Media Warning about Pfizer's Tygacil Is another Example of Poor Science Reporting

When I saw one of today’s headlines, ‘FDA Warns on Increased Death Risk with Pfizer Antibiotic’ I immediately dropped what I was doing to read the article. Expecting the worse, I learned that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that it was modifying the label for Pfizer’s antibiotic called Tygacil.

The reason for the label changes was new clinical information that showed that patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and diabetic food infections that are treated with Tygacil are at increased risk of death as compared with those treated with other antibiotic treatments.

"The FDA said it looked at 13 trials with patients given Tygacil for both approved and unapproved indications by type of infection comparing the overall mortality for Tygacil with other antibiotics. Overall, the studies showed death occurred in 4% of patients receiving Tygacil, or 150 out of 3788, and 3% of patients, or 110 of 3646, receiving comparator antibiotics."

While I didn’t find the difference in the mortality rates that shocking, it is important to point out that Tygacil is not an FDA-approved treatment for either VAP or diabetic foot infections. Nevertheless, the antibiotic is routinely used by many infectious diseases physicians as a treatment for both infections. This is because many VAP and diabetic foot infections are caused my multiple drug resistant bacteria and physicians are willing to resort to unapproved treatments (like Tygacil) to treat high risk patients. Put simply, there is generally little choice; either use Tygacil or the patient may die! 

Further, the 1% difference in mortality rates between Tygacil and other antibiotics may not be clinically significant because many of the treated patients are seriously ill and near death anyway. Finally, differences in the mortality were based on retrospective results from clinical studies that were designed to assess the safety and efficacy of Tygacil for indications other than VAP or diabetic foot infections. Consequently, it is difficult to conclusively say whether or not Tygacil is less safe than other antibiotics to treat patients with severe bacterial infections like VAP and diabetic foot.

Nevertheless, Tygacil's label has already been updated to warn doctors about the possible death risk. Pfizer sent a letter dated July 26 to health care professionals detailing the new label. The label change is listed below:

"Alternatives to Tygacil should be considered in patients with severe infections. Healthcare professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of this product to the FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program:"

The bottom line: the jury is still out on the safety and efficacy of Tygacil as a treatment for VAP and diabetic foot infections. This can only be determined when well controlled, statistically-relevant clinical trials are designed and conducted. While FDA was correct to insist that Pfizer send a note to infectious diseases physicians alerting them of possible increased risks, I don’t think that the label change was newsworthy enough to earn the headline ‘FDA Warns on Increased Death Risk with Pfizer Antibiotic’ It is a shame that journalists continue to insist on publishing sensationalistic and often times inaccurate scientific headlines. While it may garner some additional readers, it does little to instill American confidence in our public health system.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!.

 

CEO Finally Admits that Genzyme is Up for Sale...At the Right Price!

The Boston Globe reported today that this morning Henri Termeer, the embattled CEO of Cambridge, MA based Genzyme acknowledged for the first time that company was indeed up for sale. However, he was quick to point out that the $69 per share or $18.8 billion takeover bid from Sanofi Aventis was insufficient.

Over the past few days, Sanofi Aventis’ CEO Christopher A. Viehbacher turned up the heat on Termeer; forcing him to possibly take Sanofi’s latest offer directly to Genzyme shareholders. While Termeer acknowledged that the company was for sale, he hinted that other companies may join the bidding war to get the $75 per share price that the Genzyme board is seeking. 

The Sanofi Aventis-Genzyme situation is beginning to resemble the Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS)-ImClone standoff of two years ago. As you may recall, Jim Cornelius—BMS CEO at the time—publicly and repeatedly offered a “low-ball” price ($62 per share) to purchase ImClone despite admonishments from Carl Icahn, ImClone’s Chairman. As negotiations stalled, Icahn told Cornelius that there were other suitors who were willing to pay a higher price to acquire ImClone. Surprisingly, rather than continuing to negotiate in good faith, Cornelius decided to call Icahn’s “bluff.” In less than a week, Eli Lilly purchased ImClone for $70 per share ($6.5 billion); the price that Ichan had previously and publicly asked for to purchase the company.

