Talking recently with Vicky Botes, a marketing executive from recruitment firm Zenopa, it was reassuring to hear that their company mantra is “recruitment with integrity.” or, put another way, “we put client and candidate needs before our own.” Not perhaps the norm in the cut throat world of recruitment! It would seem this strategy has proven successful for Zenopa as they deal mainly with candidates and clients who have been with them for years, and with whom they have fostered a long term association.
In business since 1991, Zenopa have national UK coverage with offices in Buckinghamshire, Leeds and Scotland. The company focus on commercial roles in marketing and sales within the pharmaceutical and medical devices sector, plus the veterinary, dental and healthcare communication industry. They specialise in positions ranging from director level to marketing management, sales representatives to graduates. And it would seem a great position to be in, as over the last 12 months, Zenopa have felt largely unaffected by the economic slowdown.
Botes puts this down to the continued growth of the ageing population, meaning greater numbers of people are now reliant on healthcare to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. The pharmaceutical industry is obviously on hand to produce and supply these medicines, and hence still needs professionals to market and sell them. Therefore, the pharmaceutical division remains a lucrative sector to operate in. The only fly in the ointment are headcount freezes imposed at some organisations, which have slowed the recruitment process, but not enough to have a significant impact on the fortunes of Zenopa.
And further good news looking to the future- there are plenty of opportunities for candidates out there. There has been a shift in focus with the pharmaceutical industry moving from broad brush solutions to niche medication for specific ailments. As a result, recruitment of candidates to sell to these niche markets is growing. Zenopa believe this is going to continue for the foreseeable future.
Not only are there ample opportunities for candidates, but candidates are actually able to be choosy about roles. Whilst confidence at Zenopa is high, candidates who have experienced redundancy are understandably keen to ensure the liquidity of the companies they have interviews with. Furthermore, as pharma tends to look after its high flying employees well, many candidates are keen to only have conversations about jobs where they gain a new skill i.e. selling medical devices instead of products, or working on a product that they have a strong belief in. Where clients with such roles exist, competition amongst candidates is strong.
Botes advises that graduates coming into the industry should spend time shadowing sales representatives before going for interviews, to gain a real understanding of how the industry works at grass roots level and gain a competitive edge. For experienced applicants, nothing can be more attractive to a prospective employee than a proven track record, whether that be impressive sales figures, or relationships built with clients.
Looking to the next few months, whilst many organisations wind down in the run up to Christmas, Zenopa normally see a cyclical recruitment increase in last quarter of the year.
“Companies are looking to fill their key positions now, so that once the new year begins new employees can start fresh.” says Botes so now is a great time to be applying, and who knows, it could be the start of a beautiful, ‘long term’ relationship…
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