Three questions, three answers: Jean Montgomery
As a Corporate Recruiter at Sartorius based in Bohemia, NY, Jean Montgomery is responsible for attracting talent in the North American market. She helps to ensure that well-qualified people come aboard to support the company’s ambitious growth targets and help customers in their ambition to provide better health for more people. In this interview, she speaks about whether Sartorius is still hiring, what effects the COVID-19 pandemic has on the company’s application process and suggests some advice for potential candidates.
This article is posted on our Sartorius Blog.
Jean, the COVID-19 pandemic currently presents us with major challenges. So, first of all: Is Sartorius still hiring at all?
Yes, we are! Especially in times of the pandemic, our biopharma customers need our technologies and consumables to develop urgently needed vaccines and produce live-saving medications. While the pandemic is slowing down the economy in many places, at Sartorius, we are very busy. We currently have about 350 vacancies throughout the Group, ranging from scientists, engineers, applications specialists, cell therapy specialists, laboratory technicians, and data engineers to sales and key account managers, supply chain managers and IT experts. We’re looking to fill these positions with ambitious and creative colleagues who want to make an impact.
Can you give a glimpse into the application process at Sartorius? What is it like, and what effects does the pandemic have?
The current pandemic situation requires us to be more agile and flexible in the way we operate. We are avoiding face-to-face meetings and switching to digital solutions where we can. Fortunately, we are not strangers to working remotely and using social media and other digital tools to connect: Much of our recruitment and interview process has been conducted remotely even before the pandemic. Apart from occasional small hiccups, which we all encounter from time-to-time during online meetings (is the headset working, why is the camera not connecting, where does this echo come from), it works really well. We’ve been able to maintain momentum amidst the challenges of COVID-19.
Generally, our application process is fairly straightforward. In addition to being published on our website, our positions are posted on different social media sites. Candidates can go online and search and review our positions. Once they create an online profile, they can easily apply to those positions that are of interest to them. After review, we go to the interview phase, which is usually a three-step process. Applicants can follow the progress of their application in our digital tool.
You’ve been with the company for more than three years, what tips can you give candidates?
Sartorius is a very dynamic company – there are many exciting things happening. So, prior to speaking with us on the phone or in a video conference, be sure to take the time to learn about us on our website and on social media. Learn about our collaborative corporate culture, our innovative process enabling products and the growth strategy that we are executing on. We are passionate about partnering with our customers to deliver solutions and we look for candidates who are customer-focused and passionate about what they can contribute. Beyond telling us about their skills, experience and qualifications, it’s always meaningful when candidates relate instances where they’ve added value in their past roles and overcome challenges and achieved goals. Moreover, we take a lot of pride in our core values of openness, enjoyment and sustainability and we want to know that these are shared values that our candidates also embody. So, let us know what inspires you in the workplace and how our core values resonate with you.
And finally, some very hands-on advice: In case of a video interview don’t forget to test your equipment beforehand.
Learn more about Sartorius as an employer and check out our latest job openings.
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