By Patrina Pellett, PhD

Are you applying for jobs and not hearing anything back? Maybe it’s time to revamp your resume. When an academic decides to switch to the dark side (industry), figuring out how to get a real job is hard.  Especially the resume part. And yet so important. Your resume can get you through the door and help you stick out in an interview. People always say, "Quantify your resume." Keep reading to learn about my resume struggles and how to quantify your resume. 

This tip is great for both aspiring MSLs trying to land their first role or a more experienced professional looking to transition. Having good quantification in your resume will help!

Download the Resume Revamp Checklist for more ways to improve your resume!

My Struggles Creating an Industry Resume

About 7 months before my PhD graduation, I got serious about my job search and I was stressed! I didn’t want to take the traditional academic route and get a postdoc. But I had no idea how. I thought,

“Omg, I have to make an industry CV. I don’t even know what that is.”

My current academic CV was awesome and 7 pages long. I highlighted every publication, poster presentation, and award with gusto.

Like any good PhD student, I studied. The Career Services Center at my university had a program called “Turning that PhD into a J.O.B.”  The best part of this program was that they gave us books. This book in particular saved my life: “So What Are You Going to Do With That?: A Guide for M.A.’s and Ph.D’s Seeking Careers Outside the Academy” by Susan Basalla.

The book had a side-by-side comparison of an academic CV and an industry resume. I completely wore out this section making my own resume. I furiously flipped back and forth trying to figure out how to make my CV industry ready. I spent so much time on my resume, and it turned out pretty alright. But wow, it took forever!

Here is my top learning from my time-consuming adventures in making a resume to get an industry position. Aspiring MSLs and Medical Affairs folks looking to change roles can apply this tip (quantify your resume) to revamp their resumes and land an amazing new role.

Medical Affairs Resume Tip: How to Quantify Your Resume

Tip #1: Quantify Your Resume

Hiring managers want to see results. Numbers help demonstrate results. Look through your resume and think about places you can add numbers. I dug out my resume I used to get an industry position out of my PhD. In my “Research Experience” section I mentioned that I “generated over 50 constructs.” (See the image below). Multiple hiring managers mentioned this during interviews. Numbers stick out and people remember you.

Here is a more MSL-relevant example. MSLs teach a lot and need to be good communicators. Hiring managers want to see that you have great communication skills and can feel comfortable putting you in front HCPs. Avoid vague terms to describe your teaching experience like, “Extensive teaching experience.” Put some numbers on this! Here is my example (see red box):

Tip #2: Make Educated Guesses on Your Activities to Quantify Your Resume

You are probably thinking, “But I don’t know how many XYZ things I did. How can I add a number to it?” Figure out the averages and come up with something that you are comfortable with. Don’t lie but you know how much of something you were doing on average. Find a number you are comfortable with and add that to your resume.

In my example above, was it exactly 8 hours of lab each week and 90 students? Probably not, but I know that on average, I taught 8 hours of lab per week with a lab size of around 30 students and did this for 3 semesters.

Conclusion 

Mastering your resume is challenging, but with time and practice, you will get better at it! Utilize these tips on how to quantify your resume to help it stick out. Adding numbers where applicable helps you "show" and not "tell" your experience. 

If you are looking for more ways to revamp your resume, check out the Resume Revamp Checklist resource. Enter your email below to download now!