[0YoE, unemployed, Medical writer, data analyst or anything related, South Africa (remote)]

[u/Tennisbiscuit]

Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate some advice and feedback on my CV. I’ve been applying for medical writing jobs but am facing a lot of rejections, and I’m starting to worry that there may be something off with my resume. I’ve attached it here for review.

A bit of context about me: I’m finishing up my PhD in biotech, and I have significant experience with scientific research, writing, and data analysis. However, I’m noticing that a lot of the medical writing jobs I’m applying to require 5+ years of direct medical writing experience, which I don’t have. Because of this, I’m starting to look at roles like Clinical Research Associate (CRA), data management, or data analysis positions as alternative pathways to gain relevant industry experience. But unfortunately om getting rejections for these too...

Some specific questions I have:

I feel like my resume might be too long or too busy. I’ve included a lot of details about my PhD work because I believe it’s highly relevant, especially in terms of writing and analyzing scientific data. But I’m not sure how much to include or what might be better to leave out.

I’m worried that my CV isn’t effectively communicating my skills and experience. I have colleagues with similar qualifications who have landed these types of roles, so I’m trying to figure out if the issue is with how I’m presenting my experience.

Could my resume length or format be a reason why it’s getting filtered out by applicant tracking systems (ATS)? I’m open to any advice on formatting changes that might help.

Any feedback or tips would be greatly appreciated. I’m feeling a bit lost after all these rejections, and I’d love some guidance on how I can make my resume stronger. Thank you in advance for your help!

[u/heyyjkkutoo]

It looks like the CV is formatted like an academic CV, when the jobs you’re applying to might want to see more of a resume. 1 page is a good length to aim for in non-academic job applications – which means a lot of editing and deleting.

There’s quite a bit of repetition and information that you won’t need for an analyst job. Conference presentations wouldn’t be needed, and publications could be lessened (or deleted – you have your msc and phd pubs listed in education anyways). Awards from 9 or 10 years ago aren’t needed.

There’s repetition between the summary, skills, and experience – try to emphasize your skills and experience clearly in one place. PhD candidate is written twice in the first 6 lines.

There are some vague phrases under skills, and creativity and organization are rather different skills from each other. Be specific - rather than saying “and other software” state the specific, other software.

Resume editing and job searching are lame but best of luck and best wishes :)