Fidelis News & Updates

Motivation from NAPS 2013 Annual Conference

In case you missed it, the NAPS 2013 Annual Conference was held two weeks ago in Las Vegas and 5 of our team members were in attendance. For those who aren’t familiar with the NAPS acronym, NAPS stands for National Association of Personnel Services.

For our team members, the conference consisted of two jam-packed days of seminars and training sessions, networking events and a little Vegas sight seeing. Running on enthusiasm and little sleep, our team members soaked up valuable information and came back with renewed enthusiasm to implement these learned tasks in their day-to-day work routines.

Here are some things our team members had to say about the NAPS 2013 Annual Conference once they returned:

“This year’s conference was a highly informative event for our employees, both the veterans and the first timers. It’s even better to see them come back to the office and take the motivation and tools they learned at NAPS and begin implementing them in their day-to-day practice.”
Karen Richards, President & CEO

Karen at the Black & White party with Frank Sinatra's look alike.

“It was one of the best NAPS conferences I have attended. Jon Bartos and Greg Doersching’s energy levels were through the roof. Rob Moseley’s workshop advice was outstanding. All in all, extremely motivating and gave me the “right mindset” to achieve a new level of success.”

Dr. May Li, Scientific R&D Practice Lead

May and Charlotte preparing for a day full of seminars

“This was my first NAPS meeting and I think it was absolutely amazing. Every single talk I went to was valuable and I was able to take something from each one that I can implement in my daily work. Most of the speakers were inspiring, motivating and extremely knowledgeable! We just had a 2 hour meeting about how to start implementing some of the changes to make us more successful in the future.”
Dr. Charlotte Mitchell, Scientific Recruiter

Johnny holding up a NAPS conference sign.

“When you attend these conferences, there are always one or two new ideas, or improvements to your current process that you have the opportunity to hear.

The speakers are not just trainers, but those that have worked a desk, been in the trenches and have amassed their insights through hands on experience….being taught by those that have been successful running a desk just like me; creates a very personal message”
Johnny Letourneau, Medical Affairs Practice Lead

Jacob posing with Mario and Luigi

“This was my first opportunity to be apart of a NAPS conference and I was blown away with the quality of the presentations and how well everything was planned.

The speakers provided amazing insight into various recruiting tools and methods that we have already began to implement within our company.”
Jacob Barnes, Scientific Recruiter

For more information on the NAPS, please visit www.recruitinglife.com.

Stop! HANA time…

Join us for a webinar Wednesday, July 31st at 2:00 pm CDT where you will hear Tommy McMullen, SAP Practice Lead of Fidelis Companies and Sam Schoelen, CIO of Continental Resources, talk about Sam’s experience with implementing SAP HANA and some of the commonly asked questions about the new technology.

As a CIO for a company who has recently implemented HANA, Sam will share some valuable insights for other managers looking to implement the new technology. Not sure if HANA is right for your organization or how you’re going to justify the cost to your boss? Sam will talk about these topics and much more so register now!

And come prepared with some of your own HANA questions for the live Q&A after Tommy and Sam wrap up!

To register for the webinar, click the link below and follow the prompts; if prompted, enter the webinar ID below.

SAP HANA blog

 

“Most Chaotic Desk” Facebook Photo Contest

Do remember what color your desk is? Been a while since you were able to find the last pen you lost? We want to see pictures!

Fidelis Companies is having a Facebook “Most Chaotic Desk” photo contest and want you to enter! Work from home? Don’t feel left out! Send in a photo of your home office desk or kitchen counter, or whatever you call your desk!

Rules:
1. People submitting photo entries must “Like” our Facebook page to be considered for the contest. One entry per person.
2. Take a picture of your desk and email it to clemons@fideliscompanies.com
3. Include the follow information for the photo caption: Your Name, either what you do OR your job title.
4. Once your photo is added to the “Most Chaotic Desk” photo album, share the album with your friends and beg them to vote for your chaotic desk!
5. Please feel free to tag your photo submittal once the photo is added to the album to easily share with your friends and family.
6. The photo with the most “Likes” at the end of the day July 31st will win a $50 gas card. Winner will be announced August 1st!

Important dates:
1. Photo submittals will be accepted from June 25 – July 15. Any photos submitted after EOD July 15th will not be included in the contest.
2. Album will be posted July 1 with photo’s added as they are submitted.
3. Voting ends at the end of the day July 31st.

Vote for Fidelis Companies!

