Pfizer

Recruitment managed programme
Medical

Commenting on the overall success of the recruitment project, Samantha Walker, Head of Pfizer HR Business Partners said: "meta-morphose did a fantastic job to hit our deadline and we were all most impressed by the professionalism of the team and the service they offered."

The Client

Pfizer is a research-based global pharmaceutical company. Pfizer discovers, develops, manufactures and markets leading prescription medicines for humans and animals, as well as many of the world's best-known consumer products.

Through the pharmaceutical division, Pfizer markets a wide range of prescription only medicines which bring relief from suffering in a variety of diseases including infections, arthritis, depression, hypertension and other heart disorders, as well as certain types of cancer.

The Challenge

A critical component of Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals is their sales force, whose responsibility is to market a wide range of prescription only medicines to the NHS. These are hired from a variety of educational backgrounds and widely regarded as the best in the industry.

Due to Pfizer's ambitious growth plans for sales recruitment in 2004 there were around 120 vacancies to be filled, including 60 'fresh' graduates for the role of medical representative. This was a new departure for Pfizer as they would normally seek to recruit experienced sales staff into this type of role.

Pfizer selected meta-morphose as their partner in this project due to their established reputation and credibility in attracting and identifying graduates with the right attitude and talent to succeed in a competitive sales environment.

The Solution

meta-morphose ran a mass attraction campaign on behalf of Pfizer that was entirely tailored to meet Pfizer's specific selection criteria.

Using an innovative technology solution meta-morphose was able to run an advertising campaign with a registration web page that was fully Pfizer branded. This solution also enabled an experienced team from meta-morphose International to affect an exceptionally quick turnaround from application to initial telephone screening and short-listing for invitation to a number of Pfizer specific Assessment Centre.
The telephone screening was devised by meta-morphose based around Pfizer competency based criteria.

- The meta team handled over 3,000 applications, with the initial telephone screening completed in 3 weeks, ensuring that good candidates did not slip through the net

A further mark of the success of the meta-morphose selection process was their performance in the ABPI exams. All Medical Representatives are required to sit exams covering the Code of Practice for the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).

- The meta-morphose graduates had to take the ABPI exams over a comparatively short period of time (within the first 8 months), and out of the first forty there were 39 passes including 8 distinctions to date. Our top graduate came 7th out of 130, including experienced sales people!

Commenting on the overall success of the recruitment project, Samantha Walker, Head of Pfizer HR Business Partners said: "meta-morphose did a fantastic job to hit our deadline and we were all most impressed by the professionalism of the team and the service they offered."