People first: How Bioventus used LinkedIn to enhance its employer brand and attract outstanding talent
SUCCESS STORY
Imagine leaving a senior talent management role to set up your own consulting business and swearing never again to work in-house; only to find that your first client is such a wonderfully supportive and inspiring organisation that they offer you a permanent position and you take it?
This is exactly what happened to Rachel Wardle, who has worked at Bioventus, a global medical device company, since 2017. Rachel is Director of Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding and has global responsibility for sourcing and attracting the best talent and leading the talent team.
“Joining Bioventus was my greatest career decision,” she explained. “When I left my last company, I decided I didn’t want to work for anyone directly again, so I launched my own business. Bioventus was my first client and I was hired to transform their recruitment in the UK and Germany. Four months later, I took a permanent position on a global level and have never looked back.”
She continued: “It is testament to why I love the company so much. It’s the products, the people and the messages. I love the company and what it stands for.”
Rachel’s passion for the market-leading business is abundant. It’s her goal and desire to make sure that the best talent also discover what such an amazing company Bioventus is, positioning the business as an employer of choice. But how?
THE CHALLENGE
Positioning Bioventus as an employer of choice
Bioventus has worked with LinkedIn for several years to raise awareness, hire and develop their talented team, using a variety of products including LinkedIn Recruiter, LinkedIn Company Page, LinkedIn Life Pages, Marketing Campaign Manager and LinkedIn Learning (Bioventus University was launched in February 2021) to propel the business forward, find the best talent and develop employees.
Rachel said: “The largest challenge we have faced is building our employer brand to become an employer of choice. There are larger companies in the med device and pharma markets, but what Bioventus offers is truly unique. We know that we have a true family feel, we know our company culture is amazing, we know that we have a growth mindset and we know that our products make a difference to patients’ lives. But it was important that potential talent learned about the business, understood our vision and are shown a window into our world. LinkedIn has really helped us to do that.”
THE SOLUTION
Putting people before profits
Bioventus worked alongside LinkedIn to develop a stronger employer brand on the platform.
Rachel commented: “Our Executive team has always said that the patients come first, employees are second and profits are third. The minute you put profits first, you lose good people and sight of the patients. That’s a powerful message and an important one to get across. It is messages such as these that need to be shared. They portray our business, our ethics and values and they resonate with the best talent.”
Rachel added: “That is why it has been paramount to increase our presence on LinkedIn and put a spotlight on our beliefs, to position ourselves as an employer of choice.”
Bioventus has enhanced its Career Page information, Life Pages reflect what it is like to work at Bioventus, Marketing Campaign Manager helps the company to target and attract the right people and Talent Insights helps the organisation to make informed decisions regarding its hiring strategy.
Rachel explained further: “We recently relocated and centralised three departments. Talent Insights showed me that moving some departments to our Memphis facility would not only be effective, but would have a strong ROI and access to a larger pool of talent. Some people were nervous about the move and questioned it but I was able to show them that I could source talent in the area and successfully staff the departments as needed.”
Making a difference to employees’ lives and patients
According to Rachel, people are at the heart of the Bioventus’ business. “We are a powerhouse,” continued Rachel. “We are comprised of strong individuals; we’re not put in a box. Often, when you join a big organisation, you are put in a box, told to stay there and deliver. At Bioventus, we have freedom and are allowed to be creative. We genuinely develop people. We want people to learn and be part of a team. Diversity, equality and inclusion is not verbiage. We want diversity and inclusion in every team across the company and that starts with a hiring manager and recruitment decisions.
LinkedIn is also helping us in our drive for creating a diverse and inclusive workplace for the top talent we attract. Since utilising LinkedIn recruiter to headhunt in the market place our female leadership is more than 50% of all new leadership functions and we have more than 60% diversity hires across the board. Of course, we always hire the best person for an open vacancy; but we can find the best with a strong slate of diverse candidates just as easily.”
She added: “We have worked hard to ensure that our brand is elevated and that all of the great things that we offer – such as Philanthropy Days, Charity Drives, company events etc – are shared on LinkedIn so that everyone can see what an amazing company we are and what makes us unique, whilst making a difference with the products we sell.
“We have industry-leading products that require outstanding talent to sell those products. By using LinkedIn, we have been able to create super-specialised campaigns that attract the right talent. We’re attracting the people who work for the big boys and that excites me, as it means we have something more special to offer.”
Reduced reliance on external agencies
Rachel and her team no longer rely on external agencies to recruit the best talent. Previously, 90% of Bioventus’ vacancies were filled by an external agency in the international corporate entity before 2017. That figure is now 2%, globally.
“That’s the power of LinkedIn,” Rachel said. “It’s insightful and helps you to find the right people. It enables you to be consistent with your employer branding and encourages you to constantly up your game.”
She concluded: “Our products help more than 600,000 patients across the world to resume active lives. We want to help more people lead a better quality of life. To do that, we need the best talent and we need the best resources to develop their skills. For that, LinkedIn has been phenomenal.”
Main products used:
THE RESULTS
Positioned as an employer of choice
In four years, Bioventus’ followers on LinkedIn have doubled
Top candidate source
Increased applicant flow – 31% of job applications come from LinkedIn
Identifying the best talent
Influenced hire rate – 72% in an average quarter
“LinkedIn has been an amazing partner in elevating our talent brand. They have been with us every step of the way with our development and execution. Since partnering with them, we have reached new heights in attracting some of the best talent in the marketplace.”
“At Bioventus, each of us has a unique perspective that is valued. We set out to develop a recruitment campaign to convey that message. Partnering with LinkedIn provides us with the opportunity to create really engaging content. This elevates our brand and the level of talent we’re reaching.”
“LinkedIn has allowed us to reach a diverse talent pool as our company is quickly growing, which is really exciting.”
“With the introduction of a company-wide mentor/mentee programme, I have found the modules on LinkedIn Learning particularly useful as I embark on being a mentor for a senior company employee, who is well established in an important role. A number of modules have helped me with my personal development and have given me the necessary advice and skills that will hopefully benefit my mentee.”
Bioventus
ABOUT BIOVENTUS
Bioventus®Inc. (Nasdaq: BVS) develops Innovations for Active Healing and its mission is to make a difference by helping patients resume and enjoy active lives. The company has products for pain treatment and joint preservation, restorative therapies and bone graft substitutes. Established in 2012, Bioventus is headquartered in Durham, NC. The company has more than 800 employees worldwide and its international headquarters is in Hoofddorp, The Netherlands.
Bioventus also has offices in Memphis, TN, Valencia, CA, Hod Hasharon, Israel and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Bioventus works with patients, payers and health care providers throughout the world.
HEADQUARTERS
Medical Devices
No. OF EMPLOYEES:
800+ Employees
HEADQUARTERS
Durham, North Carolina, USA
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