How can I find my first MedComms job?

So you want to get your first job in MedComms but all of the adverts that you found say that they are looking for candidates who already have experience.

Or the adverts say it’s a UK- or US-based remote position but you have to actually live in the UK or US, and you don’t. Should you apply anyway?

I’m Eleanor Steele, and I’m the MedComms Mentor.

And my advice is, don’t apply for jobs that you probably won’t be eligible for. It’s a waste of your time, and the time of the recruiter or the person in the agency who is reviewing applications. But that doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to find a job that’s right for you.

As I explained in my recent Q&A short video, most MedComms agencies advertise entry-level positions themselves. They don’t pay recruiters or pay to have adverts put on job boards because they can do it themselves much more cost effectively.

This means that it can be quite hard to actually find those adverts, that information about entry-level roles, if you don’t know where to look. You won’t find the adverts in the same place as jobs for established writers and those are often the ones that people find most frequently when they’ve just heard about medical writing and are Googling, “Medical Writer jobs.” They all come up with experience and that’s not necessarily your current position.

So how can you find opportunities that are at that entry level?

And also, what do you do if you’re not in the UK or in the US, where the bulk of agencies are based? How can you find a job that’s right for you?

1. Use FirstMedCommsJob.com

So the first thing I want to talk about is finding entry level roles rather than jobs for people who already have MedComms experience, and your secret weapon for this is FirstMedCommsJob.com.

It is a website entirely set up to help people find their first job in MedComms. and there are so many resources through that website. There’s a link in the video description and they also have lots and lots of videos on YouTube, recordings of webinars that they have run, hosted by Peter Llewellyn who runs the site, talking to different agencies about their entry-level programme or their way of bringing new people into the industry and training them, showing them what it’s all about, exploring different approaches to MedComms entry.

Now, these webinars often coincide with when that particular agency is launching recruitment for their next cohort, or they have a new initiative that they are launching. So, these webinars are fantastic to attend live, they will often have a recorded section, but also a Q&A section which isn’t necessarily recorded. So if you can be there on the day when it’s happening, that is fantastic.

But they’re also recorded, so they are a fantastic resource to go back to, and then there will often be links in the description so that you can connect with people who were on the webinar and potentially find out up to date news about what’s going on within the company and when they might be recruiting again if they aren’t currently.

It’s also going to give you lots of insights about the role that they have, about the company itself, what they’re looking for, and how you could potentially get a position on that training scheme or within that organisation.

FirstMedCommsJob.com also runs networking events, often in person nowadays, as long as Covid doesn’t come back, and these are another fantastic way of meeting people who are involved in entry-level recruitment and the training programmes that these agencies run for people who are new to MedComms.

So you can meet the people, talk to them, and it gives you a fantastic chance to ask questions before you spend time applying.

Different agencies will suit different people. They will have different locations, different ways of working, different focus, different types of client. And talking to them about what they do and how they do it will help make sure that you are applying to a place that suits you, and will give you a better chance of actually getting the job in the first place.

You can also get their opinion about your skills and experience because everybody has a slightly different background and we don’t always fit the cookie cutter description that’s in the job advert, and there may well be different things about what you have done and the way that you’ve approached it that would actually mean you don’t need to fill in all of those criteria exactly. It’s worth having the conversation if you’ve got any questions like that.

Now, FirstMedCommsJob.com also sends out regular email updates so that you know what’s coming up with any links to sign up or watch recordings of things that have happened recently, and that is a fantastic thing to make sure that you are up to date with what’s going on, but also there’s the whole website as well. So that includes a blog and lots of resources about how you can give yourself the best possible chance of getting your first Medcomms job, and that also includes a training section, which has information about my courses and the support that I give, but also other people who could potentially help you. So do check it out.

2. Use job adverts wisely

If you’ve seen adverts for jobs that you know that you’re not eligible for, don’t just discount them! They can still be a really valuable piece of information, something that you can dig into and get little gems to help you actually find the opportunities that are going to be right for you.

So, look at them, think about the skills or experience that they’re looking for and compare it with what you do have, or what you have available, to actually get ways that you can hone those skills, or get some experience of doing those different things.

