There are different types of pharmaceutical companies in the United Kingdom and therefore greater diversity when it comes to the choice of employers. The bigger multinational companies absorb a large number of graduates who make their foray into the pharmaceutical sector. A number of international pharmaceutical companies have established dedicated research units in the country. These units are also involved in development work.

There are occasions when students from academic institutions are directly absorbed in the sector.  However, chances are that scientists, holding a PhD, are more likely to be absorbed. Beginning your career with a start-up company can lead you to becoming a specialist research fellow and gain valuable experience with a short span. Acquisitions and mergers also form an integral part of the pharmaceutical industry.

There is enough scope for graduates as well, both in scientific and non-scientific job profiles. The scientific opportunities more or less revolve around research and development. Graduates can become a part of research programmes and work as ‘biologists’ or ‘chemists’ and then go ahead and specialise in domains such as enzymology, computational chemistry, pharmacology and physical organic chemistry. Graduates often start working as lab assistants or technicians as they do not possess specialised laboratory skills.

Drug discovery and drug safety jobs have also gained much popularity in the recent years. Synthetic and medicinal chemists are engaged in the research and development of new compounds in order to see its biological effects. They often work in tandem with bio scientists.

Chemists and bioscientists both work in the domain of pharmacology and are involved in studies that indicate the effect of pharmaceutical products on the human body. Clinical research professionals carry out clinical trials and are absorbed either by a contract research organisation or by a pharmaceutical company.

You can hire the services of a pharmaceutical recruitment agency for acquiring information about the different fields and recruitment opportunities.