Pharmacy CV Advice

1. Start with a Strong Profile

Recruiters often scan CVs in 6–8 seconds. Your profile should quickly communicate:

• Your current role and qualifications – “GPhC-registered pharmacist with 5 years’ experience in hospital and community settings.”
• Core strengths – clinical expertise, accuracy, patient counselling, or leadership.
• Career goal – tailored to the job: “Seeking a clinical pharmacist role within secondary care to optimise patient safety and medicines management.”

Tip from Top Biller: Keep it concise and focused on value. Avoid generic statements like “hardworking and passionate.” Instead, show impact.

2. Showcase Achievements, Not Just Duties

Many pharmacy CVs read like job descriptions. That won’t set you apart. Instead, quantify and highlight your impact:

• “Reduced prescription error rate by 15% through implementing accuracy-check protocols.”
• “Delivered 500+ MURs and NMS consultations, improving patient adherence and satisfaction scores.”

Why this works: Steven Guest stresses that metrics demonstrate competence and results—critical in pharmacy roles where patient safety and compliance are paramount.

3. Structure for Readability

Use clear headings: Profile | Key Skills | Professional Experience | Education | Training & CPD

Keep the layout simple and ATS-friendly (no fancy graphics or tables).

Use bullet points for achievements; keep each point under two lines.

4. Highlight Pharmacy-Specific Skills

Tailor your CV to the job description. Common pharmacy skills to include:

• Clinical screening and medication review
• Controlled drugs management and legal compliance
• Patient counselling and communication
• Leadership in dispensary workflow
• Familiarity with PMR systems (e.g., ProScript, RxWeb)

Pro tip: Add soft skills with context—e.g., “Collaborated with multidisciplinary team to optimise antimicrobial stewardship program.”

5. Keep It Current and Relevant

Steven Guest advocates for stripping out irrelevant detail. If you’re applying for a clinical pharmacist role, your retail weekend job from 10 years ago isn’t needed. Instead, include recent CPD, clinical training, or prescriber qualification.

6. Make It Role-Specific

One CV doesn’t fit all. Tailor each application:

• Mirror keywords from the job advert.
• Highlight experience relevant to the setting (hospital vs community vs industry).
• Remove anything that dilutes your suitability.

7. Add a Professional Edge

• Keep CV length 2 pages maximum.
• Use a professional email address (avoid fun nicknames).
• Save and send as PDF with a clear file name: FirstName _LastName_ PharmacistCV.pdf.

Final Thought

Pharmacy is a detail-driven profession. Your CV should reflect that precision and professionalism. The right structure and results-focused language make all the difference. Start thinking like a recruiter—show them impact, clarity, and relevance. That’s how you become the candidate everyone wants to interview.