Even if it’s not actually within a MedComms role, those kind of things can still be useful. So things like project management or organisation, writing for different audiences, science communication in general, presenting skills, those kind of things are all incredibly useful when you become a Medical Writer.

And so the more experience that you have of doing them in a demonstrable way, the better off you are when you actually start applying and hopefully getting a job.

It’s also useful to look at those adverts and think about the language that they’re using.

Are there any insights that you can glean about how you can write your CV or your cover letter? Because if you’re applying for a position that’s a little bit more junior than that, it’s incredibly powerful to kind of be able to demonstrate that you understand the career path that you want to take and the kind of things that you want to be able to do.

What kind of terminology do they use and how can you frame your CV and your cover letter so that you’re using that kind of terminology when you are applying for entry level positions.

These job adverts can be a mine of information and you can use them to research different companies as well as the roles themselves. Which companies are actually recruiting?

They may be different from the ones who are featured in webinars on FirstMedCommsJob.com, and that is really useful.

So, when you see the name of an agency that’s advertising for an experienced role, they may well also recruit for entry-level people, but don’t necessarily do it through a formal programme. That’s fine, you don’t have to go through a formal structured training programme to get a really good start in MedComms.

Look at the websites of these agencies, sign up for any updates about recruitment or job opportunities. See if they do have some kind of entry-level programme because it might be that they do but they haven’t had a webinar about it – it’s not actually compulsory!

Look at what information you can get from their website. Maybe they have an email address for careers, or talent, or HR on the website that you can then use to contact them with a brief, professionally worded query about what you are looking for.

You could maybe mention that you’ve seen a job advert for this experienced role, and while you know that’s not right for you, you would love to work there, but you’re an entry-level person.

Do they have any roles available? Do they have any advice for you?

You might not hear back, but you might. You might be put on their list of people to contact in their next round of recruitment. You never know.

3. Use your network

Your network might already hold the key to you finding your first job in MedComms. Think about it – if you’ve done a science degree then there will have been plenty of people on your course, maybe people who you haven’t been in touch with for a while, especially if you have gone on to do a Master’s or a PhD and possibly even worked in another industry for a while.

Reconnect with people from your past who might have gone on to become Medical Writers. Look them up on LinkedIn, maybe Facebook, maybe chat with other people. Friends of friends are also very useful, or ex-colleagues who may have also gone into MedComms or a related field. Talk to them about what they’re doing and whether it might be something that could suit you.

Do they have any advice for you if they have gone into MedComms? Are there any connections that they can help with, make some introductions potentially? Because that can be a really powerful way of circumnavigating the issues that might crop up with companies not really advertising entry-level positions very widely, because word of mouth works best.

If you know someone who is already working in MedComms, then that is a fantastic resource to tap into, because personal recommendations are incredibly valuable. It’s not all about who you know, but it does kind of help.

Also, look at the companies that you’ve found, maybe from the FirstMedCommsJob.com webinars, or maybe from job adverts that you’ve been looking at, and look through the people who are listed on LinkedIn as working there.

Do you have any connections with those people? And if so, can you link up with them or be introduced to them by someone that you are already friends with or somebody that you went to uni with?

Those kind of connections can be incredibly valuable to help you know what you need to do or to find out about the opportunities that will help you get that first MedComms job.

It’s also worth thinking about your university career service. This is often something that can be really useful, even a few years after you’ve actually graduated. They may have resources or connections with people or be able to hook you up with other alumni who’ve actually followed the medical writing work, who you didn’t know, people not from your course or from your year, but who would be a fantastic resource for getting you your first MedComms job.

4. Build your network

Using your current network might be all you need to find that first opportunity. But we do often need to actually expand and build on our current network to tap into opportunities that we wouldn’t necessarily otherwise be able to reach. So, how can you do that?

Firstly, the webinars and networking events that you hopefully will be attending through FirstMedCommsJob.com or other organisations and networking groups. Connect with people from those activities.

When a webinar happens, Peter Llewellyn always makes sure that the presenter’s LinkedIn details are in the invite and follow up emails, but also in the video description after it is put onto YouTube or onto NetworkPharma.tv.

