The Swiss chemical and pharmaceutical industry is showing the first signs of renewed momentum. At the same time, companies are investing, restructuring and consolidating. What could these developments mean for the labour market and the future demand for specialised professionals?
Do we still need cover letters in 2026? A recruiter’s perspective on what really makes an impact today – and where candidates should focus their time and energy instead.
Starting a career in the life sciences is more challenging today than it was just a few years ago. But the current job market does not tell the whole story. Here's why a degree in the natural sciences remains a worthwhile long-term investment, despite AI, talent shortages, and a changing employment landscape.
AI can analyze data, identify patterns, and accelerate processes. But can it truly take over the role of scientists? This article explores why scientific expertise remains indispensable in the pharmaceutical industry and which skills will matter most in the future.
Flexible recruiting models are becoming increasingly important in pharma, biotech, and medtech. Since 2016, gloor&lang has successfully supported companies in filling temporary and long-term key positions.
Reorganization after reorganization. Responsibility keeps increasing. Stability keeps decreasing. No wonder leadership roles are becoming less attractive to many people today.
Christmas surprises with gifts – Easter, on the other hand, with discoveries. That’s exactly what we love: spotting the hidden, bringing patience and experience, and finding the treasures that aren’t immediately visible. That’s also how we work in recruiting – not focusing on the obvious, but uncovering the potential that others might overlook.
ATS checkers help ensure your resume gets seen—but it only convinces once a human reads it. Here’s how to use these tools effectively.
300 applications per role, AI-generated résumés, automated rejections – recruiting has turned into an algorithmic arms race. And everyone acts surprised.
The Swiss job market is uncertain – especially in the life sciences sector. Fewer openings, longer processes, hundreds of applications per position. Thinking of switching jobs hastily? Better not!
Too many applications — and still no suitable candidate?
How AI tools can transform recruiting and HR management in the life sciences industry
AI sorts faster – but not better. Headhunting remains essential when it comes to real fit, trust, and genuine relationships.
A recent article in NZZ am Sonntag posed the question: “Is business administration becoming a dead end?”
A critical project is facing intense time pressure. Suddenly, a key team member is unavailable – perhaps due to illness, resignation, or an unexpected absence. And the budget? Tight.
When we go to the mountains, we are often not just looking for an adventure - we are looking for resonance. That quiet, often surprising experience of something connecting with us. It's not about conquering a summit. It's about being touched by a landscape, by our own actions, by the unavailable.
What a night! Last Friday, we had the pleasure of hosting our Summer Celebration at Casino Baden – a festive evening dedicated to our amazing contractors!
Just a few years ago, the tenor was clear: highly skilled jobs were increasingly being relocated to cheaper foreign countries - particularly to Eastern Europe, India and South East Asia. The chemical industry led the way. Efficiency, scalability, global cooperation - all plausible arguments for outsourcing initiatives. And now?
As a recruiter, I witness daily how expectations in the job market are shifting—both on the side of companies and talent. A recent study by career expert Scott Caputo, published in the Handelszeitung, captures this dynamic precisely. It's uncomfortable, but it hits a nerve: Anyone who wants to get ahead in today’s working world needs clear results—and must make them visible. The market doesn’t reward intention, loyalty, or diligence—but measurable value.
‘Who lives where?’ was the motto - and so we visited each other by bike!
In the spring time, we wish our customers, partners and colleagues relaxing holidays, sunny days and lots of new energy for the challenges ahead!
Sometimes I feel that change is a concept that we only accept when it is served to us in small, easily digestible doses. Step by step, with meetings, workshops and soft communication. But reality does not adhere to our change management manuals.
Our annual Christmas dinner this time at Circus Conelli
The holiday season reminds us of the importance of trust and reliability – not just in daily life, but also in how we work together. With our special “Santa Claus” performance, we want to share a clear message: At gloor&lang, you don’t buy a pig in a poke (or a cat in the bag)!
Did you know that 65% of chemists in Switzerland were trained abroad? This means that chemists are being imported even more than doctors. They are followed by physicists, mathematicians, statisticians and biologists (m/f).
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics shows that trust is the cornerstone of success! My bold thesis: Doesn't the principle for successful economies also apply to successful companies?
We were thrilled to welcome you to our special gathering for our contractors at gloor & lang Pharma and Biotech Recruiting.
Well, if Denise didn't really want to use her hiking boots, we would have waited. But it would have been winter by then....Pictures from our Pilatus trip with dragons, gardens of rocks, talking birds and lost paths.......
Lots of applications but not the right one? Your job advert is running at full speed, but the position remains vacant?
Optimists always sit in the driving seat. We all like to be infected by the zest for action and the courage to take new paths. Go ahead!
Reinforcement for our Life Science Specialty recruitment team.
What exactly is it like with this Generation Z? The media columns are filling up, the baby boomers are getting upset, the employers are rolling their eyes, young work force demands for more and more.