Many of you already know that Icahn holds a substantial minority Genzyme stock position and is represented by two current Genzyme board members. That said, if I were Sanofi’s Viehbacher, I would proceed with extreme caution in future negotiations. Like him or not, Icahn is a financial genius and second-to-none negotiating M&A deals. 

Maybe Viehbacher ought to contact Cornelius for advice? Oh yeah...Cornelius retired as CEO earlier this year but he is still Chairman of the BMS Board of Directors. Maybe it is worth a call?

Stay tuned for new developments as the saga continues.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

 

Good News for Jobseekers (sort of): Pharma Job Losses Slow in August

The Pharmalot Blog reported today that a survey conducted by the outsourcing firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas shows that only 200 pharmaceutical employees lost jobs in August. This compared with the 2,023 jobs lost in July, 830 in June and the 6,943 in May. According to the post, this year’s job loss tally is 37,265 as compared with 53,004 in 2009.  Since 2007, it has been estimated that over 180,000 life sciences employees have lost their jobs.

While the slowing layoffs are encouraging, there are no signs that companies are going to be hiring in 2011 (unless you are willing to relocate to Asia). Further, while layoffs are slowing a big pharma companies, the number of scientists losing their jobs at biotechnology companies because of insufficient capital or merger and acquisition activities remains steady and will likely increase if Sanofi-Aventis purchases Genzyme and other biotechnology companies are purchased. For example, Pfizer announced today that it was purchasing FoldRx for an undisclosed amount. FoldRx’s pipeline contains preclinical and clinical candidates for investigational new drugs that treat diseases caused by protein misfolding. The acquisition is consistent with Pfizer’s intention to move into the orphan drug market.

From an historical perspective, the early 2000s was the golden age for life sciences employees in most Western countries. Unfortunately, the golden age has ended for Western employees and it appears that a new era for pharmaceutical and biotechnology employees is beginning in the Asia, South America and Africa!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting

 

Job Interviewing Etiquette

Jena Ellis who works over at onlinecertificateprograms.org sent me a well written treatise on interviewing etiquette. While I have made similar recommendations in the past, the post entitled “Top 10 Interview Etiquette Tips” adds a few tips that I didn’t mention in earlier posts.

I highly recommend that folks preparing for a face-to-face job interview read this before their interviews! As most seasoned jobseekers will tell you, it is the little things during the interview like handshakes, eye contact, politeness etc that can make a difference between a job offer or not!

Top 10 Interview Etiquette Tips

Interviews are similar to first dates – intimate, intimidating and generally uncomfortable. Even some of the most confident, smooth-talking people get sweaty palms and tongue-tied during interviews. Nerves are one thing, but tardiness, bad manners and distracting behavior are completely avoidable. Just like it’s rude to put your elbows on the dinner table and swear in front of a lady, the same kind of etiquette should be followed during an interview. In order to make the best possible impression and let your qualities shine through, you’ll want to follow these top 10 interview etiquette tips to seal the deal: 

1.  Be early

Arriving 10-15 minutes before your interview demonstrates punctuality and responsibility. It also shows that you take the interview seriously and value the interviewer’s time. Being early is always better than being late, but be sure to give the interviewer enough time to prepare and don’t catch them off guard with your presence.

2.  Use a firm handshake

A handshake is commonplace before and after an interview. Shaking the hand of you interviewer is both polite and respectful, but it also shows confidence and openness to the interviewer. With that being said, a flimsy, weak handshake can send the wrong message and make you seem nervous or unprepared. If you’re worried about the grip, strength and overall feel of your handshake, practice beforehand with a friend or family member who can adjust your shake.

3.  Dress accordingly

Dressing for an interview can be tricky if you don’t know what the normal dress is for employees and really depends on the company, occupation and formality of the interview. To be on the safe side, it’s advised that you wear semi-formal business attire because it’s better to be a little overdressed than underdressed in an interview. As a rule of thumb, you shouldn’t wear jeans, flip flops or any other casual wear to an interview, unless noted. In addition, avoid distracting clothes, jewelry, hairstyles or makeup that will detract from you and your job qualities.

