On October 26th, miLEAD hosted a webinar with Tom Caravela, host of the popular MSL Talk podcast and Managing Partner at The Carolan Group, about how PhD candidates and postdocs can land a highly-sought-after Medical Science Liaison (MSL) role. Tom started off the highly informative webinar by discussing how PhDs should be able to effectively answer "Why do you want to be an MSL?". Every candidate should have a strong reason for entering the MSL industry and he recommended candidates to highlight their scientific value proposition in their answer. Tom strongly advised candidates to improve their digital brand (using platforms such as LinkedIn) by making regular connections and networking with industry players. Tom walked everyone through a sample resume for PhDs, and recommended applicants to tailor their resume to include keywords found in MSL roles, such as highlighting strong communication and presentation skills. Getting a foot in the door is a huge advantage for MSL positions and Tom is an advocate for networking to land an MSL position, as opposed to applying blindly through online job postings. Lastly, Tom touched on therapeutically-focused research roles and how they might be a good opportunity to break into a future MSL role within the same company.
miLEAD offers annual professional development grants to current members for use towards professional development activities, such as attending the MSL Society Conference which is taking place in Las Vegas on December 12th - 14th. More information on the professional development grant can be found here. If current members want to see more speakers like Tom, email events@milead.org with ideas and suggestions!
