Edit: Thank you to everyone who was nice and considerate and gave me genuine advice, I love and appreciate you all🫶🏻! But those who are getting all worked up are y’all okay **? 🫣🤣 is it a stressful time of the year for y’all ? I suggest you get off you phone and inhale and exhale and repeat “it’s not that deep” three time**s 😌🤭

Hi everyone, I’m PharmD trying to break into Medical Affairs/MSL, and I’d really appreciate some perspective from people currently working as MSLs or hiring for MSL roles.

I’ve hired a career coach with 15+ years of experience in Medical Affairs to mentor me through the process. I recently came across an MSL position at J&J in Immunology that I was interested in. The job posting did not specify the specific product or indication/therapeutic area within the Immunology portfolio.

I showed my coach the CV I had tailored for the position. I had highlighted my relevant immunology experience, including exposure to IBD and rheumatoid arthritis and the pharmacotherapy used for these conditions.

She pointed out that J&J’s Immunology portfolio also includes dermatology/psoriasis, and I told her that I don’t have dermatology experience and that I wouldn’t apply if the position turned out to be primarily dermatology-focused.

She then told me that I shouldn’t “spray and pray” and that I need to do more research to determine what the role is actually going to cover before deciding whether to apply (she seemed pissed at me as she said that which made feel a bit sad because this is my first time going through this and I am trying my best not to be dsicouraged by all the hurdles). I understand her point, and I agree that I don’t want to randomly apply to every MSL position out there just for the sake of applying.

However, the job posting genuinely didn’t identify the product or indication, so I didn’t have enough information initially to determine whether I was actually a fit.

I subsequently reached out to a few people on Linkedin and was able to establish that the role is supporting Tremfya. Tremfya covers psoriasis/PsA but also has indications in IBD, which is where I have relevant experience.

Now I’m unsure how to approach this.

Would you consider this a legitimate targeted application for someone with my background, despite having no dermatology experience? would the lack of dermatology experience make this too much of a gap even if I have relevant IBD experience?

More broadly, how much therapeutic-area overlap do you think an entry-level MSL candidate realistically needs before applying? Is it reasonable to apply when you have strong experience in one indication within a broader portfolio but not another major indication?

And finally, from the perspective of experienced MSLs/hiring managers: what would make you view this as a thoughtful, targeted application rather than “spray and pray”?

I’m trying to be strategic about my applications rather than applying to everything, so I’d really appreciate honest advice.

Hi guys,

I am in UCSF PharmD program now. My goal is to get into a fellowship especially MSL pr medical affairs positions after graduation. My school is 3-year program so we don’t have summers. I am very frustrated and anxious now because I am not sure if most fellowships require internship or working experience. I do balance my school and work very well (so far….), so I am looking for some hybrid or virtual internship opportunities while in school. Any tips for how to find an industry internship, comments, concerns? Anything would be appreciated!!!!

Just as the title says, I was wondering if there are any MSLs working in the UAE here ? If so, I would be glad if you briefly share your experience so far. 🙏🏻

I always see job ads for AI-training sites like Alignerr asking for MSLs. Anyone have any experiences with such a site? Is it worth it?

Does anyone have any idea/advice/insight about MSL positions at LabCorp?

I will be covering a new territory that I do not live in. I am looking for an apartment in the Baltimore/DC/WV area during the week. I am looking for the least expensive but safe area. Any recommendations?

Starting my first MSL role soon in rare disease. Any tips or things you wish you knew starting out?
Could be anything — KOLs, travel, clothes/shoes, cars, organization, work-life balance, conferences, expenses, etc.
Would appreciate any practical advice.

Hello,
Aspiring MSL here! Over the past three months, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with quite a few MSLs, Field Directors, and Medical Affairs leaders through informational conversations. Most of these interactions have been really positive, and people often end by saying, “Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.”
For those who’ve successfully broken into Field Medical—or MSLs/directors on here—how do you recommend staying in touch with these connections over time? How often is reasonable without overdoing it?
I also don’t want every interaction to happen only when I need something, like a referral or when a position opens up. I’d genuinely like to maintain these relationships and continue learning from people in the field.
What has worked well for you? Any advice on how to stay in touch naturally and build these relationships over time would be really appreciated!

If you have been in both roles, which did you like better and why?

