What job adverts ask for, against the competency model
Job advertisements show which competencies employers choose to name when recruiting medical writers. Comparing them with a professional competency model reveals both shared priorities and skills that adverts leave unmentioned.
The job-advert sample
A study compared adverts on EMWA’s job board from 2009 to 2011 with the knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics in the 2011 Pharmaceutical Medical Writing Competency Model. Across the three years, 61 companies placed 118 postings advertising an estimated 152 positions; 146 adverts were analysable, divided equally between regulatory and publication writing. Advertisers included communications agencies, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, contract research organisations and recruiters.
The counts by year were as follows.
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of companies with at least one job posting | 25 | 27 | 34 | 61 |
| Number of job postings | 37 | 36 | 45 | 118 |
| Number of positions advertised | 48 | 46 | 58 | 152 |
| Number of non-analysable job adverts | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Number of analysed job adverts | 45 | 46 | 55 | 146 |
| Number of positions for regulatory medical writers | 17 | 24 | 32 | 73 |
| Number of positions for publication medical writer | 28 | 22 | 23 | 73 |
A posting could contain several adverts; where postings offered several positions, two positions were assumed. Thirty adverts (10 in 2009, eight in 2010 and 12 in 2011) included both regulatory and publication activities but were classified as regulatory because those activities predominated.
The percentages describe this job-board sample, with 73 adverts in each group and 146 overall. Requirements were coded into model categories: relevant writing experience counted as techniques of scientific writing and editing, a life-science or medical qualification as science, knowledge of life sciences or clinical research as comprehension of scientific concepts, and ability to analyse data as comprehension of statistical concepts. Adverts used more general wording than the model and had less space for detail; applying the mapping rules still required judgement.
Technical competencies
The technical categories showed broad agreement between the model and advertised requirements.
| Regulatory medical writers | Publication medical writers | All medical writers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of positions advertised | 73 | 73 | 146 |
| Technical knowledge | |||
| All medical writers | |||
| Techniques of scientific writing/editing | 75% | 93% | 84% |
| Science | 78% | 58% | 68% |
| Software and systems | 49% | 26% | 38% |
| Training/mentoring | 26% | 26% | 26% |
| Statistics | 12% | 0 | 6% |
| Company policies | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Industry guidelines | 0 | 3% | 1% |
| Functional roles of team members | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Publishing standards | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Regulatory medical writers | |||
| Regulatory guidelines (e.g. ICH M2, M4) | 53% | 0 | 27% |
| Regulatory authorities | 27% | 0 | 14% |
| Standardization initiatives (CDISC, CDASH) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Publication medical writers | |||
| Publication coordination | 3% | 23% | 13% |
| Publication planning software | 0 | 15% | 8% |
| Publication guidelines (e.g. GPP, ICMJE) | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Reporting guidelines (e.g. CONSORT) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Technical skills and abilities | |||
| All medical writers | |||
| Comprehend scientific concepts | 92% | 74% | 83% |
| Author quality documents | 41% | 48% | 45% |
| Project management | 36% | 41% | 38% |
| Document editing | 26% | 36% | 31% |
| Interpret clinical/numerical data | 42% | 7% | 26% |
| Quality control | 23% | 29% | 26% |
| Review documents | 30% | 16% | 23% |
| Layout slides/posters | 13% | 27% | 20% |
| Report/summarize information | 33% | 1% | 17% |
| Comprehend statistical concepts | 29% | 5% | 16% |
| Conduct effective literature search | 7% | 3% | 5% |
| Transcription | 10% | 0 | 5% |
| Rewriting existing documents | 5% | 1% | 3% |
| Information management | 3% | 0 | 1% |
| Interview for information | 1% | 0 | 1% |
| Publishing | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Regulatory medical writers | |||
| Prepare regulatory documents | 79% | 0 | 40% |
| Prepare communication strategy | 15% | 0 | 8% |
| Prepare publishing-ready documents | 7% | 0 | 3% |
| Publication medical writers | |||
| Prepare publication documents | 41% | 53% | 47% |
| Prepare publication plan | 3% | 18% | 10% |
| Meet journal guidelines | 1% | 0 | 1% |
Regulatory adverts generally requested more skills and a more varied background than publication adverts, particularly in science, interpretation of data and statistical concepts, and reporting or summarising information. Publication adverts more often mentioned scientific writing and editing, slide and poster layout, publication coordination and publication-planning software. Preparing publications appeared in both groups, whereas preparing regulatory documents appeared only in the regulatory group.