4.  Turn off your cell phone

If your cell phone goes off in the middle of an interview, you can pretty much kiss the job goodbye. Not only is this incredibly rude, but it may ruin what could have been a good interview. Even if you say you’re waiting on an emergency call and try to sugarcoat it, the interviewer may not approve and you could lose a potential job offer. When in doubt, always silence or turn off your cell phone – you can survive without it for 30 minutes.

5.  Make good eye contact

Eye contact is one of the most basic and telling nonverbal communication signals that take place in an interview. Making good eye contact with the interviewer shows your attentiveness and interest in the conversation taking place. Whereas, wandering eyes or poor eye contact make you seem disinterested or uncomfortable in what is being talked about.

6.  Tone down your nervous habits

You may pop your knuckles, twirl your hair and bite your nails when you’re nervous, but these fidgety gestures can be overly distracting in an interview. You don’t want the focus to be taken off of you and directed towards your bitten pen or shaking leg. To ease your nerves, take deep breaths and relax your body so you won’t feel anxious and revert back to your bad habits.

7.  Don’t chew gum

Bottom line – chewing gum during an interview is unprofessional and shouldn’t be done. If you’re chewing loudly, smacking your gum and blowing bubbles, that’s all the interviewer will be able to focus on because it’s incredibly distracting and bothersome in a serious scenario. If you need to freshen your breath, have a mint or use mouthwash before the interview.

8.  Say your please and thank yous

Good manners are always a plus in an interview. If the secretary or interviewer asks if you want a drink, always respond with a please and thank you. When the interview is over, be sure to thank the interviewer for his or her time and giving you the opportunity to interview. You can never say thank you enough.

9.  Think before you speak

Even if the interview is relaxed and takes a humorous turn, don’t slip up by telling jokes, talking about religion or politics or using profanity during an interview. You may be tempted to impress or say something memorable, but it’s best to act professionally the entire time and think before you speak. You don’t want an offensive joke to be the only thing they remember from your interview and risk losing a great job opportunity.

10.  Send a thank-you notes

Immediately following the interview, you should send a handwritten thank-you card or e-mail to show your gratitude. Not only is this a polite thing to do, but it also gives you an opportunity to remind the interviewer of who you, what position you’re interested in and what you talked about during the interview. This will help you stand out in their memory and possibly give you a leg up in the job standing.

Until next time..

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!

 

Navigating a Difficult Job Market

We are now three years into one of the worst economic downturns in the history of the US. While the job market will eventually recover, don’t expect things to be the “way they were” before the recession. In other words, the job market has undergone a paradigm shift and new job seeking rules have replaced the old ones.

To that end, I recently found an article written by Liz Wogemuth of US News and World report entitled “5 Strategies for Surviving the ‘New Normal’ Job Market.” The post is well crafted and offer fresh insights into the new rules and behaviors that ought to help guide job seekers for the foreseeable future.

They are: 

1.  Be patient

These days, companies are slower to invest and slower to hire. Even rockstar employees will have to work harder to convince companies to bankroll ambitious projects. "For those people who do have the big idea, [return on investment] is going to be absolutely critical," says Brad Karsh, president of JB Training Solutions, a management and business skills training firm. Given their extreme uncertainty about the near future, companies will likely be more amenable to making an investment that pays off in seven months than one that pays off in seven years.

Most companies are also no longer doling out annual raises or annual promotions, which mean workers, need to be patient about advancement in earnings and position. One thing that's slowing down the process: Upper executives aren't moving around as much as they used to. "It used to be you'd lose 25 percent of your [vice presidents] every year, let's say, because they'd go to other companies or start their own," Karsh says. "Well, more people are like, 'I don't want to leave.'" Even top employees are turning down offers from outside companies because they fear taking a risk on a new employer in such an uncertain economy, Karsh says.

