To many observers, it may seem ironic that the industry's human resources professionals the people who seek out these scientists and place them in their high-level positions-generally do not come from scientific backgrounds. In fact, their scientific naivete is often an asset to choosing the right hire.
Wendy Reitherman, employment manager at Genentech Inc., based in South San Francisco, Calif., says that the nonscientific perspective offered by a recruiter often makes the difference between a good hiring decision and a bad one. "The hiring manager [the manager of the department in which the job is to be filled] is going to be focusing much more on the technical knowledge, which of course is critical," she says. "But it's not the only thing." A good human resources professional, Reitherman says is skilled at making more subjective determinations, such as, "Will this particular applicant work well in our company?"
In the early ...