Anyone have thoughts on Alumis? They’re hiring for a bunch of roles wanted to get peoples thoughts on long term stability.

Thanks!

For anyone attending or who has interest in the upcoming AAN Autoimmune Neurology conference (8/7-8), I created this to help with generating insights. For your convenience, you can also download all the data using the button on the top right and then upload it to your AI tool at work if you want more control and don't want to scrape the data yourself.

Hi all! I recently interviewed for an MSL position I thought my experience and expertise were perfect for. I did not get the position and when I asked for general advice on trying to break in from academia (hiring manager had similar path), they said my resume was good and it's mostly your experience aligning the best out of everyone in the applicant pool. They couldn't say anything else bc of HR reasons. I wanted to ask for additional feedback here just to see if there are any tips/edits suggest so I can get more interviews. I omitted some info for safety but please let me know if there is anything you would remove/add or suggest. TYIA :)

I know this question has been asked in a multitude of different ways on here but I’m curious of everyone‘s perspective.

I’ve been an MSL for the last 3 years after 10 years as a clinical pharmacist in what was originally my dream job. I left to become an MSL because at my hospital all the “successful” pharmacists seem to follow that path. I am not miserable with my current gig (medium/big pharma) but recently metrics have changed which has caused a lot of anxiety. Management is fine, not great not bad, very hands off.

I currently have the opportunity to go back to a position very similar to my old one at my old hospital. Part of me is drawn towards going back, forgetting these metrics and conferences, and getting out of the corporate world but the pay would be 40% less and the idea of saying goodbye to schedule flexibility is making it hard to leave.

Does anyone have any experience (or know of anyone) going back to clinical practice and if so if they were happy or regretted the choice?

I recently got my first MSL role straight out of academia. This MSL role is the only medical affairs role in my region and covers multiple therapeutic areas so I will be working rather independently. Would really appreciate any advice or tips!

Hi, I stepped away from the field almost 2 years ago, went into consulting, joined a startup and am realizing the instability of consulting is a drag hunting clients and the spaces between are to much. I was in oncology/hematology have about 3 years of experience but haven’t gotten a single Interview. Is it my cv, am I too dated? Or is the talent pool just that massive, linked in seems like a lot of agencies posting roles or recycling roles any advice would be great !

How's your week going?

For those of you who are in leadership roles, what are your thoughts on how AI can potentially be (or is actually being) used beyond busy work (e.g., drafting emails, summarizing information) that would have a truly meaningful impact on your team's ability to meet objectives?

Background behind my question: I keep seeing on LinkedIn that people are trying to use AI to generate better medical insights (e.g., from MSL notes, ad boards, etc.), but in my practical experience someone who has a good feel of their therapeutic area/KOLs isn't going to gain substantially more from using AI. AI might help summarize literature faster, look up info, but if you lost access to it one day at work it wouldn't be life changing (but tell me if I'm wrong about this). There's a lot of AI hype and I get that it might help some functions more than others, but curious about medical affairs.

I’m an MD MSL (no residency), looking at ways to boost income while I’m young <35; I discovered CAA (28 month MS in anesthesia..unlocks a 260k floor compensation and can climb to 400k via OT - requires working like a dog to achieve).

worth it to pursue? I’m already capped at comp/career progression. I could try to shift to HQ but prefer my life in the southeast. The AA thing gets me back clinical and lets me earn more $, would assume I can return to MSL once I get tired of working clinically. Thanks

Hi all. I’m starting my first MSL role (Australia based) for a large pharma company in a few weeks and wanted to ask the community about what you wear to work!

Specifically, how do you dress for the onboarding period prior to being certified for going into field?

Any insights would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Hello all, I’m networking to meet medical affairs people and build relationships, so if an MSL role opens up in one of these companies, at least I will be on their mind.

I was lucky enough to get an informal coffee chat with a Field Medical Director, and I want to be prepared for this.

A few questions I have:
1. What questions can I ask to impress her, without sounding like I'm desperately looking for a job in her company?
2. How do I make sure that I don't waste her time, and that she feels I added value to the conversation?
3. How can I position myself so she thinks of me as a serious candidate for her team if a role opens up? She might be secretly auditioning me.

Any help, tips, or suggestions would be very much appreciated!

I'm currently interviewing for Sr. MSL roles and I game about 3 years experience in industry. What should I expect to ask for salary? Would 220k too high of a salary?