Social Media is a popular topic in the business world right now, and we decided to join the conversation by participating in the Dallas Business Journal’s (DBJ) Social Madness competition! Part of the competition is daily, open voting for our company, Fidelis Companies, and the other part is posting relevant and engaging content that our followers and fans want to interact with.

We are currently in Round 1 and are sitting in the top 8. After this week, the final top 8 companies will move onto the next phase, one step closer to the finals.

What do we win, you ask? The winner of the Social Madness competition will have $10,000 donated in their name to the charity of their choice; our charity of choice is the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County.

 

How to participate:

1. Click on the following link to vote: http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/socialmadness
2. If you do not already have a DBJ account, you will be prompted to create a login for the contest. As long as you access the voting link from the same browser and computer, your login information will be saved and you will be taken directly to the voting page.
3. Once username and password are created, the voting page will open.
4. Scroll through to find “Fidelis Companies” and click the green circular VOTE button to the left of our company name.
5. Once you vote, please share your vote with your social networks and encourage your friends and connections to vote for us and move Fidelis Companies into the Top 8!
6. You can vote once a day until voting closes for round 1 on June 17th.

 

Thanks in advance for voting for us and we look forward to sharing more with you!

Finding A Job in the Social Jungle: Part 4

For the final installment on effectively using social media in your job hunt, we’re going to look at Google+ (G+). For a look back at my tips on using LinkedIn, Facebook or Pinterest and Twitter, click the links to view the full posts!

Google+. G+ is the newest of the most popular social media sites, but has taken off in terms of followers and +1’s. With Communities, Circles, +1’s and Hangouts, G+ is making it easier for people, companies and brands to connect!

Communities. Communities are most similar to LinkedIn Groups for those not familiar with G+. Most communities are open to anyone to join, so you can view posts from industry leaders and companies and events within the community.

GPlus Communities

Each community is set up and managed differently so if it is an open community (you don’t have to request to join), take some time to scroll through the posts and events to see if it is a good fit for you. View the member list and see who has joined and what they do. Is there anyone you can connect with that will help your career advancement?

G+ is similar to Facebook for it’s atmosphere and the “laid back” feel, however, when approaching someone about career advice or opportunity you should communicate like you would on LinkedIn. Remain professional, don’t constantly message someone (harass them) and give some information about yourself before you ask.

Circles. Unlike LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, G+ gives you the control over who you share what content with. Professionals you are connected with don’t care about your cute dog just as much as your friends don’t care that you’re looking for a job.

When you follow a person or company page, you are prompted to choose a Circle for that user. You can use the default options or slowly build your personalized circles with your creative names.

GPlus Follow Circle

By categorizing your family and friends away from your professional connections, Google gives you the freedom to post your vacation pictures and choose your personal circles to have access and post your “I’m looking for a job” posts and professional articles for your professional circles to view. This way you’re choosing what business and pleasure you are mixing or keeping separate.

You can also share content with the communities you are a member of. However, at this point you can only post to one community at a time, which can get tedious sometimes.

GPlus Post Circle
+1’s. +1’s are comparable to the Like (Facebook and LinkedIn) or Favorite (Twitter) on the other social networks. You can +1 a post, picture, video or page. Once you build your circles and communities, begin sharing and +1ing posts by industry leaders, companies and company employees that is relevant to the position or career path you are interested in.

GPlus 1

Hangouts. Traveling from city to city to interview can get expensive quick. Hangouts now includes both IM (instant message) and video chat, which could cut down expenses when doing initial face-to-face interviews.

Companies, brands and influencers are also using Hangouts to one-up Twitter’s live chats. Want to watch a seminar or partake in a Q&A for your favorite brand? These are happening right now on G+! Richard Branson is a big user of Hangouts, announcing live Q&A’s regularly and even prompting visitors to his page to “Say hi to Richard!” Hangouts are a great way to learn more about a company or industry you are interested and guide you to other, similar companies you hadn’t considered yet.

Remember, with any social media network one thing is constant when reaching out to and communicating with a potential employer, coworker or industry leader: always be professional. Just because you are using a social network to communicate doesn’t mean you can use the same relaxed styles you use with your friends and family.

Don’t ruin your chance before you’ve even been given one.

 

Casidy Lemons

Casidy_DBJ Event

Texas – A State of Biopharma Growth

So what’s the big deal about the Biopharmaceutical industry anyway? Well, considering it can provide medical innovation, has billions of dollars invested in it annually and provides employment to approximately 4 million people – it’s a humongous deal!

