⭐︎From Contract MR to Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Full-Time Employee⭐︎ What I Can Share Because I Took the Long Way Around

Hello everyone, nice to meet you.

I am currently working as an MR for a pharmaceutical manufacturer, covering the oncology field.
However, I was not a full-time MR for a pharmaceutical manufacturer from the start.

My career started in a sales role outside the pharmaceutical industry. After that, through various sales experiences, I entered the pharmaceutical industry as a contract MR.
From there, I experienced multiple manufacturers and multiple therapeutic areas, and I am now working as a full-time MR for a pharmaceutical manufacturer.

In this note, I would like to write about my experiences and thoughts, mainly for
those who want to aim for a full-time position at a pharmaceutical manufacturer from being a contract MR
.

My own journey wasn't smooth from the beginning either.
When working as a contract MR, there are many worries.

Should I continue as a contract MR like this? Should I aim for a manager position at a contract company? Is there a possibility of becoming a full-time manufacturer employee? What should I highlight in my job search? Will my achievements be evaluated by the manufacturer side? Is there still a chance given my age? What will be asked in the interview? What should I write in my resume?

I have built my career while thinking about such things myself.
A contract MR is, for better or worse, greatly influenced by the 'manufacturer to which one is dispatched,' the 'assigned area,' and the 'environment of the assignment.'

Even if you think you are doing your best, it may not remain as a proper achievement. Conversely, even if you do the same work, your evaluation in the job market can change depending on how you present and organize it.

That is why I believe that what is important for those working as contract MRs is not just completing the work in front of them.

How to give meaning to your experience. How to verbalize your achievements. And can you say that it is reproducible? What kind of value can you provide to a manufacturer as a talent? How to convey that in your resume and interview.

This becomes extremely important.

@Is being a contract MR a disadvantage?

To be honest, I think there are situations where you are seen as being at a disadvantage when aiming for a full-time manufacturer position from being a contract MR.

There is variation in experience depending on the project assignment period. There is no consistency in the assigned area. It is seen that there is weak deep involvement with the company's own products. It is easier to be seen as an execution unit rather than a strategy planner.

I think it is a reality that you are seen in this way.

However, there are also strengths that can only be gained because you are a contract MR.

Knowing the culture of multiple manufacturers. Having experienced multiple areas. Being accustomed to environmental changes. Having the ability to adapt quickly to new products and areas. Having experience interacting with various types of bosses, colleagues, and doctors.

Will you end this experience as just 'a lot of work history'? Or will you show it as 'adaptability,' 'reproducibility,' 'execution ability,' and 'learning ability'?
I think the evaluation changes significantly here.

@What I want to write in this note

In this note, I would like to write content that is as close to practical work as possible, rather than just mental theory.
For example, themes like the following:

・Things to think about and actions to take when aiming for a full-time manufacturer position from a contract MR
・What to emphasize in your resume
・Questions often asked in interviews and how to answer them
・How to talk about 'why you want to become a full-time manufacturer employee'
・How to organize achievements at the dispatch destination
・Points that are evaluated even if you have no experience in the area
・Points that are looked at when changing jobs after getting older
・Points that the manufacturer side is likely to feel anxious about and how to counter them
・Gaps felt after becoming a full-time MR

Especially in job hunting, it is important not only 'what you have done' but also 'how you can explain it'.

Even things you did as a matter of course can become strengths if you organize them. Conversely, even if you have achievements, if you make a mistake in how you convey them, they may be difficult to evaluate.
I myself have advanced my career while thinking about and organizing that area many times.

Finally,

Routes to aim for a full-time pharmaceutical manufacturer position from a contract MR include:
① Transfer from the dispatch destination ② Job change using an agent ③ Searching for and applying to job sites yourself

and so on.Job hunting has many factors that we cannot control, such as whether you are blessed with opportunities, whether job information is increasing, and whether there is a company you want to join among them.
Among them, opportunities to change jobs to your desired area or a company with good conditions are not necessarily many.

However, it is not impossible.
What is important is the organization of your own career aspirations, what actions are necessary for that, what you want your annual income to be, whether you can select what you can discard and what you do not want to discard, the courage to reset your past career, and logic design for how to build your future life.

I believe that because I have taken the long way around, there are things I can share. I had a long history at my CSO at the time and was one step away from being promoted to manager. By discarding my past career and taking a step forward, I am now living a fulfilling life.

I would like to make this a note that will be of some reference to those who are thinking about their next career while working as a contract MR in the same way.

I look forward to working with you from here on.