Our Recruitment Process At Entrust Resource Solutions

At Entrust Resource Solutions, our team brings a wealth of experience in STEM recruitment, with senior members who have dedicated the majority of their careers to the life sciences industry. Our approach brings insight and first-hand knowledge to candidates’ recruitment journey, providing mentorship and feedback at every stage of the application process. 

As we understand both sides of the recruitment process, we can offer comprehensive client services for the businesses we work with, as well as excellent candidate services to support talent within life sciences. We help candidates highlight their best skills and advance their careers, alongside supporting candidates through the process with interview preparation and CV advice. We additionally handle salary negotiations, contracting, and onboarding to ensure the candidates we have placed are settling in well.

Our teams are based across 3 hubs with excellent proximity to the UK’s busiest life sciences centres – enabling us to work closely with the industry’s most well-known names within healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. These hubs are located in Dundee, Scotland, Macclesfield in North West England, and Tring in the South East of England. 

If you’re looking to take your first step towards a career in STEM or advance your knowledge and further your career, speak to our team to learn more about available opportunities. 

Our Placement Process

While everyone’s career journey will be different, some aspects of our typical recruitment and placement processes will stay the same. Here is what you can expect:

• First Response: When you apply for a role through us for the first time, our team will review your application and provide an initial response within 48 hours, which will include an invitation to a qualification call.
• Qualification Call: During your follow-up / qualification call, you’ll meet your dedicated recruiter who will discuss your experience and suitability for the position you’re applying to, giving you an opportunity to update your CV where required before we present it to the hiring managers.
• CV Review: Once your CV reaches the hiring manager at the company you’ve applied to, we’ll work with their team to provide feedback on your application. We ensure every candidate is given a debrief, especially if they have been unsuccessful. 
• Interview Preparation & Coaching: If your application makes it through to the shortlist round(s), your dedicated recruiter at Entrust will support you with interview advice including preparing common interview question responses. We use the STAR method which helps to structure your answer and provide context as well as outcome. 
  • Situation: Set the scene – what is happening or what is the issue that needs to be resolved? 
  • Task: What is your goal and what are the overarching objectives you are working towards?
  • Action: What did you actively do to resolve the issue or improve processes? 
  • Result: What was the outcome of your action and did it accomplish your goal (and if not, what would you do differently)? 

An example of the STAR method in action could look as follows:

• • Situation: In my role as a Clinical Trials Coordinator, I was leading a Phase II clinical trial for a new migraine medication, however, during the trials, we saw a significant issue with patient retention which delayed progression to Phase III and also cost the company money.
  • Task: As the leading Coordinator, I had to ensure trials remained on schedule and within budget, including evaluating the high dropout rates and implementing improvements. 
  • Action: I conducted an analysis of the barriers to retention including assessing the process itself, its accessibility, and demand on patients. I discovered the scheduling portal was not working for patients using iOS devices and other patients also found it difficult to commute, as well as schedule appointments that aligned with their availability. As such, we resolved the access issues with our IT team, provided more flexible slots with an extra week of notice ahead of a session, and improved communication with participants by using email reminders to follow up with people who had expressed interest but ultimately not signed up to a session.
  • Result: Within only 2 weeks, our session uptake increased by 60% and we had a more diverse set of patients in our trial. We are now looking to implement this method going into Phase III to support the outcomes of the trial. 

• 30-minute Preparation Call: Every candidate with us will benefit from a short mock interview to put everything you have learned into practice! This will include running through a standard interview as well as focusing on more difficult interview questions and challenges, tailored to your needs. Ahead of the call, we will also provide you with links to the company you’ll be interviewing with and any other information we can provide about the role to ensure you are not going in blind!

• Feedback: Whether your application is successful or the company decides to go with another candidate, you will get feedback on your interview to help you improve next time. Providing you are happy for us to do so, we will also keep your CV in our database and match you to similar jobs to help you in your job search and support your career progression. If feedback has been positive and the company is ready to make you an offer, we’ll also support you by making salary negotiations on your behalf.
• Job Offer & Next Steps: If you’ve been offered the job, we’ll be on hand during your onboarding stages and work alongside the company’s HR time to help you settle in. We’ll stay in touch with monthly check-in calls during your first 3 months, and we’ll also provide career development support long-term if you wish to opt in to this service. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Which positions within Life Sciences do you typically recruit for?

At Entrust, we specialise in recruitment across a range of life sciences roles, particularly within commercial, research & development, technical operations, and manufacturing & development. Most roles will be permanent, though we do also hire on a temporary or contract basis, depending on the company’s needs.

How long does the recruitment process usually take?

While the exact timescale will vary per company and role, we will provide you with a clear timeline and regular updates to ensure you are kept in the loop. Our recruiters will work with you and the company’s hiring managers directly to facilitate a more efficient process overall. 

What information do you need from me to start the process?

To help you find your next role and match you with suitable opportunities, we will request the following:

• An up-to-date CV
• Your salary expectation / range
• Current notice period
• Eligibility to work 

Get in touch with the team today to find out more!