Fellowship Employer FAQ

Back to FellowMatch Home
What are the main benefits of FellowMatch? Why should we consider utilizing it?

More than 60% of pharmacy schools in the U.S. now have approved IPhO chapters, and IPhO has direct access to more than 5,000 student pharmacists around the country who have expressed an interest in industry. In response to requests from student members and Fellowship employers, IPhO has introduced FellowMatch to enhance and augment existing Fellowship recruiting practices. Competition between organizations for Fellows is greater than ever. Fellowship employers participating in FellowMatch have the flexibility to decide whether to utilize any or all of the following candidate engagement strategies:

  • Request that candidates supply CVs and/or Letter of Intent only
  • Request that candidates submit a more robust set of materials
  • Identify and prioritize candidates of interest for further recruiting actions
  • Contact and engage candidates who have expressed interest
  • Request that certain candidates submit letters of interest or other materials directly to the sponsor
  • Contact candidates to organize interviews
  • Fully utilize the FellowMatch system as their new applicant portal
  • Select and make offers to candidates prior to Midyear

How much money will we save by using FellowMatch?

Some employers and institutions spend thousands of dollars on Midyear recruitment. FellowMatch is FREE! And, at your option, it is possible to utilize FellowMatch as your only applicant portal.

Who can utilize the FellowMatch service as a Fellowship employer?

Any individual, group, company, or institution recruiting for a Fellow can register with IPhO as a Fellowship employer. Membership is not required, and there is no fee for utilizing the service. These practices will be re-evaluated periodically.

My organization already has an established process. Can FellowMatch be utilized in addition to it?

Yes! FellowMatch is designed to enhance and augment any existing Fellowship recruiting process. It provides optimal flexibility that allows each individual preceptor, program director, company, and/or institution to make their own decisions about how to best utilize this new tool to complement existing efforts. The degree of integration will depend on individual employers and their specific needs. In today's employment environment, competition for fellowships is very high, both among employers and candidates. IPhO looks forward to working with each Fellowship employer participating in FellowMatch to assist them in customizing their fellowship recruitment/selection strategies.

If I advertise a position on FellowMatch, won't it confuse candidates? We already have a formalized application process.

FellowMatch is very flexible. Many employers will simply ask candidates to submit their CV. The formal application process can still take place through the employer's existing process. Please be sure to communicate to candidates what you would like them to do to avoid confusion.

Our company is one of several who partner with the same academic institution. We already have an agreed upon, common process for this year. What can FellowMatch do for us?

Some employers will simply ask candidates to submit their CV. FellowMatch isn't intended to replace existing systems, even though some individual Fellowship employers may elect to do that. Employers may decide to post individual positions on FellowMatch simply for early identification of candidates who have expressed interest in their position, rather than to fully advance their candidate engagement strategies. At a minimum, FellowMatch can be very helpful to help prepare for the rush of candidates and competition at Midyear, and can easily do so without compromising the integrity of existing systems.

How soon can I start utilizing FellowMatch and is there a deadline?

Register NOW to get started. Employers are encouraged to post positions as soon as possible to maximize the period of time for candidates to submit materials, and allow ample time for stakeholders to review candidate materials and take any related follow-up recruiting actions prior to Midyear. FellowMatch has no established deadline for candidates to submit materials, but employers are highly encouraged to highlight any individual program deadlines to candidates. Most Fellowship programs start in July and continue for a predetermined length of 1-2 years. Conversely, some employer companies utilizing FellowMatch may realize that they now have the flexibility of starting a Fellowship program at any time that a PharmD is available to do so, whether they are recent graduates or not.

How do Fellowship employers post positions?

Simply register for IPhO as a guest and follow the steps outlined to create a Fellowship employer account. You will be invited to provide a description of the company, a brochure (optional), and a description of each position you wish to post. Please note that there is an account authentication step. You will receive an email confirming account authentication (if necessary please check your spam and gmail promotions tab!).

Should I create one account for every position or is there a limit of one account per Fellowship employer company/institution?

Each Fellowship program will need to discuss and decide how to best utilize FellowMatch. For example, some preceptors and/or program directors may wish to utilize the system, while others may not. Fellowship employers can create one account with a single administrator for the account. They can then create and post as many individual positions as they want for that account. For example, one representative at an academic institution could be the administrator for all of their partner company positions. Alternatively, it is also possible for each employer (even for different departments/positions within a company), to create multiple accounts with a different administrator for each account. To avoid confusion for the candidate, it is recommended to minimize the number of accounts or to at least name them differently.

Can I easily share candidate materials with my colleagues?

Yes. We make it easy for them to access candidate information with the FellowMatch 1-click solution! Account custodians can easily generate a unique link per position and share candidate information with coworkers and stakeholders via email. Visit the “Employer Dashboard” and then click “Share Data with Colleagues.”

Is FellowMatch accessible on mobile devices?

