Social media has become an increasingly popular tool for hiring managers and recruiters to search for candidates. According to Jump Start Social Media, as many as 75% of hiring managers use LinkedIn on a regular basis to search for viable candidates, 48% use Facebook, and 26% use Twitter. A primary benefit of social media sites is that they permit hiring managers to get a glimpse of additional information about your background and potential fit with a role. Although hiring managers are using multiple social media networks, LinkedIn is the most professionally-oriented of the three sites and it tends to be the focus of hiring managers performing due diligence of MSL candidates.
MSL candidates should view social media as a complementary tool to job boards to research new companies, hiring managers, and roles. Active users of social media sites can build their network and connect with companies and decision makers. The MSL role requires multiple traits including savviness and a proactive nature—two traits that can be demonstrated by establishing an active and consistent online network using social media sites.
Strategies for using social media in an MSL job search:
Combine Traditional Job Search with Social Media Strategy
The most successful MSL job search strategy will likely integrate traditional methods with online networking. One recommendation is to incorporate the links to your LinkedIn, blog or personal Web site on your traditional résumé. You may also want to link each of your social media profiles to one another. The goal is to be a consistent presence in your market so that recruiters and hiring managers can find you.
Copyright 2013-2018 The Medical Science Liaison Society. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without prior written authorization. The MSL Society is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization dedicated to advancing the global MSL career.
In preparing to write your resume to submit for an MSL role, keep in mind that it needs to be targeted toward the employer’s needs not your own. This means that your employment history and list of skills and accomplishments must match the requirements of the position.
Begin by researching the company thoroughly, the MSL role, how MSLs are utilized within the company and match your resume so that it directly addresses the needs faced by each. Strategically place important keywords throughout the resume so you are able to highlight how your background meshes with company needs. The goal is to assist hiring managers to see how your background can help the company fulfill the needs of this specific MSL role. Specifically, you want to emphasize any Therapeutic Area expertise that you have that relates to the role, highlight relevant experiences and mention accomplishments that are in line with the role or company.
Begin with a short career profile that describes your core skills and values that mesh with the company mission, culture, and needs of the role. As with your cover letter, you may want to tweak this profile to reflect the specific needs and culture of different employers. The remainder of your resume should provide a clear and logical progression of your career history, skills, knowledge, and accomplishments.
Keep in mind that most hiring managers are only performing a cursory review on an initial read-through. Like Applicant Tracking Systems, they are primarily searching for important keywords that reflect your suitability for the role. Do not use long, complex sentences but incorporate keywords in a bullet-point format (or asterisks if submitting an online application). Do not use template-like formats but strive to create a layout that best illustrates your unique background.
Be specific regarding accomplishment and, where possible, quantify results with percentages, monetary amounts, or comparative statistics. Incorporate details regarding not only with regard to actual tasks performed but also what you have learned, produced or achieved in each of your prior work experiences. For example, did you have any measurable achievements while working with KOL’s, like leading the approval of a certain number of IST’s?
Avoid including the links to personal social media profiles. A more professional method is to share the link to professional profiles such as on LinkedIn.com or BrightFuse.com that are well written and include sections regarding your most relevant accomplishments (to the MSL role) and career highlights
Resist the temptation to embellish any prior work experience or academic achievements. Doing so can tarnish your credibility and will almost definitely eliminate you from being hired. Most companies perform very thorough routine background checks, along with simple online searches that can easily expose the truth. Plus, overstating prior accomplishments may well come to light when you are unable to successfully perform key responsibilities of the position.
Resumes that show a logical career progression can also illustrate to prospective MSL Managers that you have clear goals and the discipline to follow-through on a plan of action. Relating how your MSL experience (if you have any), skills, and knowledge have prepared you for the needs of the current MSL role, any challenges the company faces, as well as future industry trends is a highly effective method to position yourself as a forward-thinking solution provider.
Copyright 2013-2018 The Medical Science Liaison Society. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without prior written authorization. The MSL Society is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization dedicated to advancing the global MSL career.
A successful MSL job search will require you to utilize an array of tools involving both passive and active strategies. While online job boards and networking remain popular methods of searching for new roles, social media can prove to be very valuable in your search.
The most commonly used social media site for the business community is LinkedIn.com. Now with over 100 million members in hundreds of industries around the globe, it has become the site to build your business network. Hiring managers, recruiters, and employers from around the world are active on the site. With a LinkedIn profile, you can build a network by connecting directly with hiring managers, recruiters, and other decision makers. This provides you with a target-rich forum in which to identify potential employers. Although the service is free, you can upgrade your account so that they have the opportunity to contact those who are outside your immediate network.
What follows are 7 key tips for using LinkedIn to locate a new MSL job. These tips will be most useful if you already have an account and have added twenty connections.
LinkedIn can be a highly effective tool to search for MSL jobs and build your network within the MSL community. Utilizing all the features of the site can aid in your MSL search. The more connections you are able to make the greater the chance you will be successful in discovering new opportunities so that you can advance your MSL career.
Copyright 2013-2018 The Medical Science Liaison Society. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without prior written authorization. The MSL Society is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization dedicated to advancing the global MSL career.
The key to successful interviewing is preparation. This preparation includes performing thorough research on the company that you will be interviewing with. Too often MSL candidates seek to limit the research stage and as a result appear disinterested and uninformed during the interview process. Insufficient preparation can seriously jeopardize your chances of moving forward in the interview process and ultimately obtaining a job offer.
Areas of Research
Many hiring managers and other interviewers will disqualify those candidates who don’t seem to have in-depth knowledge of the company and its products especially those that the MSL will be working with. Your research should include:
Tools for Research
Online directories such as Bloomberg and Standard & Poor’s also provide financial and market data on many types of businesses.
Discuss the Research
At some point during almost every interview, you will be asked to describe how well you fit into the company culture and values, along with what you know about the company beyond the information contained on the company website. If you have performed sufficient research, this will give you an opportunity to potentially stand out from other less prepared candidates by allowing you discuss and share relevant responses to these questions. Taking the time to show interest in potential employers will likely result in their showing interest in you as well.
Copyright 2013-2018 The Medical Science Liaison Society. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without prior written authorization. The MSL Society is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization dedicated to advancing the global MSL career.
