How HR Can Help to Address the Digital and AI Skills Gap in Pharma and Biotech

By Shelley Brown, CHRE, FHRPA

With assistance from Orchid Jahanshahi, founder of ThinkrBelle, Pharma & Tech Advisors

Seismic changes have come to the Pharma industry with the digital revolution and, more recently, AI. Yet most of the industry uses traditional talent management models to address the skills gap. Either:

Using digital jobs as a stepping stone opportunity for someone from a non-digital background, or,
Hiring someone from outside the organization from a different sector.

This strategy is fraught with problems. In the first scenario, the incumbent lacks knowledge of digital/tech, while in the latter scenario, the person lacks knowledge of the pharma landscape and the main pain points that need to be addressed with a tech solution.

Further, the battle for tech talent that Pharma employers now face demands a different and more nuanced approach than in the past. In this article, and in greater detail in a December 4 webinar, we will use our experience as Pharma HR veteran leaders to outline how current Pharma leaders and BioTech startups can find the tech talent they need to succeed inside and outside of their organizations.

We’ll cover:

How to identify the future-ready talent you want to retain and train
How to find the outside digital talent you want to bring to Pharma
How to set your employer brand apart in the war for BioTech talent
The role of HR in creating a future-ready talent pool
Your invite to our December 4 webinar

Learn more at a December 4th webinar

Our parent company, IQ PARTNERS, is hosting a webinar on December 4 with AugmentHR’s Shelley Brown and Orchid Jahanshahi, from ThinkrBelle, a strategic advisor to Pharma leaders and Biotech startups.

How to identify the internal future-friendly Pharma talent you want to retain and train

There’s less risk in identifying and training great employees who have the capacity to become digitally skilled future-ready workers: they’re a known quantity and they know your organization. But you can experience a serious fail if you try to shoehorn the wrong person into the role no matter how well they are regarded internally. As experienced HR leaders in Healthcare and Pharma, we created this short list of 5 tips:

Create a system for spotting and recognizing talent:

Walk the talk by becoming adept at using analytics to map skills to identify those with the greatest potential to train for a digital role. There are many tools available today to bring technology and AI to this task.

LOok for the softer skills that characterize digital brains:

For example, a willingness to learn, critical thinking and problem-solving.

Tweak your performance reviews system:

To spot emerging digital skills and/or interest.

Look for adjacent skills:

These may not be exactly the same as the job requirements but indicate proficiency for related subjects such as database proficiency, empathy for the customer/user experience, and understanding of information structure.

Think laterally across the organization:

Look at skills, not just roles. You may find data-focused talent within your finance and accounting departments vs just the lab.

Once identified, feed your new pipeline of future-ready talent with:

Upskills training:

Creating partnerships with digital and AI training providers

Mentorship with digital leaders and thinkers; internally or externally
Clear career paths

How to find the outside digital talent you want to bring into Pharma

A shortage of healthcare professionals with the new digital and AI skills to compete and increased competition for digital talent, in general, means that Pharma employers need to sharpen their digital talent recruitment skills. We’ll cover more in the webinar but here are 7 things you can start on now (8 if you’re a startup):

If you’ve relied on a ‘post & pray’ strategy, change and go after the ‘passive candidate:
In the hot Biotech market, chances are the talent you want is already employed and valued so it’s unlikely they’re looking on traditional job sites.
Use the advent of remote work:
... to tap into a larger talent pool, in Canada or beyond. Create a remote-friendly employer brand that allows for a work/life balance attractive to certain candidates (and helps them avoid the cost of large cities).
Create a relationship with recruiters:
...who specialize in Digital Recruitment and Pharma.
Build your social media presence:
...of your employer brand, stressing your digital credentials.
Introduce a referral program:
...amongst your existing digital talent.
Be more diverse & target new immigrants:
...20% of the bio-economy worldwide is made up of underrepresented talent and new immigrants represent a talent pool you may be overlooking.
Tap into Canada’s rich tech ecosystem which ranks third in the world to engage with talent, arrange reverse mentorship opportunities and develop brand leadership.

If you’re a startup: As HR consultants, we’ve been seeing a growing preference within Pharma to work for new brands vs established companies so if you’re a startup you should leverage the natural assets of your brand to lure candidates away from big pharma including:

A more relaxed and creative culture
More control and autonomy over projects
The ability to affect change
Greater exposure to all aspects of the business

How to set your employer brand apart in the war for Pharma & BioTech talent

If you can create an employer brand that appeals to the type of future-ready candidates you seek you will not only dramatically increase the conversion of candidates to employees but you will also put a ‘passive’ recruitment’ tool into the market that attracts digital candidates to you. As strategists who have helped healthcare brands become employers of choice in Canada, we offer the following steps and best practices:

Define your employer brand: both the strengths of it today from a digital candidate’s perspective and how you envision it in the future on its ‘best day’.
Then make sure your website and LinkedIn company page reflect your brand. And amortize your investment in your content by sharing it across other key platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
Invest in your employer brand with a strong presence on the top online platforms via both organic and paid promotion.
Showcase employment opportunities that reflect growth and achievement.
Share posts reflecting a future-ready organizational culture.
Pay attention to your online reviews: promote the ones that showcase your tech-friendly environment.
Showcase digital and AI success stories and demonstrate investment in these technologies.
The pandemic provided a boost to Pharma and Biotech employer brands. Ride the wave by showcasing your innovative responses to problems that affect us all.

The role of HR in creating a future-ready talent pool

Here are the top ways HR can take both a leadership and supporting role in creating a future-ready talent pool that fuels their company forward.

Identifying Digital Talent Needs: HR teams should collaborate with business leaders to understand the organization's future digital needs and develop a plan to acquire the specific skills and expertise required.

Creating a Plan and a Budget: Prepare management to invest and work with them to build digital recruitment right into the company's business plan.

Upskilling and Reskilling: Lead in the investment in training and development programs to equip existing employees with the necessary digital skills to adapt to evolving technologies.

Modernize Recruitment: Leverage digital tools and platforms to reach a wider pool of potential digital talent, including social media, online job boards, and specialized tech communities.

Become Skilled at Recruiting Talent Virtually: Create or adopt digital platforms for recruitment and assessment from anywhere in the world. Develop onboarding programs for remote workers.

Lead the Development of A Digital-Friendly Employer Brand: Work with internal or external marketing talent and management to create a compelling brand.

Digital Talent Retention: Implements strategies to keep digital talent engaged and motivated, such as flexible work arrangements, challenging projects, and opportunities for innovation.

Join us for our fireside chat / webinar on December 4th for more tips and a great discussion.

Shelley Brown is a senior HR Consultant who has been granted the Human Resources Professional Association’s Fellow Award. She’s a sought-after speaker for her experience as an HR leader and Executive Coach. In her last executive role as HR leader at a global healthcare organization, she used her knowledge and leadership to help them become a top employer of choice in Canada.

Orchid Jahanshahi has deep experience in marketing management, sales management and global brand strategy at six Fortune 500 pharma companies. Orchid is an Advisor and Investor in early-stage companies that use AI and tech to advance healthcare solutions to reduce patients’ time to therapy. She is the founder of ThinkrBelle, seasoned Pharma experts who provide a strategic resource for commercial leaders and startups.