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How would you describe the medtech job market where you live?

Is it easier to find and retain good employees? Harder to find a job?

The MD+DI article at http://medgroup.biz/2016-hiring suggests it depends on your functional role and level of expertise.

On one hand, my friend Medtech Recruiter Paula Rutledge, who places senior executives, is having her best year since the Great Recession of 2008. She sees strength in companies making “anything with a battery, a sensor, virtual reality, any kind of tech.”

On the other, Brian Cole of MedTech Executive Search, said, “I think sales reps should be concerned… you will see a smaller number of sales people every year.”

So I ask our international group: What is medical device industry hiring like in your part of the world?

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PEDIATRIC MEDICAL DEVICE COMPETITION FOR $250,000

If you’re even remotely in the pediatric space, give http://medgroup.biz/pediatric-competition a serious look.

The National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (NCC-PDI) competition will award up to six innovators as much as $50,000 each during the “Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids!” competition.

Beyond the competition, the day-long event (Saturday, October 8, Washington DC) will feature these panels:
• Landscape of Funding in Pediatric Device Market – A Year in Review and future prospects
• Regulatory – A Year in Review and future prospects
• Getting New Devices into the Hospital and to the Patients
• Role of Device Industry in Local and Global Economic Development

See http://medgroup.biz/pediatric-competition for rules and the day’s agenda.

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RYLEY HOPPER

Last week we published “He Broke His Neck” at and your outpouring of suggestions and support was overwhelming.

Thank you.

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Make it a great week.

Joe Hage
Medical Devices Group Leader

P.S. I’m recruiting speakers for our fifth annual 10x Conference. Visit http://medicaldeviceevents.com/speakers/you/ to apply.

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Sergio Grimm
Senior Sales and Marketing Executive
I agree with Julie O. Hopping around jobs might pass on a bad impression to employers. They’ll probably think you’ll do the same in their company. On the other hand, I think companies should increase programs to maintain key people. Sadly I think they are failing and that’s whats causing constant job changing in the MD market.

Julie Omohundro
Principal Consultant at Class Three, LLC
Omar, I hear you, but that’s the way it was. Whether it is still that way, and will continue to be that way, only time will tell. Certainly the “gold watch” days were over by the time I graduated high school…in 1969.

It also depends on the industry and the market. When the CRO industry exploded in my area in the 90s, almost everyone in it changed jobs constantly. The demand so far outstripped the supply, a better opportunity was always there. Now the industry is into consolidation (which reduces the number of jobs) and it’s settled down quite a bit.

It’s also true that this can’t happen without employers supporting it, both by happily hiring job hoppers and by failing to offer their current employees whatever it would take to keep them where they are.

And finally, I think there is a lot to be said for younger employees getting a look at “how it’s done” at more than one company, the better to understand what kind of job they might want to settle down in, eventually.

Omar M. Khateeb
Director of Growth at Potrero Medical | Marketing Leader in Medical Devices |
Great question Joe. Definitely seeing the industry getting it’s foothold after the major changes in healthcare (just go check the spending and booths at conferences).

So hiring is up, but a dangerous trend seems to be occurring.

With the Internet revolution and tech valley culture, I feel that my generation (millennials) find it normal to hop around jobs one year to the next. There’s “shiny object/grass is greener on the other side” syndrome all over the place.

This is my subjective view, but I feel that my peers think that if they don’t become a manager or director in a year or two at a company that it’s a failure.

It’s all about the long game and building a career on legacy.

Sergio Grimm
Senior Sales and Marketing Executive
I think it depends on allot of things, but I’ll give my perception of the subject on the Brazilian market. Here we are going through a hard and prolonged economic criseis, so it affects all markets, even the healthy ones like medical devices. What happens is the hole chain tries to cut down on costs, leading to major layoffs in hospital staff, health insurance companies as well as the MD industry. So I wouldn’t say there are happy days reserved for MD employees. At least not over here and not for a wile.

Jean-noël Joly
Dc en Pharmacie, Business Developer , industrie du médicament
I try to find a job as Sales Director since March in France but there is an issue maybe because i am 52 years old. French companies refuse to hire “old people ” like me easily .
I have worked as consultant with an Indian Company and there was no issue with my age. Sure that it’s difficult to understand why we get this problem with people who get experience.

Oliver J. Peters
Executive Search | Passionate Matchmaker | International Networker | Cross-Industry-Connector | Healthcare & Technology
From my point of view the German medtech job market is among the tougher ones. It is difficult to find excellent candidates and also difficult to retain the excellent employees. Serious networks, a solid industry understanding, a state-of-the-art approach and genuine interest in the candidates are vital to gain the necessary trust, if you are in the recruiting business. But I´d rather talk to and try to motivate excellent candidates regarding a real opportunity than going through piles of applications of more or less matching applicants. I am happy to say that both, clients and candidates, appreciate professionalism and are prepared to go the extra mile and be patient, if that´s what the process requires. Happy to have your feedback….