Grace is a Medical Content Writer at Little Journey and has recently completed her BSc Microbiology (with Industrial Placement) degree from the University of Leeds. She also runs a website, Grace Writes, producing informative science, careers, and medical communications (medcomms) articles, powered by a voluntary team of aspirational writers. She shared her experiences of the content writer recruitment process at Little Journey.
Why did you apply to Little Journey?
Having been actively interested in pursuing a medcomms career for the last three years, when I came across an exciting medical content writing role, for a rapidly growing digital health start-up, I jumped at the opportunity! I loved the sound of Little Journey and the role; they really excited me and honestly, seemed like a perfect fit.
Where did you see the job advert?
I first came across the role on LinkedIn and after reading the job description and checking out the company profile, I felt excitement building up inside of me, desperate to apply. It encompassed my three passions in life: science and health, content creation and writing, and supporting children. Furthermore, the start-up nature of the company sparked my entrepreneurial spirit. I met all of the essential job requirements, including the desirable requirement of a year’s experience in healthcare communications (thanks to my industrial placement). Furthermore, since I was in my final semester at university, I was on my way to securing a degree in a scientific subject (another desirable requirement).
How did you apply for the role?
Whilst I met all the essential job requirements, the job description stated the role was for immediate start, full-time, which was a bit of an issue as I was still at university at this time. But this didn’t deter me. I reached out to the company via their website, explaining that I was still finishing up my degree but had a very keen interest in the role and had a lot of relevant experience.
What did the recruitment process involve?
- CV and Cover Letter
Having inserted a link to my LinkedIn page when I reached out to Little Journey, a few days later, I received a LinkedIn message from Little Journey’s Editor-in-Chief, Libby (who is now my manager), asking to arrange a phone call in the following week. Little Journey was keen for the person who got the role to start as soon as possible but they could accommodate any time off I needed for university, such as my final few sessions on campus and my final exams (at this point I had submitted almost all of my coursework pieces). She also requested a CV and cover letter; I tailored these to the role and company, and checked clarity, structure, and spelling, punctuation, and grammar (SPAG). This is crucial when applying for any role, especially a writing job.
- Phone Interview
The phone call was informal and lasted around 20 minutes. Libby was very friendly and interested in my experiences, especially my final year public engagement project (Behind The Screen: Engaging people with a cervix on the science behind cervical cancer and screening, in an effort to increase attendance), which involved production of a video, and entrepreneurial educational platforms, Bio Brigade and Career Junkie (now Grace Writes). Libby finished the phone call by stating she’d be sending across a writing task for me to complete and would organise a virtual Microsoft Teams interview.
- Writing Task
I had one week to complete the writing task which tested creativity, attention to detail and editing, and writing for a target audience. I really enjoyed the task, especially the original writing piece, and this cemented further how much I wanted to get the role.
- Virtual Interview
Shortly after submitting my writing task, I had a virtual interview over Teams with Libby and Little Journey’s CEO, Chris, which lasted around one hour. Similarly to the initial phone screening, this interview was also very relaxed and felt more like a conversation, where I got to share my experiences. There were a few more technical/knowledge-based questions, such as about publication guidelines, but there were no formal (and, what I personally find to be, tedious) competency questions like ‘give me an example of when you worked in a team’. They said I would hear back by the end of the week at the latest.
How did you feel when you found out you had got the role?
Just a few hours after the virtual interview I got an email from Libby, stating that I was the last candidate they had interviewed and so they were able to make a quick decision.
I had got the job!
I was absolutely over-the-moon, and I couldn’t hold back the tears! At the time I was with my boyfriend on a late and quiet train back home after visiting our families, so I tried to suppress my tears and excitement, but it was emotional.
Over the past few years, I have spent countless hours attending careers and medcomms (include company-run) events and webinars (online and in-person), working hard on my placement year to develop my skills, developing my personal brand on LinkedIn, running educational platforms (Bio Brigade and Career Junkie (now Grace Writes)), working multiple jobs at one time at my university, and researching companies and writing roles. By no means am I saying you need to do all that to get a job in medcomms or as a writer producing scientific or medical content for a company, but I really have worked hard to set myself up and work out that medical content writing was the right route for me.
After all this, I have landed an absolute dream of a role with an amazing company. I couldn’t be happier. You really can achieve anything you set your mind to and work hard for
How can aspirational writers contact you?
Feel free to reach out to me via LinkedIn if you want any advice or support, or would like to hear more about my professional journey.
If you want to practice your writing, receive feedback, and get your work published, ask to join the growing voluntary team at Grace Writes today by sending us a message on LinkedIn or contacting us on our website! Our writers choose their own topics and deadlines, to tailor their portfolios and fit their writing in around other commitments.
Good luck with your journey into medical/scientific communications!
Get in Touch today!