With our increasing dependence on technology, the human attention span is at its lowest duration ever. According to a famous study by Microsoft, the average human being’s attention span is 8 seconds!

Now, think about the implications of this for your medical affairs job search strategy: Hiring managers don’t have the time and patience to read through unnecessary content on your resume. If the file you sent takes too long to download, chances are the person screening your resume won’t bother waiting.

Technology plays a big role in search- and pharma recruiting is no different. More often than not, resumes are screened using certain keywords and new artificial intelligence technology. LinkedIn is a also big player when it comes to sourcing candidates to fill a medical affairs job. Be certain your resume and LinkedIn profile have the ‘right’ keywords.

We all know the obvious no-no’s when applying for a medical affairs job (lying or ‘padding’ a resume, including unnecessary information, being negative, etc..). But the top 3 mistakes that medical affairs professionals make when applying for a job are...

1. Not Highlighting Your Therapeutic Areas of Expertise

This is key. When applying for a medical affairs job, companies typically want to hire folks who ideally have some background in the therapeutic area and, even better, relationships with the key thought leaders they work with. Make sure you highlight this on the resume.

2. Your Resume Fails to Highlight Your Skill Set for a Medical Affairs Job

Emphasize your accomplishments vs. your responsibilities. Did you lead a clinical program? Develop KPIs for the MSL team? Integrate new technology to manage publications planning? Whatever it is, highlight it.

3. No Customization Positioning You for Medical Affairs

The one size fits all approach rarely works. You need to tweak your resume to fit the job you’re applying for. Are they looking for a mix of clinical development and medical affairs? Tweak. Are they interested in your work with patient advocacy groups? Tweak again.

Today’s marketplace is wildly competitive. The latest data from the Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs shows that for every MSL opening there are anywhere from 150-200 applicants! Sifting through resumes isn’t fun. Make yours stand out.