Workers who are on the market should be prepared for a longer interview process. Companies are increasingly asking candidates to interview with multiple people at the company and asking them to return for multiple rounds of interviews. "One thing I tell people is, 'don’t take this personally,'" Karsh says. "It's just a function of the economy." Even though the process can be grueling and frustrating, it's critical that job seekers stay fresh and enthusiastic--still smiling and prepared with questions at the eighth interview. Some may be frustrated with companies that can't make a decision, perhaps feeling that the company is giving them the runaround. Employers need to be forthright with candidates about their plans, capabilities, and timetable, Karsh says.

2.  In your job search, take the time to tailor

Some job seekers are applying to hundreds of jobs, but if inundated hiring managers can't easily spot the relevance of your experience to the position they're filling, they'll breeze right past. Career expert Ellen Gordon Reeves often speaks to groups of job seekers and says she is still finding that many people are not presenting themselves well--making no effort to tailor their resumes and cover letters to the jobs they are applying to. "Everybody fears rejection, so they don't really pitch themselves," Reeves says. Her advice: Put yourself in the hiring manager's shoes. Imagine what you would think of your resume if you were hiring for this position. Would the job experience listed look relevant to you? If not, spend some time recasting your work history and your skills. "Write for the job you want, not the jobs you've had," Reeves says. If you're doing this well, with your resume and cover letter, it should take at least a day (if not more) to apply for a single position. But it's so much more effective than blindly submitting your resume that it's worth the time it takes.

3.  Leverage your relationships to find openings 

Unfortunately, many job openings are impossible to find with your computer. Companies are skipping posting openings online so they can fill positions without scavenging through the onslaught of (often ill-matched) resumes. A new survey from ExecuNet found that companies and executive search firms are posting fewer executive position openings online this year. Firms said that only 22 percent of positions paying $200,000 or more are being posted on job boards or websites, compared with 30 percent in 2008 and 24 percent last year. In a different survey of recruiters, 92 percent reported that they believe in a "hidden market" for executive positions. Recruiters are relying more on their networks, as well as searching internal databases and doing their own research.

4.  Look to add value constantly 

As an employee, whether you're bringing in new money or you're saving money, you need to be adding value monetarily, Karsh says. "If you work in sales and you can say, 'I increased my client list by 25 percent, I increased my sales by 50 percent,' that's the sort of thing that employers are looking for right now--anything that can affect the bottom line," Karsh says. "If you're not in sales, you can affect it by saving the company money." Find savings opportunities by refining a process, or even suggesting a cheaper way to, say, buy or use office supplies. One tip: Put your suggestions in an E-mail so you are sure to get credit for them. 

5.  Find fresh advice 

There are a lot of people in the world offering career advice better suited for the job market of the previous decade. In this markedly different economy, old advice may very well cause damage. Sometimes the changes are minor, but they can make you look out of touch. For example, adding the line "References available upon request" can make your resume or cover letter look out of date. "It goes without saying that your references are available upon request," says management consultant and U.S. News contributor Alison Green. "It would be really odd if they were not."

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!

 

BioJobs: So You Think You Want to Be a Regulatory Affairs Professional?

Regulatory affairs professionals (RAP) are by far some of the most important employees at pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical devices companies. Without RAPs, the requisite regulatory documents would not be filed and new drugs and devices would not be approved for marketing and sale.

Unlike other life sciences disciplines, a career in regulatory affairs is highly industry- specific and rarely taught at most academic institutions. In other words, if you are considering a career in regulatory affairs, don’t expect to get the training that you need in a PhD or postdoctoral training program; you will have to get it elsewhere!

A recent report compiled by the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) entitled the “2010 Scope of Practice & Compensation Report for the Regulatory Profession” highlights the growing value and importance of regulatory affairs personnel in the life science industry. The report was compiled from the results of a survey of over 3000 regulatory affairs employees in 55 different countries.

The results show regulatory professionals are taking on a wider range of responsibilities, including becoming increasingly involved in critical business functions. Despite the economic downturn since the previous survey in 2008, overall compensation continued on an upward trend, although it grew at a slightly slower pace. The report also points to the continuing globalization of the profession, increased involvement with multiple product types and 6% higher compensation for professionals with Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC).