We're looking for the five-legged sheep of employees,’ my customers say. ‘At least you're honest,’ I reply, and we laugh. Everyone is looking for colourful eggs at Easter. But here at gloor & lang, we look for eggs all year round! As colourful and special as possible!
Pharma, Biotech & Medtech Active Sourcing from gloor&lang You have challenging positions to be filled in the pharmaceutical and biotech fields and not the suitable candidate? We approach carefully identified candidates directly for your project!
Do you read work certificates? Obligatory in the DACH region, not common worldwide. What hasn't already been written in and about reference letters
Be ready, use your performance now, because: You won't get a second chance to make a first impression!
Recruiting gifts for Christmas Help Christmas again? 2023 is getting shorter every day! But you still have a lot of work left?
Which is easier? A) To select the 10 most suitable from 100 applications? B) Tick the best 10 out of 100 matches on linked-in? Easy, right?
Industry cult! This buzzword just caught our eye in the highly regarded study by HR Today and von Rundstedt. Because it is so relevant to our life science industry.
Your staff, the most important resource! People with talents, skills and experience, professional goals and motivation. Your company wants to attract talented people and get them excited for your common goals. A classic procurement process: What can AI contribute here?
Energy crisis, inflation and recession in 2023. Since autumn 2022, threatening scenarios have kept the economy in suspense. Large-scale job cuts at the tech giants in the USA, shaky stock prices, uncertainty in planning for the current year 2023.
Were you afraid of Santa Claus as a child? Did you wait with curiosity, excitement and a good portion of respect. Did your heart beat, the moment he stood in the door with his big book, his helper Schmutzli and an even bigger jute bag?
The demand for active sourcing services for specialists will remain at a high level in 2022. But when you finally identify those people for whom you’ve been searching, they jump away or slip through your fingers. Does that sound familiar to you?
gloor&lang Quarterly report 2022 : Time for a Recruiting update!
It sounds absurd: On the one hand, the Swiss market is desperately looking for skilled workers. On the other hand, well-qualified specialists and managers often apply for jobs for months without success.
Those who recognise the problem, and draw the right conclusions, reduce their economic risk.
The rapid recovery comes almost unexpectedly, and massive pent-up demand with it. Life-science professionals who were already in demand are becoming a scarce commodity. With the success of pharma and biotech, capacities are being built-up and expanded.
Finally! The bars are open again. Even as a teenager, I liked to stand behind the bar rather than in front of it. I also liked standing in the lab as a chemist. Mixing, shaking, trying - until it fits! There are more parallels than you would think between my childhood dream of owning a cocktail bar and my agency in life science recruiting.
Again, I hear the stories of the hidden job market. Job consultants think this is the absolute gold standard. "Activate your network of relationships" they say, doors will open that you have never thought off. And: I have to go one better here: Let yourself be approached! You'll be amazed at the jobs you'll be put on the radar for.
Identify potentials and talents: three useful milestones for efficient decision making “How do you determine whether a candidate has the required leadership skills”, asked a client during a briefing. Which I answered with a question: “Who has to be leaded where?” The key aspect being: what type of manager do you need and for which tasks? Which goals does the company wish to achieve in the mid-term?
I watch the media discussions on the effectiveness of the new vaccine candidate with incredulous astonishment. Vaccinations started more or less quickly in various countries.
In the future, I read in a recent article of the Bertelsmann Foundation, more than 70% of companies will use software for the selection of future employees. The screening of hundreds of applicants for job advertisements is too time-consuming. In economically challenging times, one can even speak of a flood of applicants.
Who is available where, and at what price? These questions crop up a lot for you and for us. That is why gloorlang AG optimised a system last year that has the answers faster, better and cheaper than ever before.
Advent is a time of many doors. An Advent calendar builds up our curiosity and expectations. Do you have resolutions and hopes for 2021? Then push open the door to the new year boldly and expectantly!
Search programs and masks for job search help you to filter specifically and get exactly the results you want. This leads to good hits, but can also limit the results. You will be provided with information about the things you are interested in, but at the same time you will receive little new impulses and you might miss important results. This also applies to your job search. Here you get some tips on how you can find even more suitable results for your job search on the Internet.
The home office is with us again and still here! It is all the rage: in job interviews, candidates increasingly ask for or insist on this information - while many HR managers are reluctant to answer. I have noticed that this desire on the part of the employees is becoming a crucial new question in recruitment.
Focus on Life Science professional and managerial staff Economic slump and uncertain prospects on the one hand - new recruiting needs and strategies on the other. Times are changing but what stays the same is the "War of Talents". In fact, it has increased. Since June 2020, gloorlang has experienced increased demand for local available candidates with know-how in specific qualification areas of the pharmaceutical and life science industry. Swiss medium-sized companies are often themselves suppliers of an international clientele, able to gain new customers with Top Technologies and agile customer service approach. In this fight for the best talent gloor&lang acts as your explorer and back-up! As specialised recruiters & head-hunters, we react tactically smart to your current needs.
