks with Checkr or Sterling.
  • Adopt a recruitment process outsourcing for high-volume hiring needs.
  • Send SMS notifications for interview scheduling and onboarding updates.

An efficient hiring workflow ensures that candidates like Clinical Trial Managers or Research & Development leads don’t slip through the cracks.

Step 6. Focus on Retention From Day One

Retention starts the moment an offer is accepted.

Using Vouch’s internal communication tools, you can deliver a seamless onboarding experience.

Best practices include:

  • Video-based welcome messages from senior leadership.
  • Micro-learning sessions on regulatory standards or pharmacovigilance.
  • Clear career paths for roles like Regulatory Affairs Specialist and Medical Device Engineers.

According to SHRM, effective onboarding can improve retention by 82% (SHRM). This is critical in industries with high turnover and specialized skills like pharmaceuticals.

Step 7. Partner With Specialized Staffing Agencies if Needed

For niche roles or urgent hiring needs, working with a specialized pharmaceutical staffing agency can save time and ensure recruitment success.

Recommended agencies include:

These agencies are particularly effective for high-demand roles in rare disease-focused biotech or pharmaceutical processing equipment recruitment.

Who Are The Top 10 Global Pharmaceutical Employers?

  1. Pfizer – 83,000 employees, $58B revenue – Known for drug development and global vaccine programs.
  2. Novartis – 101,000 employees, $52B revenue – Leader in innovative therapies and life sciences.
  3. Roche – 103,613 employees, $66B revenue – Major player in biotech and diagnostics.
  4. Johnson & Johnson – 134,500 employees, $95B revenue – Strong presence in medical devices and pharmaceuticals.
  5. Merck & Co. – 70,000 employees, $59B revenue – Specializes in drug development and clinical research.
  6. Sanofi – 91,573 employees, $45B revenue – Expertise in rare disease and vaccine research.
  7. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) – 69,400 employees, $38B revenue – Focus on pharmaceuticals and consumer health.
  8. AstraZeneca – 83,500 employees, $44B revenue – Strong oncology and biotech research pipeline.
  9. Bristol Myers Squibb – 34,000 employees, $46B revenue – Leader in immunology and cancer research.
  10. AbbVie – 50,000 employees, $58B revenue – Known for drug development in immunology and neuroscience.

FAQs

What’s the biggest challenge in recruiting pharmaceutical professionals?

Finding skilled candidates in specialized areas like clinical research and regulatory affairs.

How does Vouch improve pharmaceutical hiring?

By showcasing authentic video content that engages top talent.

Why is employee advocacy important?

It drives referrals, which improve cultural fit and reduce hiring time.

What are the hardest roles to fill in pharma?

Clinical Trial Managers, Regulatory Affairs Specialists, and Pharmacovigilance Experts.

Should I use staffing agencies for pharmaceutical hiring?

Yes, especially for niche or senior-level positions.

How important are EVPs in recruitment?

Critical, they attract and retain professionals in a competitive job market.

Can video job descriptions increase candidate engagement?

Yes, by up to 75%, especially for specialized pharmaceutical roles.

See Why Recruiters & Talent Teams Love Vouch!

Used by companies like Cisco, Aldi, Ericsson, Canva, Nike, Warner Bros. Discovery, HubSpot, Amazon, Mars and thousands more, modern recruiters love Vouch. 

Simply book a Vouch demo today to see how Vouch can help!

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