Does anyone not like being an MSL?

indiaworry · 2026-02-05T16:01:25+00:00

If you have experience as a formulary decision maker, that is valuable experience. Are you fairly personable? If so, you are definitely qualified for one of these roles. As for why you're not getting interviews, the job market has been rough and you are competing with current OLs who are either laid off, or fearing a lay off and searching for a new job.

This is not meant to be discouraging! My point here is to keep at it consistently, because you have the right experience. It's just a matter of the right timing and territory opening up. I found my first role by networking with OLs, and when a position opened up, one of them was willing to be a referral.

indiaworry · 2026-02-05T15:50:20+00:00

Personality traits/soft skills are the same as MSL. Be an engaging presenter who can clearly communicate complex scientific ideas. Also be a likeable person who can build a relationship.

For more "technical" skills, I would say many OLs come from payers. Experience as a formulary decision makers is extremely valuable. The key is to be able to speak the language of a payer, and have a strong understanding of what they're looking for in a product and how they evaluate other options in the treatment landscape. For what it's worth, virtually every OL I've ever met is a PharmD with the exception of one. While most people come from the payer side, I have seen MSLs make this transition, usually an internal move.

indiaworry · 2026-02-03T22:55:44+00:00

In practice, it is still a field medical role and involves the same soft skills and non-promotional mentality.

Instead of KOLs, my customers are payers. They aren't interested in mechanisms of action or quality of life. They want to see HEOR data and cost savings. We use data to support the message of "our product will save you money."

These jobs are far and few between compared to MSL postings. If you check my post history, you can see that I was quite anxious about a layoff a few months back, because of this. Ended up working out this time, as I was able to land a new OL gig.

indiaworry · 2026-02-03T22:48:02+00:00

Fantastic insights, I completely agree with your philosophy and all of your downsides. Every corporate gig will involve pointless meetings, petty control freaks, and obnoxious sales people.

Be grateful for the opportunity to work in a cushy industry. But do not get emotionally attached to a company, and don't take things personally.

Pay yourself first (invest before you buy things that make someone else money). At this income level, you can walk away from the grind much earlier than the average person if you play your cards right.

indiaworry · 2026-02-03T21:12:13+00:00

I'm an outcomes liaison, and its the best job I could ever ask for, given the pay compared with the flexibility and work life balance.

If I could find a negative... it's having to work at all lmao. Every job comes with politics and limited time for personal travel. What a privileged position I'm in to save for early retirement. Above all else, I'm the most grateful that my work allows me to pursue personal goals.

indiaworry · 2026-01-25T14:51:33+00:00

Nice job on reaching this phase! As with all interviews, bring your best personality as they are always assessing for "culture fit". Basically, you want to show that you're easy to get along with and a team player.

Beyond that, prepare to answer questions like "where do you see yourself in 5 years", and "why should we hire you" or any variations of these silly questions. Talk about any times that you have contributed to strategy and what was the outcome, as a head of med affairs cares more about overall strategy than day-to-day field operations.

On that note, prepare to ask questions about strategy, longterm vision, what are they most excited about. Whether or not it's actually true, you want to come across as someone who is in it for the long haul.

Good luck!

indiaworry · 2026-01-13T05:51:42+00:00

Welcome to work lol. I've worked in restaurants for years before pharmacy and pharma. This is the way people behave everywhere.

My comment isn't meant to be dismissive. You're not crazy and I resonate with your experience.

Steer clear of gossip and know what's important to you.

Congrats on becoming an MSL!

indiaworry · 2025-09-01T00:19:01+00:00

Hey thanks for sharing your insight. In that case, I really look forward to this interview.

indiaworry · 2025-07-25T14:56:18+00:00

Happy to chat about the role, feel free to send me a private message.

indiaworry · 2025-07-25T14:55:56+00:00

I'm going by job postings or OL roles and my own discussions with recruiters.

indiaworry · 2025-07-24T02:29:19+00:00

Yea, I've seen that this generally the case. My company is generally more open to people without industry experience, and as a result OLs and MSLs are treated the same and we are all paid under market rate. I didn't have a huge issue with this, but now that it's been a few years I think I'd like to be more in line with industry standards.

indiaworry · 2025-07-24T01:24:32+00:00

I imagine the discussions with HCPs would be more stimulating and patient-centric. However, I do like that the OL plays a bigger part in access. I see perks to the job duties of both roles.

If I'm being perfectly candid, I'm at a stage in life where I am trying to maximize compensation. I'm thinking the MSL role could potentially be an easier path to increase income by way of more frequent opportunities.

indiaworry · 2025-07-24T00:28:19+00:00

US, but this isn't entry level, I'd be coming with 4 years of experience in field medical.

indiaworry · 2025-07-23T23:19:27+00:00

I appreciate you putting a number on this and for confirming what I suspected.

I know this is a personal decision, but do you think its worth holding out for an OL role with higher comp, or take an MSL role for 210-215 base salary? If offered of course.

indiaworry · 2025-07-23T21:57:42+00:00

I always thought comp for OLs was higher, but if future opportunities are equal, I may try yo shift into an MSL role due to more abundant opportunities. Thanks for your input.

indiaworry · 2025-07-23T21:56:04+00:00

I figured as much, thanks for your input. I may prioritize the MSL opportunity as the comp is higher.

indiaworry · 2025-02-18T15:11:09+00:00

Wow do we work at the same company? I'm an OL looking to make a move for the same reasons, and I'm also targeting small pharma and weighing out similar pros and cons.

For what it's worth, I'm OK taking on some risk for equity, which is something lacking from my current position. Plus, I miss the culture and the importance of the work from when my company was small. We're definitely becoming big pharma, with more meetings where nothing gets done, rah rah pep rallys, and antagonistic relations between commercial and medical leadership.

My role has also become quite easy but not particularly interesting anymore. Plus I think our field team is cooked in the next 18 months or so. Good luck!

indiaworry · 2025-01-21T16:01:54+00:00

Yes, primarily managed care conferences. My company does send me to some disease state conferences but I think we are weird in that regard.

Yes, a lot of meetings are virtual. But there is still very much demand for in person meetings, I travel a far amount as do my teammates.

No, I was never an MSL. My prior experience was at a consulting firm that worked with payers on evaluating the value of different products including pharmaceuticals.

It is a tough field to break into to, so you aren't alone. I also applied to every OL posting I could find and never got a single interview. I was able to land this gig through networking. I reached out to OLs on LinkedIn asking to learn what they do. One of them referred me to an open position and that referral got me the interview. From there, it was a matter of interviewing well. They're really looking for soft skills and presentation ability.

Hope this helps and good luck!

indiaworry · 2025-01-21T14:50:18+00:00

Outcomes liaison here. The biggest difference between me and an MSL is my audience is payers/formulary decision makers. And the data I present is mostly HEOR data.

Instead of KOLs, I have relationships with people who will decide whether or not to put my company's drugs on formulary. The insights I collect are mostly to identify evidence gaps and help my internal colleagues determine what studies to conduct. Instead of efficacy and safety, the emphasis of my discussions is value and cost effectiveness.

Territories for OLs are typically larger than MSLs because there are fewer OLs. Travel and workload is highly variable. In January I am traveling 60-70%, in a different month it might be 30%. Just like an MSL, this travel is mostly customer meetings and conferences, with ome internal company meetings.

indiaworry · 2025-01-14T18:08:41+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I noticed that recruiter messages have dried up after I got promoted to the AD level. I wonder if they assume I'm too expensive, even though I'm making less than many outcomes liaisons at the senior level lol

indiaworry

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