On paper, today’s life sciences talent market looks favourable. Application volumes are up, redundancies have increased, AI makes it easier than ever for candidates to tailor CVs to roles. And yet many HR and TA leaders across EMEA are saying the same thing: hiring feels harder, not easier. When volume stops being helpful For many roles, hundreds of applications have become the norm. But volume has not brought clarity. Instead, it has created noise. AI-enhanced CVs blur differentiation. Screening effort increases. Interviewers struggle to distinguish genuine capability from polished narratives. Decision-making slows, or worse, becomes intuitive rather than evidence-based. The risk isn’t missing talent. It’s selecting candidates who look right on paper but struggle once inside lean, high-pressure teams. Speed isn’t the goal. Clarity is. In response, many organisations try to accelerate. Shorter timelines. Fewer interview stages. Faster decisions. But speed without clarity doesn’t reduce risk. It amplifies it. The organisations hiring most effectively today aren’t the fastest, they’re the most disciplined. They: Define requirements tightly Align interviewers on what “good” looks like Use structured, evidence-led assessment Reduce ambiguity rather than rushing decisions In this environment, clarity creates speed , not the other way around.

Lean hiring in EMEA life sciences is not about doing the same with fewer people. Organisations need to evolve from hiring for certainty to uncertainty and capability

Introducing Neisha Joseph