Client testimonials | The Agency Advantage

Case Study: Sami’s Pivot into Pharma

About Sami*

Sami* had all the hallmarks of an exceptional colleague: a PhD, line management experience, deep subject knowledge, emotional intelligence, and an incredible work ethic. She was already a standout: the kind of person you’d want as a mentor, collaborator, and leader.

But despite all her achievements, she was struggling to break into pharma. Applications went out, rejections came back, and interviews just weren’t landing.

That’s when Sami reached out.

*Name changed to protect anonymity.

The Challenge

High calibre candidate, but invisible on paper: Her CV wasn’t showcasing her wins in a way that resonated with pharma hiring managers.
Confidence dip: After months of silence from applications, Sami was running low on hope.
The transition gap: Moving from agency into pharma can feel like hitting an invisible wall, she needed the right strategy and narrative to break through.

The Approach

When Sami and I started working together, we focused on three core areas:

1. Optimising her CV: We took the raw brilliance already there and reframed her achievements in pharma’s language, spotlighting impact, outcomes, and leadership.

2. Interview Coaching: From decoding job descriptions to navigating tough questions and curveball tasks, we built her confidence and sharpened her storytelling.

3. First 90 Days Success Plan: Because Sami is so diligent, we didn’t stop at “getting the job.” We worked on how to hit the ground running in a large, matrixed pharma environment and avoid common early pitfalls.

The Results

The impact was immediate:

Before: dozens of applications → no interviews.
After optimisation: 5 applications → 3 interviews.
Within 3 months: secured her dream role in pharma.

Sami not only landed the role but also stepped into it with confidence, clarity, and a plan for long-term success.

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Case Study: Mafalda’s Pivot into Pharma

About Mafalda

Mafalda is an experienced Medical Affairs professional who was working in medical communications within an agency setting when she first came to me. She had strong technical foundations and a clear interest in moving into more strategic Scientific Communications roles within pharma.

She was already getting traction: securing interviews and progressing through early stages but struggling to convert at final interview rounds.

After several months of job searching in a highly competitive and limited local market, she reached out.

The Challenge

Stuck at final stages: Mafalda was consistently progressing through screening and early interviews but not converting at second and third stages.
Communication & positioning gap: Feedback highlighted a need for more structured, top-down answers and stronger, more specific examples.
Transitioning into strategy: She wanted to move beyond execution into more strategic roles but needed to better demonstrate this shift in interviews.
Highly competitive market: Limited opportunities locally made standing out even more critical.

The Approach

We worked together across three targeted sessions:

1. Strategy & positioning: We clarified her value proposition and aligned her experience to strategic Medical Affairs roles.

2. CV refinement: We strengthened how her experience was presented, ensuring relevance and impact.

3. Interview preparation: We focused on structuring answers, strengthening examples, and preparing for different interview stakeholders.

The Results

She secured a highly competitive role in Scientific Communications at a leading pharma company, successfully transitioning into her first in-house Medical Affairs position. She moved from “almost there” to conversion across multiple interview stages.