GlaxoSmithKline is the Next Big Pharma Company to Embrace Social Media

It was only a matter of time after J & J launched its health channel on YouTube two weeks ago, that other pharma companies would begin to post videos on video-sharing sites. As a general rule, nobody in pharma wants to be first but after the first company takes the plunge, nobody wants to be left out or behind. Therefore, it came as no surprise when late last week, GlaxoSmithKline (which has a tendency to be second-to-market with competing products), launched a beta version of it so-called GSKCIC channel on You\Tube.

 According to a post on the Pharmalot blog, so far there are only two videos on the channel. One describes the company ongoing commitment and fight against disease in the developing world (ironically, the video ends prematurely).The second, which is full length, features CEO Andrew Witty telling us about his career at GSK (which began in 1985 as a management trainee) and how GSK is looking for a few good employees who “like a good challenge.” Curiously, the day after the Witty video appeared on YouTube, GSK announced that it was laying off about 90 workers or 10% of its work force at its manufacturing plant in Zebulon, North Carolina. A company spokesperson said that more cuts are expected at the North Carolina facility.

Maybe someone at GSK ought to tell its CEO that the company isn’t hiring at the moment?????????

Hat tip to Ed at Pharmalot!

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!

The BioCrowd

The social development of the web 2.0 has largely bypassed science. Hugely popular websites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Digg, Delicious and the like have millions of members and generate huge amounts of traffic. But those who use these sites come from all walks of life. None are devoted solely to science.

With this in mind, it would seem that social networking sites that cater to scientists would have special value and appeal. A few have been launched —but there is certainly room for improvement.

This fall, Vincent Racaniello at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University and I will launch BioCrowd.com, a new social network designed by scientists (Vincent and me) for bioscientists (and others in the life sciences) who wish to connect with others to advance, promote or shape their careers.

Please visit the home page to sign up to be notified when we launch. BioCrowd will combine the interactivity of sites like Facebook and the networking capabilities of LinkedIn to help to advance your career in the biosciences.

Be part of  "The BioCrowd" !!!!!!!!

Personal Branding and Developing an Online Presence

Peggy McKee wrote an interesting piece on her Medical Sales Recruiter blog about personal branding and developing an online presence to find a job. For those of you who haven’t heard about personal branding, it is de rigueur and the hottest thing on the net these days. Put simply, you, the jobseeker, are the brand and to be successful (get a job), the brand must be vigorously promoted! Personal branding can be easily achieved by creating profiles on social networks like MySpace, Facebook or Linked In or creating your own promotional website using your name as the domain name.  However, there are a few things that you ought to consider before you embark on your personal branding campaign. Peggy offers a few pointers and recommendations when it comes to both personal branding and your online persona.

Employers and recruiters research prospective candidates online to get more information about them before an interview is scheduled or an offer is extended.  This can work against you if your MySpace page is filled with “party” pics (or worse), but it can work for you if you have an effective online persona

Web Worker Daily rounds up several tips for developing an effective online presence:

  • Check your Google profile.  What comes up when your name gets typed in?  Know what’s out there so you don’t get suprised.
  • Own your domain name.  Even if you don’t want to do something with it now, you might later.
  • Develop your personal brand.  Set up a LinkedIn profile.  Write a blog.  Be a guest writer on blogs specific to your industry (maybe you could write a post for me - describing your job, etc).   If you’re not sure what personal branding is or how to do it, there’s a lot available out there.  Here’s 3 articles to get you started:

The 6 P’s of Personal Branding (Persona, Positioning, Packaging, Presentation, Promotion, and Passion)

Three Keys to Building a Strong Personal Brand.  “A good brand has 3 main features:  clarity, consistency, and constancy.”

Dan Schwabel’s podcast, Top Social Media Tools for Turning Your E-Brand into a Powerhouse.  Let Dan show you how to choose what to use.

 Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (personal branding can’t hurt)!!!!!!!