What pharmaceutical firms look for in a successful graduate application

Any industry linked to healthcare is a safe bet for graduates climbing the first rung of the career ladder. After all, we’ll always need medicine. Joining the pharmaceuticals sector puts you on the front line of treatment, allowing you to play a role in shaping the future of healthcare, without the long hours and intense scenes that you might expect to find in the medical sector. Here's what pharmaceutical firms look for in a successful graduate application.

Graduate roles give you an opportunity to hone your skills and gain on-the-job experience. However, demonstrating transferable skills will boost your chances of making it to an interview. 

• Organisation: You can be relied upon to keep your workflow in check, whether that’s research notes or an inventory of goods.
• Communication: You’re able to explain complex topics in a clear, concise way to those outside of your subject.
• Team player: You work well in a group, whether that’s collective projects at university or your part-time job over summer.
• Problem solver: You aren’t phased by the occasional conundrum, thinking logically to solve problems.
• Empathy: You’ve developed patience and empathy, perhaps through voluntary work or personal experiences with loved ones.

Get more CV and cover letter advice or take a look at the Bright Network CV template to learn more about how to structure your CV and demonstrate transferable skills in a way that will impress potential employers.

• Research, research, research. Do your homework on the firm you’re applying for, to show that you’re diligent and have an eye for detail. 
• Demonstrate your passion for healthcare; pharmaceuticals changes lives, so let your enthusiasm take flight on paper and in person.
• Tweak your CV to the specific role or firm – have you done a placement or essay that you could mention? Shout about it!
• Don’t be afraid to show your opinion – think that new drug was too expensive to warrant prescriptions on the NHS? Intelligent insights will impress pharmaceutical firms.
• Look ahead to the future, showing your ambition to excel within the industry and make a difference.

Before you send off your application, it’s worth reading around the industry to learn about key issues and hot topics. A little extra work now will pay off when competing with other applicants. Learn more about how to improve your commercial awareness. 

For specific guidance for the pharmaceutical industry, we recommend visiting the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry careers page, or check out the Pharmacist Support fact sheet for a gateway into the sector.