English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

Scientific Communication Associate – Eli Lilly and Co.
https://jobs.lilly.com/index.cfm
*I don’t think this link will get you to the job ad I selected because of the way Lilly’s site is set up. I have copied and pasted the ad into a word document and attached it to this post, if necessary.

I have selected a job advertisement from Eli Lilly for a Scientific Communication Associate, which is basically Lilly’s title for a medical writer or science writer. This job is a great choice for me to combine my background in writing with my interest (and double major) in psychology. I would also like to stay near Indianapolis after graduation, which this job would allow me to do as well. My education and skills from previous work experience make me a great fit for this job, but the job will still push me and offer new challenges.

For me, working with Eli Lilly would be an exciting way to combine my psychology and writing majors. Eli Lilly has developed medications for several mental illnesses, including Depression, Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia. My psychology courses have prepared me for a job like this one by giving me background knowledge of these diseases and introducing me to different studies and neuroscience behind some of the causes, which might be something I can highlight in my cover letter. Also, I know Eli Lilly offers great career enhancement opportunities and job security, as I have seen my father’s career develop there for over 25 years now.

In terms of its minimum requirements, the job requires a Bachelor’s degree, which I will have obtained in December. The ad also calls for the applicant to have a demonstrated mastery of written English with experience in technical writing. Last summer, I wrote and compiled a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Manual for a real estate management company. Currently, I work as a copy editor at the Exponent and as a Business Writing Consultant at the Purdue Writing Lab. Given this experience, I feel I have the skill Lilly requires as well as working knowledge of several style manuals (including MLA, APA and AP).

The minimum requirements also list “demonstrated project management and time management skills”. I recently served as the acting editor-in-chief at the Exponent, which gave me great experience with project management and time management skills. Not only did I have to manage a project and a team working on that project, but I also had to do so several times each week. The team had to meet deadlines for both the writing and for the production of the paper. I also gained experience with project management when creating the SOP manual from last summer. I was in charge of the entire project, and although I worked more independently, I had to collaborate with several other employees at the company to learn about their role and responsibilities. I also had a deadline to meet, which required me to budget the time I had between interviewing employees and researching information versus writing and compiling the manual itself.

The brief description of the position in this job advertisement calls for an associate who can plan, write, edit, review and coordinate publications, and who has the ability to deal with “preclinical and clinical scientific data.” My experience shows that I have successfully dealt with the entire communication process for many different publications, from planning and coordinating with a team to writing and reviewing final drafts individually. My psychology courses have equipped me the experience needed to assess clinical, scientific data and to understand and work with statistics and preclinical considerations.

An additional skills and preferences section on the job advertisement emphasizes strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work with multiple customer groups. As the acting editor-in-chief of the Exponent, one of my main duties was to serve as a liaison to the public and handle any complaints or issues readers might have had. The Exponent obviously serves the students at Purdue, but the newspaper also serves the faculty and staff at Purdue. I dealt with numerous faculty, administrators, community leaders, and even employees from Obama’s national campaign. I feel my interpersonal and communication skills are absolutely strong enough to qualify me for this position.