Around 248,400 people are employed by the UK life sciences industry and as one of the fastest-growing sectors, that number is expected to continue climbing. Despite it being a burgeoning job market, competition remains steep and creating a statement CV is a key job-hunting strategy. Here’s how you can write an outstanding CV:
Put time into the layout
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to a CV. If you’re newly out of education choose a layout that will showcase your skills in the best way. In absence of any work experience, include a skills section after your list of qualifications and aim to keep it just to one page. Use some space to talk about personal interests and highlight how these make you a great cultural fit for the job you’re applying for.
Alternatively, if you’ve got a lot of achievements to share you need to spend some time thinking about how to present it all clearly without making the page look cluttered. It’s best to keep your CV to two pages and though it might be difficult to omit some relevant experience, keep a note of what has been removed as save it to speak about in the interview. A bonus tip is to save your CV as a PDF – this will ensure that when your file is opened the text doesn’t shift around make your carefully formatted CV unreadable.
Open with a profile
The first few lines of your CV are the most valuable real estate. Think carefully about how your summary makes you come across both professionally and personally. There are many exciting science-based careers in clinical research, one being a clinical trial manager – here’s how their opening statement might read:
‘Results-driven clinical trial manager with 10 years’ experience. Skilled in management of clinical studies in adherence to ICH and GCP guidelines while leading cross-cultural teams. Areas of expertise include managing remote decentralised trials, liaising with medical device companies, collaborating with Business Development and regular oversight of DOS, MVR, FUL and AI.’
Use the STAR method
If you’re applying for a Senior CRA job and you claim to have a ‘Proven track record of leadership’ the hiring manager reading your CV has no evidence to back this up. To make sure your CV stands out from the rest, use the ‘Situation, Task, Activity, Result’ method. For example, ‘When involved with the set-up and monitoring of a study, I ensured the team completed the study status reports on time by creating a worksheet which each person could update in real-time. This kept everyone accountable for their work and resulted in the fastest turnaround for the reports to date.’ If you can quantify your result it can have an even greater impact as hiring managers are drawn to figures.
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Keywords
Look for keywords that the employer or recruiter uses in the job advertisement and incorporate these into your CV in a natural way. For example, when applying for a Study Start Up job you might pick out SSU, pharmaceutical products, contractual documents, QC submissions, CDP and wearable technology as terms included in the roles your most interested in. Using these keywords in your CV allows a recruiter to quickly identify you as a strong candidate.
Looking beyond the skills required for the job, think about what experience employers will be looking for in every team member. In a 2019 skills demand survey, 63% of cell and gene therapy companies admitted that digital skills are a must-have for future candidates. To show that you’re digitally savvy highlight your tech skills and promote any digital skills that are relevant to the job.
Triple check for spelling and grammar mistakes
Whether you’re forging a career in clinical research or applying for more niche areas like medical writing and medical affairs, your CV must be totally free of mistakes. Any life sciences job requires someone who is detail oriented and there’s no better way to showcase yourself as a meticulous employee than to present a document entirely free of error. Once you’re at the stage of submitting your CV pause for 15 minutes and use this time to go through the file with a fine-tooth comb and even share it without someone you know has a keen eye for typos and grammar mistakes.
Find the life sciences career that’s right for you
Now you know how to write an outstanding life sciences CV, next up is brushing up on tips to make a lasting impression in a video interview. Our job hunting tips are designed to help you best showcase yourself, so you can find the life sciences career that’s right for you. ICON is committed to becoming the leading Clinical Research Organisation but for that, we need the best talent in the market. Does that sound like you? Apply for a clinical research role at ICON and show us why you’re made for the job.