Other important findings included in RAPS’ report include:

  • US respondents with the RAC credential reported average total compensation that was 6% higher than their peers without the RAC. Forty-four percent of all survey respondents are RAC certified.
  • The percentage of RACs is especially high in Canada (54%) and the US (47.2%). A little more than 21% of European-based respondents reported having the RAC.
  • Overall, about 34% of respondents said they were involved in comparative effectiveness research and reimbursement, up from 23% in 2008.
  • Half of all senior-level respondents reported being involved in government affairs.
  • About 70% of respondents said their work is either global in nature or focused on multiple regions of the world.
  • More than 68% reported involvement with multiple product types, a 6.3% increase from 2008.
  • Overall, just 5.7% reported working with biosimilars, a product category that was added to the survey for the first time, but 22% of respondents from Asia and Latin America reported involvement with biosimilars.
  • Nearly all respondents have a university degree; many have advanced degrees. The percentage of respondents whose highest degree earned is a master’s is up to 37.5%, a 17.2% increase from 2008. The percentage of respondents with MBAs and postgraduate certificates also increased.
  • Respondents reported significant professional experience outside regulatory, an indication that many have transitioned into regulatory from another, related field. Most have educational backgrounds in life sciences, clinical sciences or engineering.

If this sounds like a career option for you, I highly recommend that you visit the RAPS website. If you already have a PhD, masters’ degree or even a bachelor’s degree, getting RAC certification will certainly increase the likelihood of landing a regulatory affairs job in the life sciences industry. One caveat: the RAPS courses are not inexpensive and may require a substantial amount of time in order to pass the RAC examination.

If the RAC route doesn’t seem realistic or reasonable, try getting an entry-level job with the US Food and Drug Administration. Being an ex-agency employee will guarantee employment in the life sciences industry until you retire!

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!

 

BioEducation: Vaccines, Drugs and Risk

Despite a court ruling last week that dismissed the bogus link between vaccination and autism, I continue to receive comments from so-called “non-vaccinators” about a post that I published last week about New Jersey’s dismal vaccinations rates. Most of the comments are anecdotal and suggest that childhood vaccination was the likely culprit for their children’s autism, brain damage or other ailments. While I feel their pain, the notion that children should not continue to be vaccinated is misguided and has serious negative public health implications.

There is ample public health and scientific information that suggests that childhood vaccination has worked well to reduce the incidence of morbidity and mortality in Western nations. Ironically, if it wasn’t for mandatory childhood vaccinations, the death and lasting physical or neurological damage caused by many preventable diseases like smallpox, measles, mumps, diphtheria and whooping cough would be much higher. Unfortunately, we Americans have been lead to believe —intentionally or not—that there should be no side effects associated with drugs, vaccines and other medicines. The bottom line is that all drugs, vaccines and medicines have side effects; some more serious or noticeable than others! Further, the decision to develop new drugs and vaccines is always based on a risk to benefit ratio. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies will only develop products to address unmet medical needs when the benefits of these products clearly outweigh the potential risks. However, in some cases, most notably cancer drugs, the risk to benefit ratio becomes less obvious. There is no question that most cancer drugs have serious and potential life threatening side effects. Nevertheless, the benefit—survival and not death—far outweighs potential downstream risks!

Like it or not, the medical benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks associated with them. As many of you may know, there is currently a whooping cough epidemic in California. California health officials assert that the epidemic likely started among unvaccinated individuals and then spread to the larger population. The observation that many of the patients with whooping cough were previously vaccinated against the disease in childhood suggests that either their immunity to whooping has declined over the years or that the causative bacterium, Bordetella pertussis has become more virulent. 

The former hypothesis is more likely than the later mainly because Bordetella infections were almost non-existent until increased immigration and the non-vaccination movement began in earnest about 15 years ago! Students of infectious diseases will tell you that virulence of infectious agents tends to increase as they are passed from one infected individual to the next. Consequently, the lack of any significant B pertussis outbreaks (until very recently) suggests that changes in the underlying virulence mechanism of the bacterium are not responsible for the current outbreaks.