Across all adverts, 68% expected a university degree in life sciences or medicine and 39% preferred or required a doctorate. The first-listed requirement was a scientific degree in 49% and relevant experience in 30%; the second was relevant experience in 38% and language skills in 21%. Interpreting this order as priority depends on the assumption that employers listed requirements in order of importance.
Behavioural and social competencies
Networking and leadership or teamwork were the most frequently requested behavioural skills. Here, networking meant building positive, productive relationships with clients, team members, collaborators or opinion leaders; intercultural competence combined sharing work globally and working effectively in multicultural teams.
| Regulatory medical writers | Publication medical writers | All medical writers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of positions advertised | 73 | 73 | 146 |
| Networking (5) | 56% | 56% | 56% |
| Leadership and team working skills (12) | 62% | 36% | 49% |
| Detail oriented (3) | 27% | 22% | 25% |
| Time management (2) | 30% | 12% | 21% |
| Organized (1) | 33% | 7% | 20% |
| Multitasking (4) | 15% | 3% | 9% |
| Commercially astute actions (14) | 7% | 10% | 8% |
| Conflict management (8,9) | 10% | 3% | 6% |
| Proactive attitude (13) | 7% | 5% | 6% |
| Flexibility (10) | 7% | 4% | 5% |
| Create solutions/resolve problems (11) | 8% | 3% | 5% |
| Intercultural competence (16,17) | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Work ethic (15) | 4% | 1% | 3% |
| Learning agility (7) | 1% | 4% | 3% |
| Effective decisions (6) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The numbers in parentheses identify the skills’ positions in the competency model. Adverts also used more general social-skill terms than the model.
| Regulatory medical writers | Publication medical writers | All medical writers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number positions advertised | 73 | 73 | 146 |
| Communication skills | 47% | 15% | 34% |
| Interpersonal skills | 22% | 1% | 12% |
| Ability to work independently | 18% | 0 | 10% |
Competencies rarely named
Formal statistics and comprehension of statistical concepts were distinct coded requirements; the difference in their frequencies may reflect a distinction between a statistical background and an ability to understand statistical concepts. Publication guidelines were named rarely and reporting guidelines appeared in none of the 73 publication-writing adverts. Literature searching, information management, interviewing for information, publishing standards and standardisation initiatives were also rarely or never named.
Intercultural competence, work ethic, learning agility and effective decision-making were rarely or never expressed as requirements. One explanation offered for the narrower publication-writing profiles is that publication writers’ skills and contributions may have been less recognised than regulatory writers’ skills; this was speculation rather than a measured explanation. Increasing regulatory-document complexity was another proposed explanation for the broader regulatory requirements.
A condensed hiring profile
For hiring, a condensed competency list may be more useful than the full model. The competencies appearing in at least 20% of the sample were grouped as follows, in descending frequency within each group.
Technical knowledge
- Techniques of scientific writing and editing.
- Science background.
- Software and systems.
- Training and mentoring.
Technical skills and abilities
- Comprehending scientific concepts.
- Authoring quality documents.
- Project management.
- Editing documents.
- Interpreting clinical and numerical data.
- Quality control.
- Reviewing documents.
- Laying out slides and posters.
Behavioural skills
- Networking.
- Leadership and teamwork.
- Attention to detail.
- Effective time management.
- Organisation.
One recruiting manager used the findings to clarify the requirements for applicants and make the team’s adverts more detailed. The findings were also intended to help professional associations focus their educational efforts.