We had the opportunity to sit down virtually with Marisa Gadoury, University Recruiter for Veeva Systems. She shared her perspective as a recruiter during the pandemic, and also some information about Veeva Systems with students at BU!
CCD: Could you share what your role is at Veeva Systems, and how your career path brought you here?
MG: Hello! I’m Marisa, one of the University Recruiters for the Consultant Development Program at Veeva. This is a program specifically focused on new grads or young professionals looking to jumpstart their career in technical consulting. I joined Veeva a little over a year ago and had no prior experience in technology. I was looking for an industry change and have always been fascinated by the Pharma/Biotech space. Veeva gave me the opportunity to learn and develop what I’m truly passionate about – combining my interests of HR and Life Sciences.
CCD: What does Veeva Systems do?
MG: Veeva Systems provides cloud based services for the life sciences industry; primarily pharma and biotech companies. We have a suite of products that can cover the whole lifespan of a drug & our goal is to help get drugs approved and to the market faster by implementing those products into our customers businesses.
CCD: How has COVID-19 affected Veeva Systems and recruitment? Any changes to the hiring process?
MG: We are currently moving forward with our normal recruitment activities. We are actively accepting applications and interviewing candidates we see fit for our roles. As for candidates in our pipeline, we will be moving forward with offers as necessary for our October 2020 and January 2021 start classes.
CCD: What do you look for in a candidate?
MG: We cast a wide net to our target audience for CDP. We are open to all majors, backgrounds, internship experience, etc. We do have a few hard qualifications for this role – A recent grad with less than 2 years of FT work experience, a min GPA of 3.0, and being okay with working remotely and traveling up to 60% of the time. Other than that, we are extremely open to diverse backgrounds and focus much more on the potential of the candidates themselves. For example, someone who has a strong work ethic, is interested in technology, and enjoys thinking analytically.
CCD: Do you look for specific majors or are you open to all?
MG: We are open to all majors!
CCD: What helps a resume to stand out from the rest?
MG: An organized resume that highlights relevant experience for the role you’re applying to will always catch my attention. Be sure to include information like dates of internships, your GPA, and maybe work authorization. This will help with back and forth from your employer!
CCD: You have participated in quite a few interviews. What is the most common feedback you provide to students during an interview?
MG: My most common recommendation is to dig in a bit more into the companies you’re interested in, that way you can talk about specific things you’ve done in relation. Rather than just saying you’re interested in Life Sciences, provide some specific examples as to why.
CCD: Can you speak towards transferable skills, and how your major doesn’t have to determine your career?
MG: There are so many ways to relate past experience and skills to a job you’re interested in. For example, communication and interpersonal skills will be applicable in any role. If the role might require more technical skills that you may be lacking, research ways on how you can learn more about those skills on your own time such as online courses. Your major doesn’t have to determine your career at all. It’s okay for you to change your mind and go down a different career. I recommend doing research on whatever that may be; it will help you prepare most on what to do next and how to venture into a new field.
CCD: What are some characteristics of a good leader? What are some ways to get involved in leadership opportunities outside of BU?
MG: A good leader emphasizes effective communication, different training methods, and coaching. Taking on more responsibilities in your current life will add leadership skills – if you have a part time job; show initiative that you want to take on more responsibility to eventually lead a team.
CCD: Do you have any tips for virtual interviewing and virtual engagement?
MG: Virtual interviewing is definitely the way of the future so these tips will help you long term. Keep in mind that the same professional etiquette is expected even though you’re not in person. A few tips would be to be on time, do not eat or drink, and prepare questions for the end of the interview. Lastly, just be yourself!
Hope you enjoyed hearing from Veeva Systems! Feel free to check out their opportunities on Handshake!
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