Again, as a parent, I understand the pain and suffering of those whose children may have experienced debilitating effects coincident with childhood vaccination regimens. However, as more parents continue to eschew vaccination against childhood disease, the incidence of death and children with serious life long debilitating effects associated with many common childhood diseases is certain to rise. With this in mind, I will continue to write and post articles that support childhood vaccinations. I will gladly stop posting these articles when someone can provide me with scientifically accurate and valid data that suggest that vaccination does more harm than good!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

 

BioEducation: Aging With Grace?

Those of you who may be old enough to recognize the slogan “We’ve come a long way baby” ought to consider reading the list below about the things that the majority of today’s 18 year olds (college freshman) have never done. The reason why I think that the list is important is because we educators (most of whom are baby boomers and increasingly Gen Xers) grew up in a different world than the Millennials aka Gen Y. 

Like it or not, these differences must be taken into consideration when devising strategies on how to teach these students! What may have worked for you or me, may no longer be the best way to teach this and future generations of students.

The article was sent to me by a representative at matchacollege.com.

10 Things the Class of 2014 Hasn’t Experienced

Below is a list of the 10 things the class of 2014 hasn’t experienced, or more accurately, the 10 things a majority of 18-year-olds haven’t experienced firsthand.

  1. A world without the internet
    Not only do new college students not know a world without the internet, but many also haven’t endured the screaming modem connecting through a telephone landline. A dropped connection or the fear of it limited your enjoyment and inhibited you from accomplishing much. But as the internet has evolved, connections have become faster and almost everything has become available with the click of a mouse. Teenagers are able to sign up for SATs, apply for college, apply for financial aid, select their classes, find a dorm, find a roommate and join a club all before they set foot on campus. The legwork that came with making such a life transition two decades ago has been eliminated.
  2. Consistent email correspondences
    It’s tragically unhip to use an email for anything other than formal correspondence. It has become an archaic form of internet communication and it has been supplanted by social networking sites. Email is rarely used to facilitate conversations by young people because it’s too slow and too impersonal. Instead, it’s used for formal messages with bosses and professors, and as a tool for signing up for websites.
  3. Life without cell phones
    College freshmen now are connected to their friends every minute of every day thanks to their smartphones. They can maintain constant contact with each other by texting and Facebooking – the latter of which has made high school reunions less anticipated because graduates from the last several years already know what their classmates are doing with their lives. Many college students have never used a payphone, which was the main communication device to use when you were out and about in years past, though you couldn’t make the call if you didn’t remember the number.
  4. Cameras with film
    The class of 2014 will be taking plenty of pictures in the coming years, capturing the memorable and not-so-memorable moments that occur during college. But before the advent of Facebook, when picture-taking was less of a priority to young people, a camera was only as good as the film that accompanied it. There was no immediate gratification after taking a round of photos because you couldn’t upload them onto your computer. Instead, you dropped the roll off at the drugstore and waited until the photos were developed – it was the only way you would see the photos.
  5. Using a paper map
    Now, commuters are less likely to get lost with the presence of a GPS. The only time a paper map is unfolded, trial and error is used or verbal directions are requested during a trip is when the GPS hasn’t been updated in a while, and it steers you to an empty field. So when students from the class of 2014 embark on their first college roadtrips, the absence of wrong turns and unexpected detours will result in more time to have fun.
  6. Driving manual transmission cars
    Although cars with manual transmissions are still manufactured, few young people bother to learn how to drive them. The phase-out began a couple of decades ago, but for a while, many parents took it upon themselves to teach their kids how to drive a stick shift because it was still considered a useful skill. Cars with manual transmissions are usually cheaper, and car enthusiasts will tell you they’re more fun to drive. But driving has become a chore, and young and old people alike prefer to keep it as easy as possible.
  7. Thumbing through an encyclopedia, dictionary or thesaurus
    The time-consuming activity of thumbing through an encyclopedia, dictionary or thesaurus made research papers a dreaded part of the college experience during the pre-internet era. It was a given that you would spend hours upon hours in the library, and if you didn’t, your GPA would suffer. For home use, Encyclopedia Britannica and Webster’s Dictionary were reliable options. Now, definitions can be easily found by googling the term, and Wikipedia has become an informal source of information despite its inaccuracy. Library time is spent surfing the internet, unless a professor gives an assignment that requires for certain books to be cited.
  8. Returning videotapes
    Through the ’80s and ’90s, college students would spend late nights perusing the aisles of video stores, looking for the latest and greatest hits to view during their downtime. It was imperative they returned the videotapes in a timely manner; otherwise they would face late fees, which would put a dent their nearly empty bank accounts. And, of course, the tapes had to be rewound. Students today use torrents and sites like Netflix, and they never have to leave their dorm suites.
  9. Cash only
    No longer are trips to the ATM a necessary weekly occurrence. There are very few situations in which cash is needed, so few people carry bills in their wallets. Everyone with a bank account owns a debit card, so wads of cash aren’t needed by college students for activities like barhopping. Instead, they use their debit cards for everything, including bar tabs, which grow as more beer and shots are downed, causing future meals to be sacrificed due to the limited funds that remain.
  10. Reliance on a wristwatch
    Cell phones have ensured that people no longer uses wristwatches for time-telling purposes. Watches are no different than any piece of jewelry – they’re aesthetically-pleasing items that are worn fashionably. But it doesn’t seem to be a trend for 18-year-olds to own one, and with their cell phones always in their palms, they always know the time.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

