What was the application process like?

I joined IQVIA at a different team (the ACOE, Analytics Center of Excellence) from my current one (Commercial & Consulting Services) as an analyst. After the online application, I was invited to verbal and numerical reasoning online tests, and then to face-to-face interviews (back in pre-COVID times) with the hiring manager in Frankfurt office.

There, we got to spend a few hours to know each other and discussed a few business cases. He ensured that I am comfortable, and it was a fruitful discussion, where I started learning already during the interview.

From my experience on the other side of the table now, the application process aims to ensure a good fit for both the candidate and the team, personally and professionally. Admin-wise, the process was quite professional and took around three weeks to know I was accepted.

Why did you apply for this job?

You know, I always wanted to work in healthcare, and after spending 10 years as a pharmacist and PhD student, I was curious to explore new phases to support healthcare. As already indicated above, I started with IQVIA’s ACOE team, where I learned a lot about clinical trials development and providing Artificial Intelligence-based solutions to accelerate them.

Afterwards, I wished to add some experience on the commercial side of business to my personal portfolio, and this is where I applied to my current team Commercial & Consulting Services. One great thing at IQVIA is that there are many opportunities within the company in different directions so one can move in between and learn from.

What is a typical workday like for you?

On a daily basis, I manage large-scale engagements, for example, multi-country and multi-functional ones. The projects content ranges from strategic solutions for senior management at headquarters to analytics solutions for sales force teams. Upon starting an engagement, I plan the best fitting resources and create a work plan. During the project, I ensure that the team members have the knowledge and resources they need and are well connected to each other as well as to the client’s question. During that time, I also monitor and work on improving the quality of the deliverables and I may need to train our junior colleagues, which I enjoy a lot.

What is the great thing about your job?

The great thing about my job is that I never stop learning, which makes it quite exciting. On an almost daily basis, I meet new colleagues from different countries and functions, and try to find ways to work together to create the best solutions we could provide for our clients.

What are the main challenges in your function?

We are constantly challenged with new topics (whether new markets, problems, geographies, etc.) that we learn how to solve. The good part is that IQVIA has an enormous team of experts around the world to ask and learn from. These challenges we face everyday ensure steep development though.

What’s your team like?

Commercial & Consulting Services is a large international team, located in Germany, Portugal, Spain, and India. The team consists mainly of young and motivated colleagues, from different backgrounds of study, which is always inspiring to have different perspectives when solving a client’s challenge together. The team’s culture is based on helping each other rather than competition, which, besides bringing us together as one team, helps creating a holistic perspective for our solutions.

The team’s management is very supportive with career development and ensures that my individual learning curve remains steep, by both working on my areas of development and leveraging my strengths.

Why does IQVIA go well with you?

There is a simple answer to this question: Because my passion since childhood is to help patients. Through IQVIA, I have worked on enabling healthcare to reach patients, whether through accelerating clinical trials at the ACOE team, or through supporting the commercial reach of medications to patients at the Commercial & Consulting Services team.

As an employer, IQVIA provides a multitude of opportunities to develop in different aspects in healthcare. The company offers a great chance to learn from experts in various fields (commercial, medical, analytical, etc.) and countries.

How was your onboarding experience?

My manager and the whole team were very kind and helped me understand all the processes. At the same time, I was included to support a project from day one, which was a great learning experience content-wise. The projects staffing considers time for new joiners to be coached, and overall, the team members are always very supportive and happy to help. This applies until now, whenever I am new to a topic.

Nowadays, the team has a detailed checklist for onboarding and follows a buddy concept to allow a smooth onboarding to the team. In addition, a series of essential training are provided by the team experts in our key topics.

What is your advice for candidates applying for this or a similar job in your section / working environment?

During application, I would advise to strongly consider a team’s culture into the criteria of selection and ask about it during the interviews. Having a team that truly supports a new joiner is essential for success and long-term development. On joining, I would recommend staying open-minded to learn new topics and be ready to tackle exciting challenges.