To read between the lines Of the many tools used in recruiting and talent acquisition, the job ad is the most visible. But the job ad is also a tricky tool, because the communication is time-delayed.
Not only are reference letters peppered with hidden messages, also job ads can turn out to be deceptive. We have learned how to check the fine details of language usage in working certificates and written referrals and thus track down the secret messages.
Great! You have a face to face job interview ! Now you can show what you are able to. But which questions you will be confronted ?
You are looking for a job and are applying for several positions. Unfortunately, the application processes do not run parallel to each other, but rather in different speed. At one company you already have an invitation to the second interview, while others are taking time after the first telephone interview.
Support of foresighted clients: The coronavirus pandemic did not prevent us from being entrusted with various search mandates. We were indeed surprised at first, but quickly realised that this was the result of our clients’ farsightedness, confidence and ability to dare.
Finally, with the bright summer days approaching, we enter a new beginning: the world after Corona. Back to a part of normality. Many of us have mastered the exceptional situation well, with adaptability and discipline.
A career as challenging mountain tour: entry, break and summit. "What my boss does, I could do myself as well," says the ambitious candidate in an interview. "What does he do"? I ask curiously.
A resume lives: from the buzzwords. No, not the empty buzzwords and hackneyed phrases. Buzzwords are meaningful,
"We are looking for a Head Quality", says the customer on the phone. He sends us the job description, asks for an offer, and expects to receive the first suitable profiles in the same move.
Are you job hunting? At the moment there are fewer vacancies, but more job seekers compared to the same period last year, April 2019, the media is writing.
The following choice of personal development strategy has been a hot topic over the past decade: specialist versus management career paths. Both career models are being assessed and weighted up.
Who knows more about Virology Everyone who reads newspapers knows why the name coronavirus: from Latin corona ‘crown’, in reference to the crown-shaped aspect of the virus under an electron microscope.
Current figures send shivers down every employer’s spine. The coronavirus crisis already cost 22 million Americans their job within four weeks. US unemployment rate has more or less tripled. In Switzerland, unemployment also surged as of mid-March as a result of the declared state of emergency. Early April, the impact on the labour-market is dramatic.
When will there be a vaccine? All of the sudden, vaccine and vaccination are on everyone’s lips: in the short term, vaccination provides the individual with little tangible benefit.
The Federal Council is rationing Ibuprofen
Thank you all for the exciting projects, contacts and collaborations in 2019!
Life Science Skill Need influencing entry salaries: Supply and Demand in the USA and in Europe.
Yes, it does exist! It: discrimination of candidates over 55...
Reduced to the Max – Focus on Services. This was our motto of the complete modernization that led to our brand new homepage.
Artificial Intelligence can facilitate job seeking. It nevertheless has pitfalls. Those who use AI for their job search should therefore do it as smartly as possible. Read more to understand what is at stake.
This year, we took time to attend the magical Circus Conelli gala show at Bauschänzli in Zurich.
First a flirt, then a deep dive: the «War for Talents» is now being fought by means of virtual applications - with a lot of fake. This does not go without unlikely and comic situations.
In the end, only the CV counts for an application. And yet it has to come with a personal letter. The famous «Letter of Motivation». This is an opportunity to score more points which cannot be ignored. What usually strikes me about letters of motivation:
The team of gloor & lang: on track of the best Sherlock Holmes Adventure Room
«Temp staffing», «Contractor», «fix-term contract»: these are the new key trend terms in the ads published on job search sites. Learn here about the risks and opportunities of these new work models!
You are almost there: your «dream job» is within reach. Your second interview is coming up and you are carefully preparing for it. Every single information is valuable and the nagging question arises as how much the company has budgeted for this position - If the salary issue has not yet been discussed, it will without doubt come up this time: How much can it be?
You are looking for a job and have mastered the first hurdle: you are now sitting in the company you wish to work for and discussing about your dream job. You of course feel somewhat nervous at the beginning of the interview, which gradually gets better during the discussion. You reach calmer, safer waters, provide convincing examples, feel understood and in good hands. What now?
We highly value authenticity, credibility, effectiveness and discretion
Are you spoiled for choice with the many job offers you received? Carry out a benefit analysis!
Life Science Recruiting is like set theory: the tricky search for the perfect overlap is a thrilling exercise. Mathematical understanding can be useful – there is however another decisive factor: the knowledge of human nature.
Life Science Professionals can be odd sometimes. The current 'selfie‘ culture requires, however, a positive self-exposition. Yet it impairs the perception of the candidates‘ key quality: their true abilities.
Who actually bears «guilt» for the lack of Life-Science staff? Basically: we all do. The problem has many reasons but it can simply be remedied by bringing a committed employment agency in.
Haselstrasse 1
CH-5400 Baden
Tel. +41 (0)61 206 61 81
welcome@gloorlang.com
