In this episode of Clinical Veterinary Recruiting Insights, Brad McMillan speaks with Dr. William Singleton about his career across lab animal medicine, pharmaceutical research, academia, consulting, and CRO settings — and how those experiences shaped his perspective on leadership, operations, and organizational growth.

Together, they explore:

• how Dr. Singleton found his path into lab animal medicine
• why leadership became a bigger part of his career than clinical work alone
• what makes some veterinarians thrive in leadership roles while others struggle
• how consulting evolved from technical training into broader advisory work
• why operational efficiency, communication, and culture are often more connected than organizations realize
• what veterinarians can do early in their careers to prepare for leadership and consulting opportunities

This episode is especially relevant for professionals in lab animal medicine, veterinary leadership, CROs, preclinical research, animal welfare, and veterinary consulting.

It’s a conversation about more than career progression — it’s about building stronger teams, better systems, and lasting impact.

If you want, I can also turn this into a second LinkedIn version that feels even more like an Ora-style post with a stronger hook and punchier line-by-line formatting.

Sales candidates are trained communicators. They can build rapport fast, tell a great story, and look confident in an interview. So how do you tell the difference between real capability and interview polish?

In Episode 4 of The Talent Lab, Brad McMillan and Marina Hart (RPM ReSearch) sit down with Aaron Schieving, a commercial leader with 20+ years building teams across biotech and life sciences. Aaron explains why commercial hiring is high-stakes in life sciences: sales cycles can run 6–9 months, and a mis-hire can delay revenue and force you to restart onboarding and training all over again.

Aaron walks through a structured hiring process built to reduce gut-feel decisions, including his “ticket” (a clear definition of the ideal hire), a 30-minute conversation before any formal interview, and a sales assessment built around five common weaknesses that can limit performance: need for approval, emotional involvement, money weakness, self-limiting beliefs, and buy cycle.

He also shares why he gives candidates their results—whether he hires them or not—and how transparency can strengthen your employer brand over time.

Link to Aaron Schieving book:

https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Positivity-practical-business-customers/dp/B0DGF83ZPM

Most hiring problems don’t start in the interview. They start before it.

In this episode of The Talent Lab, Brad and Marina unpack the first real question hiring managers need to answer before posting a role:

What is the first real problem this person will own?

Not the job description.

Not the long-term career path.

The first project or decision that will quickly reveal whether this hire is working — or not.

They also break down a common leadership mistake: trying to hire for build, stabilize, scale, and fix all at once. Every function is in a state. If you don’t define it, your interviews will wander — and your “ideal candidate” will contradict itself.

If you’re a hiring manager, director, or founder in biotech, clinical research, or drug development, this conversation will sharpen how you define outcomes, performance standards, and risk before you ever ask your first interview question.

Clarity upfront. Stronger interviews downstream.

The Hiring Kickoff checklist