An excellent CV will help to get you noticed in the ever more competitive jobs market, so you need to ensure that your CV accurately reflects your experience and abilities.
At Evolve, we can provide advice as to what you should put in your CV and what employers are looking for in particular. Most employers prefer a CV to be well structured, clear and concise. If your CV is well presented and easy to read, it is more likely that the recruiting manager will want to read it. It is important that your CV is an accurate history of your career, and it should show measurable successes and achievements in previous positions. These achievements can then be expanded on when you reach the interview stage of the recruitment process.
Step 1 - Prepare
To keep your CV clear and easy to read you should keep it well structured. Write out a basic outline and start from there;
• Personal Data
• Personal Profile
• Key Achievements
• Work Experience
• Education & Qualifications
• Interests & Activities
• References
If you are a recent graduate, please read our graduate guide here as the layout will differ to highlight your degree.
Step 2 - Write
Personal Data
When submitting your CV for a job application or to a recruitment company, it is always important to include your personal details. These include;
• Your full name
• Current address
• Home and mobile number
• Email address; make sure this is a professional email
Personal Profile
The profile is your CV introduction; a simple statement that highlights your career aspirations, ambitions and your current skillset. This should be a short summary of your career experience within the Pharmaceutical/ Healthcare Industry including; Number of years in the industry; Current role title if relevant, Territories covered if you are field based; Key customer groups; Therapeutic areas worked in, focusing on most relevant for the roles you are applying for; personal competencies and finally the type of role you are looking for.
Key Achievements
Bullet point major key achievements. These must be measurable and specific key achievements only really necessary within the last 5 years. It’s always important to not only talk about your achievement but to also write down how you did what you did and what skills were implemented. To give potential employee’s a better idea of your successes include;
• Rankings within current team
• Formulary success in which hospitals and for which products?
• Call rates
• Key relationships gained
• Awards/ Prizes/ Nominations
Work Experience
When highlighting your Work Experience start with your current/most recent position highlighting your responsibilities and achievements. It is important to include the start and end date with every company including the reason for leaving. For roles within industry also include; Therapy area, Key Customers & Products.
If you wish to keep your ‘Key Achievements’ with each of your roles, do this underneath the role responsibilities and remove your ‘Key Achievement’ section.
Should you have had any career breaks, make sure to include this in your CV. Make sure you include the start month and year to the end date and keep it in order with the rest of your previous roles. It’s important to be upfront and honest as to why you have had a career break, but also useful to refer to should you have picked up any life skills during this time.
Education & Qualifications
Your education and achievements should be listed in reverse chronological order - this is the easiest way to read. If applicable start with your professional qualifications, then move onto your further education ending with your higher education achievements. You should include; Years attended, Level of qualification, subject area and grade.
Interests & Activities
Make your CV personable. The aim is to offer a well-rounded view; the work side and the human side. At the end of the day, you will be spending considerable time with your employer and their new teams and you must easily adapt to their culture. Include any memberships/associations you are involved with followed by a concise range of interests. You should mention here whether you are keen to relocate if the role location does not match your address.
References
References aren’t a requirement on your CV. It is best to write a simple sentence ‘References available upon request’.
Step 3 - Review
Always check your CV thoroughly. Here is a checklist of things to keep an eye out for;
• Spelling and grammatical errors – use spell check but make sure it checks for English spellings not American spelling.
• Is everything uniform? Are you using the same font throughout in the same size?
• Layout; Keeping the same layout for all of your previous roles, will make your CV look crisp and professional.
• Capitalise key customers such as Consultants, Doctors and Nurses’
• Capitalise therapy areas I.e. Cardiovascular or Urology
Finally, the last thing to check, is your CV an accurate representation of who you are and your capabilities?
If you require any assistance with writing your CV, get in touch so we can help! If you are thinking of moving into your first position within the Pharmaceutical or Healthcare sector or looking to take the next step in your career, we are more than happy to help every step of the way to secure your dream job. We have the expertise and experience to ensure that you get the very best position for your abilities. Feel free to contact us for further information.