You can just click on that link and connect with the person. You can also follow them potentially or the company that they work for to get updates on what’s going on and also find out who is posting those updates so that you can potentially connect with them.

You can join other networking groups as well and attend any discussion sessions or join in with conversations that are going on within those groups.

Commenting on posts and joining in with that kind of conversation can be a fantastic way to get your name out there and to also interact with the kind of people who will be able to help when you are looking for specific opportunities.

You can also follow recruiters because, while they’re less likely to be advertising entry-level positions, that doesn’t mean that they won’t have any. They may well have a few, just not as many as for experienced people. And they might also post advice or tips around how you can do writing tests or interview well, or the kind of things that are coming up in conversations with agencies that are recruiting, which can be incredibly valuable to make sure that you’re doing things in the right way and maximising your chances of success if you do get an interview or into a recruitment day or something.

It’s also quite good to just have a Google around the topic. Think about terms that aren’t just, “Medical Writer jobs.”

Things like “science writing,” “science communication,” “medical publications,” or other general related terms and see what comes up, especially if you are not based in the US and UK.

Thinking about more global organisations for networking, or sites that might be useful for hearing about what’s going on, then that can be a good way of finding something that’s a bit broader because medical writing for MedComms.

Traditional MedComms agencies can be a bit niche, so in other locations you might need to really kind of broaden out what you’re looking at, so that you can find the few jobs that are available, or the resources that could help you pinpoint the organisations that are actually going to be recruiting and would be suitable for you.

So, thinking about things in a broader, slightly more creative way can actually help you find what’s going to be perfect for you.

5. Start new conversations

Once you’ve built a slightly broader network, you actually have to use that network, and that means talking to people.

This can be a bit daunting, so I would recommend starting off small by commenting on posts – possibly by people who have jobs similar to the one that you’re looking for, or people who are posting about opportunities, recruiters, HR people within agencies, that kind of person.

Build a connection with them, maybe ask pertinent questions about entry-level positions, and see where it goes. It’s also a good idea to ask for a chat, especially if you’re feeling quite isolated in your job search.

Now, do not just spam hundreds of people across the industry because that’s not going to do you any favours. And if you identify lots of new connections and people are connecting with you, it can be a bit sort of exhilarating and you are potentially tempted to just ask everybody that you have just connected with to answer the same kind of questions about where you can find opportunities and any advice that they have.

But it’s a good idea to slow down and find a few key people who maybe are friends of friends, or you’ve already had a bit of an interaction with.

You want to contact people who will at least recognise your name from comments or mutual connections, and contact a couple of those, and then learn from those interactions before you contact other people.

You don’t basically want a hundred answers to the same question. You’ll probably have different questions over time and you don’t want to max out your contacts on your first question.

But how do you actually do that? How do you reach out to new people? It can be incredibly intimidating, and I would say, in the medical writing sphere, there’s probably a slightly higher than average proportion of people who would identify as introverted or slightly socially anxious. So, it’s good to get some support and really plan this before you start reaching out to people.

I would really recommend listening to the Squiggly Careers podcast on ‘Working your Weak Ties‘ and having ‘Career Conversations‘ – there are links in the video description below.

Listen to those podcasts, download the podsheets and look at the tips and resources that they have because they are fantastic and will really help you make the most of your network in a way that is manageable and doesn’t feel intimidating.

When you’re ready to start reaching out to people, it’s a good idea to send a short, professionally worded message just to a couple of people asking them about their story, how they got to where they are now, and whether they have any advice for you. Are they potentially willing to have a quick chat? Whether that’s meeting up for a coffee or 15 minutes on Zoom or something.

If they are willing to talk to you, really listen to the advice that they give. You can use the tips from my video about getting the most from mentoring to really help you with this if it’s something that you want to focus on. You can think about what comes out of that conversation and what you can do with that advice to maximise your chances of actually getting the job that you want.

You can also ask, potentially, if they have anybody else that they can introduce you to or any resources that they would be able to suggest that you could use. Maybe groups to join or practice activities that they found useful when they were preparing for interviews at their company, things like that.

