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Oli Dimitrov 
Oli Dimitrov
Your Global Partner in Regulatory & Medical Affairs Talent Acquisition +442081355914
Published Sep 27, 2023
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There is no secret that hiring experienced medical writers is challenging. Especially hard to come by are seasoned regulatory medical writers. Why is this the case?
The high demand of medical writers can be attributed to the increased investments in R&D and the subsequent rise in CRO and consulting outsourcing of medical writing activities. The demand is growing by 9-10% per year (by some unofficial sources) and is expected to continue growing in the coming years. The number of regulatory medical writers is not increasing at the same rate as the number of clinical trials in the post-pandemic years. The market will no doubt correct this issue over time; nevertheless, the question for me today is: what can individual medical writers and employers do to compete in this environment, and how can they take advantage of it? Here are some of my thoughts.
1. Medical Writers are not “jacks-of-all-trades”. Neither should they be. However, I find many medical writers do not make it apparent on their CVs, and LinkedIn profiles exactly where their experience rests, and what their natural skills and passions are. Make it easier for employers, TA professionals and recruiters to recognise your skills, abilities and strengths. If you are open to new opportunities, you want the right once to come your way. Write your CV in a clear and concise manner with the appropriate keywords – what types of documents have authored, supported, led etc.? Keep in mind that in most cases, the first person who reads your CV is not a medical writer, and typically has very limited time to review it.
2. Employers are struggling with recruitment processes that are often way too lengthy. Those who wish to compete successfully for the best talent must streamline the process. Some employers make an offer within a week, while others take well over a month to decide. When experienced medical writers look for a new opportunity in this current job market, they don’t usually have to look for long.
3. Work-life balance – make sure it exists. I cannot emphasise how important this is. It is a fine balance, I agree. However, it is easy to fall into a negative circle of losing employees and overworking those who remain. This is a concern for many senior candidates I speak to nowadays. They are looking for a strong leadership, that can keep their promises and look after the team.
4. Invest in the future. Big pharma and clinical stage biotech companies are increasingly outsourcing projects to CROs and consulting firms, which are in turn looking for experienced individuals that can “hit the ground running” with those projects. Competition is fierce and contracts can be easily won or lost. In this environment, for many companies, there isn’t enough time, effort and investment put into building a team from the ground up - teaching the skills, and developing the junior writers we need for the future.
The regulatory medical writers play a critical role in the drug development and approval process. Shortage of skilled regulatory medical writers, and sometimes the lack of understanding of the importance of their contribution, could easily hamper the growth of the new drug market. I am curious to see what the future hold for medical writing. Any thoughts or comments will be appreciated.
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