Our experience in delivering the best candidates into life sciences jobs they were made for means that we work with candidates as they move through the recruitment process.
The time we spend with candidates of different skills, abilities, ages and time spent in the sector has meant that we can give invaluable advice to candidates when sending their CVs to their life science partner of choice.
Whether you are looking for your first or second job within the life sciences sector, or you have been in the industry for many years and are searching for an executive role – if you are going to work with a recruiter to help locate your next position there are some things you need to know.
Here are our 5 ‘must-dos’ to help life science candidates when sending your CV to a life sciences recruitment company.
1. Include a Summary
A short, eye-catching summary explaining why you are ideal for this role is a great way to begin your CV. It only has to be a few lines long, but it should differentiate you from the other candidates and position you as the ‘right’ candidate for the job, using your previous life sciences experience and your knowledge of the company you are applying to.
You might be the perfect candidate, but if your CV is impossible to read, there is a chance it won’t make it past the recruiter’s desk.
2. Make it Concise and Easy to Read
If you have a lot of work experience on your CV from various past employment, consider if all of that information is relevant to the job you are applying for now.
I highly recommend tailoring your CV specifically to the role – many life sciences candidates still don’t do this for each application; those that do have a more significant chance of getting an interview.
Always have someone check over your CV for rogue spelling and grammar mistakes before you send it to your recruitment consultant. However, your recruiter will also be able to pick up and correct anything before it goes out to the employer.
As well as being easy to read, your CV must also be appropriate to the job in question, which brings me onto what to include.
3. List Your Achievements, Not Just Your Duties
Many candidates use their CV to list the duties from their previous roles, rather than describing how they were involved in the action.
But your CV should sell your achievements, not describe the things you were ‘responsible’ for.
For example, if you are applying for a Key Account Manager role, from your previous experience instead of “I was responsible for implementing key account plans and achieving business and sales quotas”, state “I nurtured loyal, long-lasting relationships with my clients, which resulted in these high-value customers increasing their contracts with us, which resulted in me exceeding my personal sales quotas and the overall business goals”.
This is a simple alteration you can make to your CV, which makes you a much more valuable candidate.
4. Extra-Curricular
Life sciences recruiters love to see evidence that not only are you proficient in your soft and hard skills but that you live and breathe life sciences. This includes attending conferences, lectures and seminars, so giving evidence of this will enhance your CV.
Typically, life science candidates are intent on making the world a better place – this sounds rather ambitious, but it’s true! Because of this, the best life sciences candidates have highly embellished CVs, which yours will need to imitate to be considered for the most in-demand roles.
5. Put Yourself in The Hiring Manager’s Position
Finally, this is one of the best pieces of advice I can give to life science candidates. Each candidate will have a variety of skills and abilities, with some having more experience than others, and all will have their own career drives and ambitions.
To be successful in applying for a new life sciences role, candidates must put themselves in the hiring manager’s position, and imagine what they need to know to be sure that this candidate is right for the job.
You can do this by highly tailoring your CV to each specific job you apply for, both in the body of the CV and in the cover letter or application process. Always research the company if you don’t already have adequate knowledge of the organisation and be prepared to talk about how choosing to work for this company ties into your ultimate career goals.
Finally
At Kinetic, we work closely with every candidate, which allows us to find you your perfect role. We deal with life sciences candidates just like you, and these are our top tips gained from over eight years in the industry.
If you are looking for your next position in the life sciences, medical device or pharmaceutical sectors in the UAE, get in touch with us today to find out how we can help to find you your next role.
How Kinetic Can Help
Kinetic source professionals locally and internationally for leading multinational, regional and local Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices companies, including Consumer Healthcare organisations.
If you need help looking for your next pharmaceutical, medical devices or life sciences role, get in contact with us today.
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