Pharma's Worst Job Market in 30 Years: Top Recruiter Reveals What to Do Now | Grant Coren | EP 7

In this episode of The Pharma Perspective podcast, Grant Coren, life science recruiter with over 30 years of experience and founder of his own executive search practice, discusses the state of the pharma job market in 2026, why hiring has slowed across pharma, biotech, and CRO alike, how AI screening tools and applicant tracking systems are changing — and distorting — the recruitment process, why most CVs fail to differentiate candidates and what to do instead, the ethical problems with how many recruiters operate and how job seekers should navigate that, the difference between retained executive search and contingency recruitment, how indirect referencing allows recruiters to vet candidates outside of formal references, why loyalty is no longer rewarded in pharma careers and when job-hopping actually accelerates progression, the personality traits that predict success in different pharma roles, the real impact of ageism in life sciences hiring, and why getting your first job in the industry remains the hardest step of all.