Medical Writer CV example

A standout medical manuscript isn’t just about getting facts right; it’s about delivering information in a way readers can’t ignore. The same applies to your CV. Hiring managers need to immediately see that you combine scientific expertise with exceptional writing talent.

Forget generic lists of tasks – writing a CV should tell a concise story of your ability to handle complex medical topics and produce polished, accurate content under pressure. Whether you’re writing clinical research papers or regulatory documentation, this guide and its useful tips will ensure your CV captures your skills and experience in an impactful way.

Your CV should reflect your strengths as a Medical Writer: organised, clear, and easy to understand. Recruiters have limited time, so make their lives easier by presenting your experience, qualifications, and expertise in a logical structure.

Here’s the layout to follow:

• Name and contact details – Keep these personal details at the top so a potential employer can reach out to you: a photo is entirely optional.
• Profile – Kick things off with a concise overview of what makes you the ideal candidate for a Medical Writing role.
• Core skills – Briefly highlight your key abilities, such as scientific accuracy, regulatory knowledge, medical editing, or audience-focused writing.
• Work experience – List your previous medical writing roles in reverse chronological order, with your most recent first.
• Education & certifications – Detail the academic history that underpins your expertise, like your science degrees or medical writing qualifications.
• Additional info – Optionally, include professional memberships, publications, awards, or relevant hobbies.

A cluttered CV format makes recruiters’ jobs harder. Keep it concise, ideally no more than two pages in length, and use bullet points, clear headings, and a professional, easy-to-read font to guide their eyes effortlessly through your key information: don’t make the mistake of an overly-complex application.

Your CV profile should clearly demonstrate why you’re an excellent Medical Writer: your unique combination of scientific knowledge and communication skill, your ability to adapt to different audiences, and your track record of delivering high-quality content on time. Ultimately, your aim is to convince recruiters that hiring you would make a positive impact for them.

Here’s what to include:

• Scientific background – Highlight your relevant qualifications or experience in medical or scientific fields.
• Writing expertise – Emphasise your strengths in creating clear, concise, and accurate medical content.
• Audience adaptability – Showcase your ability to write for different audiences, from healthcare professionals to patients.
• Regulatory awareness – Mention your experience with guidelines and regulatory compliance (e.g., FDA, EMA, MHRA).
• Career goals – Clearly indicate the type of medical writing role you seek, showing your enthusiasm and career direction.

Show recruiters you have exactly the right prescription for their medical communication needs. Employers expect Medical Writers to blend strong scientific understanding with impeccable writing abilities. Clearly outline these essential skills to immediately capture recruiters’ attention.

Tailor this section to the role you’re targeting. Skip the generic skills: ‘team player’ isn’t as impressive as ‘expert medical copywriter’ – you should include skills such as scientific literature research, regulatory document preparation, clinical trial reporting, medical education writing, and editing proficiency.

Your experience should prove your medical writing credentials clearly and convincingly. Recruiters want to see measurable evidence of your ability to handle scientific complexity, meet tight deadlines, and produce high-quality medical content.

List your experience in reverse chronological order, clearly showing the type of documents you’ve written, the audiences you’ve reached, and the therapeutic areas you’ve covered. Include examples like published papers, regulatory submissions, training materials, or patient-facing educational content.

If you have less formal experience, focus on transferable skills or relevant freelance or academic writing projects.

• Outline – Briefly describe the company or institution and your specific medical writing role.
• Responsibilities – Clearly list tasks such as authoring regulatory documents, clinical papers, or patient literature. Use action words like “authored,” “summarised,” and “edited.”
• Achievements – Highlight specific successes like publications, successful submissions, positive client feedback, or improvements in document clarity.

Your academic background and any relevant professional training play a crucial role in validating your expertise as a Medical Writer. Keep the education section brief but comprehensive.

Clearly list your degrees, diplomas, and any specialist certifications or training you’ve completed. Degrees in life sciences, medicine, pharmacy, or related fields are highly valued. Additional training in medical communications, regulatory writing, or medical editing further strengthens your application.