The MSL Activities During the COVID-19 Pandemic Survey has proven to be an incredible resource to many of us, as we begin to better understand the impact the pandemic has on the MSL profession, the expectations from HCP’s and ultimately the direct impact on how MSLs are quickly adopting new ways of working in this “new normal”.
An area within the survey results that I found particularly interesting (beginning with slide 14), is the impact COVID-19 has had on HIRING practices. It’s important to remember that those replying to the survey ranged across a broad range of therapeutic areas, geographies, and small, medium, and large companies – all of which may have impact on hiring practices, potentially reflective of the company response to the crisis and the level of immediate impact that companies are experiencing.
What becomes clear from the survey, regardless of role, is that COVID-19 has had an impact both on INTERVIEWING and HIRING: 25% of those managers responding indicated a temporary halt vs 50% indicated that all interviewing and hiring remains at levels similar to pre-COVID-19 levels. More details on hiring and interviewing specifics are available within the survey, but the bottom line is that at this point in the pandemic, while some are adjusting interviewing practices (which are almost certainly virtual), hiring and interviewing, in general, continues. It remains to be seen how this may change depending on the duration of the pandemic.
On a related note, 46% of survey responders indicate that there will be “permanent and long term-impact or changes to the MSL profession as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.” This certainly will get the attention of hiring managers and the MSL Society as we begin to consider what the impact of these changes may be and what new skills and experiences may prove valuable as companies “pivot” to new plans and strategies in the post pandemic reality.
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