Once you’ve had that first round of conversations then maybe you’ll have a slightly different perspective and can reach out to another few people. Build gradually though, don’t try and do everything all at once.

I know it can be very frustrating if you really want to get a job and want to get started now, but it’s probably more effective to take a bit of time and do it in a sustainable way so that you’re not overwhelming people, or yourself.

6. Be realistic

I wish there were perfect jobs out there for everyone who wants to get into MedComms, but that isn’t the reality.

Job markets fluctuate, so there aren’t always enough opportunities for the people who would excel in MedComms. And, also, don’t believe everything you hear. There may be people out there saying you can land your ideal medical writing job or start a freelance medical writing business with no experience and instantly earn huge amounts of money if you just sign up for their course or their coaching.

The thing is, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

You need to use a critical eye on everything, especially if there’s money involved, and consider it from the financial perspective for agencies as well.

They are commercial enterprises, and they don’t always have the capacity to bring in new people and train them up, because that is a massive investment. It’s not just about the salary that they pay or the equipment that they need to buy, it’s the senior time involved in taking someone who doesn’t have any experience of MedComms – even if they’ve got a fantastic scientific background. Training them up to being a safe pair of hands who can just handle projects takes an awful lot of senior time, energy and effort, and that isn’t something that agencies are always going to be able to do.

MedComms agencies are also clustered into specific countries and regions, and if you live outside of those areas, it is definitely much harder to get a job in MedComms at all, especially your first MedComms job.

If you’re not in the US or the UK, there are agencies, but they are more likely to be local language agencies working on projects for that specific country, rather than working with global clients.

They may also be broader than traditional MedComms, working on a range of potentially healthcare comms, maybe consumer content, but they might also be working on accounts outside of healthcare as well as healthcare projects when they come up.

Now, the advice that I gave in earlier sections still stands for you if you are looking for a more international job, but you need to be really targeted.

Research agencies that you hear about and see if they have an office in your country. Check their parent network too, because there may be other agencies within the group that could have an office local to you, even if it’s not the one that you’ve heard about.

See if you can find any local or regional networking groups for Medical Writers or Science Writers, and when you find them, you can add them to the comments here because that’s going to be a fantastic resource for other people too.

It’s also useful to search on LinkedIn for people within your area who are doing what you want to do. So not just general connections who are Medical Writers or involved in MedComms, but broader medical writing communications type people in your area.

If you search and you can’t find any, that is an indication that this is going to be a tough nut to crack.

It’s not necessarily impossible, but you’ll probably need to be quite creative and dedicated,and it might be worth broadening your search for similar or related career options that might be a bit easier to actually find opportunities in based on your location, rather than being really specific that you want to work for a global MedComms agency. That might not be feasible if you’re not based somewhere like the US or UK, or somewhere that has a regional office.

While it is definitely harder to find MedComms opportunities outside of the UK and US, that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. There are plenty of agencies who have offices in, for example, Toronto and Montreal in Canada, and in Australia in several different locations, Singapore, India, Japan, China – there are agencies out there, but it might just be a little bit harder to find those opportunities if you are not in one of those global locations.

Good luck though. Keep looking.

Download PDF summary

MedComms can seem like a mythical realm that it’s impossible to break into, but I promise there are opportunities out there, although you may need to hack your way through a forest or two to find them.

That being said, if you…

1. Use all of the resources at FirstMedCommsjob.com to identify entry-level programmes and the agencies that run them
2. Use job adverts to build your knowledge about other potential agencies and what they’re looking for
3. Use your network to gather information
4. Build that network strategically in the MedComms space
5. Start new conversations in a respectful and professional way to help you hear about any opportunities and gather advice
6. While also being realistic – it can take time and there aren’t necessarily going to be opportunities for everyone

Hopefully then you will maximise your chances of finding your ideal first MedComms job.

You can download a summary of everything that I’ve talked about here free from the description below, and you can use my other videos on getting your first MedComms job and what agencies are looking for to help you make sure that you’re applying for the right places in the right way.

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions, or if you have any suggestions about topics I should explore in a future video.

I’d love to hear what you think and please do give this video a like if it’s been useful, or maybe share it with some friends who are also looking for MedComms jobs.