It is said that everything is bigger in Texas…why would it be any different for the Biopharma industry?

Here are 5 reasons why you should be in Texas and part of this influential industry!

1. Texas is in the top 10 for R&D Employment
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census Employment & Wage (QCEW) data, Texas is among the top 10 leading the nation in biotechnology research and development employment.

1- Employment Growth

1. Pop Quiz   

That’s a lot right! Texas takes its biotechnology industry very seriously; after all, the economic impact of this industry was estimated to be $75 billion in 2009 and that certainly is no joke. For every job that was created in the biotechnology field, another 2.3 jobs were generated.

In 2010, Texas was ranked No. 2 nationwide for the employment of life and physical scientists at 48,850 by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

2. Growth of Biopharma Manufacturing

Did you know?

Biopharma Manufacturing in the U.S has decreased by 8.0% since 2002, but Texas is one of five states that has increased its Biopharma manufacturing and has done so by 7.8%!

2. Annual Growth

3. Show me the money!

If its all about the money, then Texas is among the top 10!

3. Biotech wages

3. Pop Quiz

Not bad at all, right? Still not convinced – did you know there is no state income tax in Texas – yee haw!

4. It’s all about the place you work!

Texas is striving towards bigger and better discoveries within the biotech, biomed and other research areas, which is why Texas has over 3,500 establishments and counting in this industry.

Don’t believe me? Well, did you know that Greatbatch (a leader in medical device manufacturing) moved its headquarters from New York to Texas; Frisco, Texas to be exact. The reason? Well isn’t it obvious? Because Texas is awesome – but also because Texas has a growing medical devices industry and Greatbatch wanted to get in on the action. Dallas has a reputable medical device sector; Greatbatch relocating it’s headquarters not only confirms this, but shows Texas is well on its way to becoming a niche in the medical device market.

You may have also heard about Texas A&M receiving a grant for its flu vaccine facility – this is a considerable step in terms of leveraging drug development and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Now that A&M has partnered with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and other regional partners it will be possible to manufacture flu vaccines right here in Texas by the end of this decade. This helps Texas further its position in the biopharma industry.

Additionally, Merit Medical (a manufacturing firm that produces proprietary disposable medical devices) will open its new research and manufacturing facility doors by the end of 2013. This 18,000-square-foot facility is based in Pearland, Texas and will create an estimated 220 jobs.

So as you can see, Texas continues to house some major players in the industry and that list is growing!

5. To be or not to be a Doc? That is the question!

According to NSF, Texas ranked No. 3 for number of doctorates awarded in biotech related fields such as Health, Life and Biological Sciences.

Education is a vital part of the industry, as there is always a need for skilled, professional individuals with specialized knowledge in their respective fields to further enhance the medical discoveries to keep a dynamic industry. Texas is renowned for its research medical schools and for its research and development. In fact, five Texas universities made the top 100 list for best medical research schools by U.S News & World Report 2013:

5. Health Colleges

R&D in Texas is supported by its substantial health related institutions, universities and private biotechnology research firms. Texas has access to many R&D facilities, and on top of that, it consists of over 1,500 medical and testing laboratories including blood, pathology, imaging, diagnostics and device testing services. If you are talking about research don’t forget, Texas is at the forefront of cancer research as well, with recognized institutions such as MD Anderson Cancer Center based in Houston, Mary Crowley Cancer Center and Scott & White Healthcare Cancer Research Institute both based in Dallas.

Top Ten Texas Public Institutions for Biomedical R&D 

5. Institution

 

 

So, there you have it. With a growing professional workforce, top-tier research institutions and a booming biopharma industry, which is only going to continue growing, Texas is certainly the place to be!

Do you want to start your next career move in the biopharma industry? Look no further, take the step with Fidelis Companies; our Biopharm Division will show you the way with our R&D experts in the field. Fidelis Companies is based in Plano, Texas and we work with top industry clients both nationally and internationally. That, coupled with our areas of specialization and networking – we can provide you with the best professional recruiting service you need.

 

**Please note that the number of 89,610 workers in the biotech related field includes the following:
1. Research and Development in Biotechnology
2. Research and Development in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences
3. Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing
4. Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing
5. Electromedical Apparatus Manufacturing
6. Analytical Laboratory Instruments Manufacturing
7. Medical and Diagnostic Labs
8. Testing Laboratories
9. Pesticides, Fertilizer & Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing
10. Other Basic Organic Chemical Manufacturing 

6. Doctorate Research