 

Good News for Jobseekers: German Law Will Limit Employer Use of Facebook to Vet Job Candidates

Over 70 percent of hiring managers and HR professionals routinely use Google to find out more about prospective job candidates. While many jobseekers know this and do everything possible to expunge deleterious and compromising information from a Google search on their names, some don’t know that Facebook profiles are a routine target of all Google searches. Consequently, hiring managers may have access to some personal information (including photos) that may jeopardize a job candidate’s prospects.  

Today, German government officials proposed a new law that would place restrictions on employers who want to use Facebook profiles to recruit and vet job candidates. The bill would allow hiring managers to search for publicly accessible information about prospective employees on the Web and to view pages on job networking sites like LinkedIn, BioCrowd and Xing.  But it would not allow employers to access or use information about job candidates on purely social networks like Facebook. The proposed law would also prohibit companies from secretly videotaping employees except in certain areas as long as they disclosed the fact.

The idea of crafting legislation to limit company access to personal information of job candidates found on social networks like Facebook, Ning and others reveals the underlying paradox of the social media phenomenon. That is that people publicly, voluntarily and willingly offer private and intimate information about themselves as part of their right to freedom of expression and then that information can be used against them! In other words, the transparency and inherent freedom of expression offered by social media can in reality hinder, restrict or inhibit the professional and social opportunities of those who use it. I highly doubt that legislation similar to the proposed German law would ever see the light of day in the US.

For now, I highly recommend that jobseekers continue to routinely Google themselves to see what information is “out there” about them. Also, continue to limit access to personal profiles on Facebook and any other “purely social” online networking sites that you may belong too. Both activities will help to insure that the photo of you in a compromising position or with a beer bong in your hand won’t eliminate you as a prospective job candidate.

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

 

Sanofi-Genzyme Offer Update: Show Us the Money!

As predicted by many industry insiders and Wall Street analysts, the Genzyme board may be  holding out for at least a $75 per share offer from Sanofi-Aventis.  Previously, Sanofi-Aventis offered Genzyme $69 per share despite clear signals from Genzyme's board and its shareholder that the proffered offer was inadequate.

The Genzyme board is likely under extreme pressure to hold out for the $75 per share price because that is the price being sought by its powerful and influential minority shareholders Carl Icahn and Ralph Whitworth.

Carl Icahn, no stranger to corporate buyouts, is a master at getting the price that he wants for the companies that he sells. He previously sold ImClone to Eli Lilly for $70 per share after Jim Cornelius, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s former CEO, refused to offer more than $64 per share of ImClone stock.

Conventional wisdom suggests that Sanofi will likely buy Genzyme for at least $75 per share if not more!

Stay tuned for updates!

Until next time..

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!