Do pharma companies have rigid experience requirements?

I’m starting to apply to pharma companies after being on the agency side for 4 years. I’m applying to roles that want 6 years of experience. Will I be overlooked solely because I lack the number of years they want, or is it flexible? (For example at my agency I have 4 years of experience but the GCS role requires a minimum of 8).

Just wondering if it is worth my time to apply to associate director roles or wait it out a few more years.

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I think it depends on the hiring manager and hr but you should definitely apply. The gap you have is not significant at all at least to me. But we're all biased to our own experiences - it didnt matter to me when i had 2 yrs experience applying for jobs that were 3-5 yrs

Edit: when i applied for roles that seemed like a stretch i just put less time into tailoring it but i still applied for that chance of "what if?"

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In my experience, the quality of experience is generally more important than strictly the number of years. If you can speak directly to the impact of your agency work during interviews, that will go a long way. It helps if the company is familiar with the quality of your agency as well.

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The quality or experience matters more aa someone said. Some companies are more strict than others regarding HR policy. You have to apply and see where it goes.

And don’t listen to recruiters. They may underestimate your potential for the right seniority. Not always but often.

No, go for it!

I made this switch a year and a half ago and happy to shed light on my experiences!

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