Can’t Find Metrics for Your Pharma CV/Resume? Here’s How to Fix That

If you’re applying for roles in Medical Affairs, Scientific Communications, Commercial, or Market Access (or any Pharma/biotech role for that matter!) your CV/resume needs to do more than say you're experienced. It needs to prove it. This industry runs on results, and hiring managers are skimming for data points that scream impact.

But what if your past roles didn’t come with a KPI dashboard taped to your desk? No stress. Here’s how to pull metrics from your experiences and build a CV/resume that actually lands interviews.

1) Go Back and Break It Down

Think through each role you've had. Jot down your main responsibilities, projects, and wins. Then ask yourself:

• How did your team track success? Was it number of MSL visits? Time to publication? HCP engagement scores? Market share growth?

• What was your function’s strategic purpose? Did you drive scientific exchange? Support launch readiness? Shape access strategy?

• What was your individual contribution to team goals?

• Ask past colleagues or mentors for input if you’re drawing a blank. They might remember outcomes you forgot.

💡 Examples tailored for pharma and biotech:

• Delivered 50+ MSL scientific presentations to top-tier KOLs across 3 therapeutic areas

• Reduced average approval time for med info responses by 30%

• Supported 3 successful HTA submissions across 2 regions

• Contributed to global advisory board planning attended by 15 KOLs from 5 countries

• Increased digital HCP engagement by 40% through new content strategy

• Managed £2.5M annual promotional budget with zero overspend

2) Ask Yourself: “How Many? How Much? How Often? For How Long?”

This is how you move from vague to valuable. Don’t just describe your tasks. Quantify them.

❌ “Authored medical content for the field team”

✅ “Developed 12 scientific slide decks and FAQs that supported 20 MSLs across 3 indications over 12 months”

❌ “Worked on a product launch”

✅ “Led medical content development for EMEA pre-launch activities, delivering 10 assets ahead of schedule for a £500M+ product”

Estimates are completely fine. This isn’t a financial audit. Think about volume, frequency, duration, scope.

Use action-led language like:Launched, accelerated, led, designed, influenced, drove, coordinated, optimised, reduced, partnered

3) Not All Metrics Are Numbers. Qualitative Wins Count Too

Not every impact has a percentage next to it, but that doesn’t make it less valuable.

In pharma, especially in stakeholder-facing roles, the softer wins are often the hardest-earned and most strategic.

If you’ve:

• Built trust with a sceptical or high-maintenance KOL

• Joined a politically complex or fractured team and won people over

• Transformed a strained co-development relationship into a successful, aligned partnership

• Acted as the glue in a cross-functional team struggling to collaborate

That’s impact. It’s just not on a spreadsheet.

💬 Try wording it like:

• “Built strong trust with 5 national KOLs in a previously disengaged region, improving insight flow and scientific collaboration”

• “Quickly gained buy-in from internal stakeholders in a politically sensitive launch team, resulting in smoother cross-functional delivery”

• “Reset a difficult co-development alliance, restoring joint priorities and aligning deliverables across two organisations”

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This kind of influence is gold, especially in Medical Affairs, Market Access and cross-functional roles where collaboration is everything.

4) Tell Your SAR Stories

When you combine metrics, whether quantitative or qualitative, with a story, you’re giving recruiters exactly what they want. Evidence you can deliver.

Use the SAR format:

• Situation – What was the challenge, opportunity or context?

• Action – What did you do, and how?

• Result – What happened as a result, and what was the wider impact?

💬 Example:

Situation: The co-development partner was disengaged, causing repeated delays in joint milestonesAction: Initiated monthly alignment calls, set shared KPIs, rebuilt trust through transparency and clear commsResult: Re-established joint momentum and delivered 3 core assets on time for EU launch prep

SAR stories are perfect for bullet points on your CV/resume but also for interviews. They’re your go-to for questions like:

• “Tell me about a time you faced a challenge”

• “What impact did you have in your last role?”

• “How do you build influence across teams?”

When you write your bullet points, flip the order. Start with the result, then explain how you got there. This draws attention straight to the impact.

💥 “Reduced med-legal-review timelines by 20% by redesigning SOPs and centralising tracking tools”

💥 “Improved payer engagement by 30% through co-creating a compelling value proposition with cross-functional input”

💥 “Built trust with key oncology KOLs in a competitive market, leading to 3 advisory board engagements and increased participation in real-world evidence projects”

Not all metrics have to be end results. Use numbers to give context too:

• Team size: “Worked with 12 MSLs across EMEA region”

• Frequency: “Presented monthly metrics to senior leadership”

• Volume: “Reviewed 200+ med info responses with 100% compliance”

Bottom Line: Metrics Build Credibility. Stories Build Connection.

In pharma, results matter. Whether you’re launching a drug, managing a field team, shaping payer strategy or developing scientific content, you need to show the value you bring.

And value comes in both numbers and narratives.

So don’t sell yourself short. You’ve got more metrics than you think. Your ability to influence, lead, align and deliver is just as powerful as any KPI.

Back yourself. You’re more ready than you think.