What You Need To Know When Applying For Medical Communications Jobs
Working in the medical and healthcare communications industry requires individuals who are experienced in handling internal and external healthcare advertising campaigns for medical facilities and pharmaceutical companies. In today’s brand-centric society even pharmaceutical brands such as; “Benylin” are expected to be more “engaging” with its’ clients.
In the past, pharmaceutical brands relied solely on patent protection and prescription only medicine to increase sales. It was a kind of “trust what your doctor or pharmacist” says situation. This is no longer the case because consumers have instant access to online information about drugs, their possible side effects and other “homoeopathic” solutions. This has put them in the driver’s seat when it comes to understanding prescription medicine and alternative product solutions.
One only has to look at some of the most powerful pharmaceutical brands in the world today; Beecham’s Powder’s, Vicks, Clearasil and Benylin, to see the value of healthcare advertising. These brands and products are available to the general public in pharmacies, grocery stores and other retailers but their brand popularity stems from the advertising agencies who created the healthcare advertising campaigns for these brands. There are a wide range of healthcare communications marketing agencies in the UK that offer a variety of marketing jobs purely within the pharmaceutical industry. They create advertising campaigns designed specifically to inform medical professionals, pharmacists and the general public about products and services that are currently available or about to be released.
Day to day job responsibilities for a healthcare communications or advertising employee could involve; writing publications, handling media calls, as well as, creating brand marketing campaigns. Medical communications and advertising specialists may also be called on to prepare public relations plans that highlight various aspects of the organization or deal with a public relations crisis.
They typically work a regular 40 hour week, but this can vary due to deadlines or unforeseen crisis.
Individuals interested in these types of positions must be creative, detailed oriented, possess impeccable advertising and marketing skills, be able to cope with high levels of stress and be able to handle heavy workloads. Most medical communications jobs demand a highly skilled professional because it is a demanding position.
Recruitment for these types of jobs is generally handled by a healthcare communications recruitment agency. The job of the agency is to screen potential candidates. The initial screening usually helps to determine candidates eligibility criteria based on education, knowledge and experience in the field.
Following the initial screening, a personal interview with a representative from the healthcare recruitment agency will follow. The recruitment agency is there to help candidates find the most suitable position for them and assist them in the job interview process, making the process as easy as possible. In the last stage, the employer is provided with a short list of the most likely candidates for the job.
If you are interested in more information about applying for healthcare communications recruitment or would like to medical communications recruitment in general, please do not hesitate to contact us.