My Recruiting Blog

One company is helping to create more Maryland biotech jobs.

Gov. Martin O'Malley recently announced that RNL Biostar is planning to expand in Montgomery County, a move that will create 50 new jobs. Maryland is currently home to more than 400 bioscience companies and 50 research-intense federal institutes and centers.

"The expansion of RNL Biostar in Maryland demonstrates the highly supportive environment and unmatched assets found within the state to advance our life sciences industry," O"Malley said in a press release.

"Maryland's unprecedented commitment to expanding the life sciences industry demonstrates our efforts to grow and sustain a robust, knowledge-based economy that will ensure future company expansion announcements throughout our state," he continued. "Maryland is widely recognized as a global hub to feed, fuel, and heal our world through the life sciences."

RNL Biostar plans to create a stem cell research and development and manufacturing facility at the Germantown Innovation Center. The company will invest $6 million for new equipment and facility improvements. The majority of the new jobs, which will be created within four years, will be for cell manufacturing technicians who will earn a salary of $50,000 per year.

"RNL Biostar's expansion in Montgomery County illustrates the strength and scope of our diverse biotech community," Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett said. "I was able to witness first-hand the important stem cell therapy research and development conducted by RNL Bio during my business development mission to Korea last fall, and the expansion of their U.S. subsidiary RNL Biostar here in the County will help advance this work and adds to the wealth of scientific capital found in Montgomery County, furthering our capacity to help heal and save lives around the globe from the local level."

Labels: Maryland biotech jobs

Quest Diagnostics, which provides employer drug testing, recently completed a study on pre employment testing that found fewer U.S. employees and job applicants are using certain drugs, although the use of some other drugs has increased.

The study found that in 2008, fewer employees and job applicants used cocaine compared to 2007, but more used amphetamines. More employees have been testing positive for the use of prescription drugs like benzodiazepines, an anti-anxiety medication, and oxycodone, a painkiller.

According to an article by The Wall Street Journal, one problem with the study is that it is unable to differentiate whether or not job applicants and employees are using the drugs appropriately or abusing them.

Overall, Quest Diagnostic's rate of positive drug tests for illegal substances has continued to steadily decrease during the last 20 years. Positive drug tests have decreased from 13.6 percent in 1988 to 2.6 percent in 2008.

Of the 5.7 million samples Quest Diagnostics took in 2008, only .41 percent were positive for cocaine, a 29 percent decrease from 2007. Of pre employment tests, 3.6 percent came back positive, while 5.3 percent of random tests came back positive. When tests were announced, 1.7 percent of pre employment tests came back positive and 1.4 percent of random tests came back positive.

“While we’re encouraged by some of these declines we’re seeing, it really is reflective to a large extent that these employers conduct employee screening in the first place,” Barry Sample, director of science and technology for the employer solutions division of Quest, said in the article.

Labels: Pre employment testing

In a time when many people are searching for a limited number of jobs, you might be having a tough time finding hope and be ready to give up. However, a few tips might be able to help you on your quest for employment

A recent report showed that the number of people collecting unemployment benefits for one week or more reached a record high of 6,271,000. According to an article by CNN Money, that means its taking more people longer to find jobs. But there are a few ways to put yourself ahead of the competition.

You should start by focusing on your resume and the ways you're applying for jobs. Only applying on a company's Web site or on job boards isn't a good idea, as the number of online applications actually viewed by a human ranges from only 5 percent to 25 percent.

That's because many companies use software programs such as applicant tracking systems to screen candidates. You can help yourself by placing certain phrases and keywords found in the job description on your resume and cover letter. You also can use online resume services that include things like videos, pictures and audio to help catch an employer's eye.

If you're using social networking sites to find a job, make sure you're using all the tools available. For instance, instead of only creating a LinkedIn profile, join groups, post comments and actively update. On Facebook, search for job listings in Facebook Marketplace and message hiring managers directly.

Finally, if you get an interview, make sure you're prepared. It's easy to do research about job expectations and the company itself. Most information can be found online, specifically through a company's Web site.

Labels: Jobs