Most of the experience is essentially the same on mobile as it is on desktop/laptop. You should be able to access other FellowMatch elements on your phone or tablet. It should also be noted that it may be difficult to upload certain documents from a mobile device since PDF is the required format.

We don't have a brochure, or it isn't ready yet. What should we do?

Brochures and other descriptive materials are extremely helpful to candidates, but are not required. Through FellowMatch, you can upload a PDF document with the content of your choosing, whether that might be i) the current brochure, ii) last year's brochure, to be replaced when the new one is available, iii) screen shots of web pages, or iv) any other PDF document describing your program and/or your position. It is best to upload an old brochure and then simply edit the posting when the new brochure becomes available.

Is there a limit on the number of positions that Fellowship employers can post?

No. As an added benefit, the FellowMatch service is complimentary for employers at this time.

What materials can Fellowship employers request from candidates through FellowMatch?

Currently, the following material uploads are supported and employers can choose which are required:

  • CV
  • Letter of Intent
  • Transcript
  • Reference list
  • Letter(s) of Recommendation

Does FellowMatch collect letters of recommendation in support of candidates?

FellowMatch does offer the ability to collect letters of recommendation. When posting your individual position(s), simply indicate the number of letters being requested. Candidates will be asked to provide the contact information (name and email) of each letter writer and our system will notify the letter writer(s) directly. This helps prevent the candidate from seeing/uploading these letters him/herself. The submitted letters will be available for review along with the candidate’s other materials.

Our program requires some unique submission materials not offered through FellowMatch. How would this be handled if we utilize FellowMatch?

Requests for materials not listed in FellowMatch would need to be handled independently of FellowMatch, for example through email. Enhancing the overall screening process through FellowMatch may make it possible to request these unique materials only if a candidate reaches the final selection stage. If you have general questions regarding the FellowMatch service, have recommended changes, or would like to discuss a broader collaboration with IPhO, please contact us using our contact form here.

How do Fellowship sponsors know who has submitted materials for their position(s)?

FellowMatch will notify the sponsor via email (check spam and gmail promotions tab!) each time that a new candidate submits materials. In addition, it is easy to monitor all candidate activity through the Fellowship Sponsor Dashboard which is customized to track your individual posted position(s). (Hint: click on "expand" to see all candidate information)

Will Fellowship employers who decide to continue to manage their own independent application process in addition to FellowMatch have to keep track of candidates in multiple locations?

At launch, the FellowMatch service is not connected to any Fellowship employer websites. Employers participating in FellowMatch who want to utilize this service as supplementary to an existing system would need to monitor both. However, when creating new position(s) on FellowMatch, employers have the option to link to their respective application portals rather than collecting materials through FellowMatch.

How will candidates be notified when the process has ended for a particular position?

Fellowship employers are highly encouraged to edit the status of their position(s) from "Recruiting" to "Recruiting Completed" as positions are filled. Candidates are able to check the status of any of their positions on their "My Submissions" dashboard.

How do I post a new position?

Visit the Employer Dashboard. Select “View Your Available Positions,” then "Add a New Position Now."

How do I edit a position that is already posted?

Visit the Employer Dashboard. Select “View Your Available Positions,” and locate the position you wish to edit. Under “Modify” you can click “Edit.” Note: be sure to SAVE whatever changes you make.

How do I post/edit my fellowship brochure or company description?

Visit the Employer Dashboard. Select “View Your Company Profile,” and then click “Edit.” Make your desired additions/changes and then click to save your changes.

How do I view a candidate(s) interested in my position(s) who has submitted materials?

Visit the Employer Dashboard. Select “View Interested Candidates,” and then expand the position for which you wish to view candidates.

How do I view materials submitted by candidate(s) interested in my position(s)?

Visit the Employer Dashboard. Select “View Interested Candidates,” and then expand the position for which you wish to view candidates. Click on each respective candidate’s name to review his/her submitted materials.

How do I contact a candidate via email ?

Visit the Employer Dashboard. Select “View Interested Candidates,” and then expand the position for which you wish to view candidates. You will see each candidate’s email address listed next to his/her name.

How do I contact a candidate via phone?

Visit the Employer Dashboard. Select “View Interested Candidates,” and then expand the position for which you wish to view candidates. Click on each respective candidate’s name to review his/her submitted materials. You will see his/her cell phone number listed at the top of the application page.

How do I share candidate materials with my colleagues?

Visit the Employer Dashboard and then click “Share Data with Colleagues.” You will then be able to create a “shareable link” for each individual position you have listed. If you need to delete/revoke access to a link for any reason, you can easily delete each link you create, and then generate a new one for future reference.

Who can I contact if I have questions?

All questions regarding candidates should be directed to the individual candidate. If you have general questions regarding the FellowMatch service, have recommended changes, or would like to discuss a broader collaboration with IPhO, please contact us using our contact form here.