To all you working moms (since I am one, too! – BTW – just sent my third and youngest off to kindergarten this year – yeah! 
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But I digress…..I just received a copy of this year’s Working Mother 100 Best Companies list. And there is a lot to be excited about in the area of healthcare sales! Eleven – that’s right 11 – of the top 100 are from the pharmaceutical/medical industry. Here is the list in alphabetical order: Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Co., GlaxoSmith-Kline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, and Sanofi-Aventis U.S.
Wow! That is more than any other single industry on the list! So if you are a working mom, would you like to get into the most mom-friendly industry out there but you do not know where to start? Just out my website at PharmRepConnect and I will give you all the tips, tools, strategies you need to successfully land your dream job – from one working mom to another!
If you have been looking for a job in pharmaceutical or medical sales for any amount of time, you have undoubtedly asked yourself this question. Just take a look at any of the major job search sites and you will certainly see at least a few start-up pharmaceutical and medical companies looking to find sales representatives for their products. I am getting more and more questions about these companies so I thought I would address the issue in this article.
If you see a job posting online, or are contacted by a recruiter about a sales rep opportunity with a start-up company, make sure you do your research. I have known of start-up companies that are hiring reps before they even have a product on the market! As with any job opportunity you are looking at in the industry, there are pluses and minuses to every position. On one hand, there may be great reward in your willingness to go to work for a start-up company. Most start-up opportunities will give a ton of pre-IPO stock options, which could be worth enough for you to retire if the company does well and is bought out. However, you could have nothing but a stack of paper if the product fails, or the company runs out of money, or the company does not have any other products in the pipeline. These are all issues to look at when interviewing with a start-up. Find out everything you can from how much financial backing they have, to what products they have coming out, to what test marketing has been done. You will also need to learn more about their target market and any competitors they have with their products. If their product is just another “me-too” item and no significant advantage in the market place, they may quickly find themselves out of business. But also be aware of something so new and innovative to the market that you might find yourself not only selling the product, but trying to first convince doctors that they even NEED the product. Of course, this is Sales 101, but again, just look at any opportunity with a bit more skepticism than normal and make sure they bring something needed to the medical industry.
On the positive side, I have seen reps that have the opportunity to move up very quickly with a start-up company. If you are looking to move into sales management, you may have a faster career path with a start-up than with a traditional company. Prove yourself as a sales rep, and if the company grows quickly, they will soon need more reps and more managers.
Another thing to consider is what your personal career path has been to date. Because a start-up opportunity is certainly higher risk, you need to decide if your resume can “take the hit” if you are back on the market in six months. Some seasoned medical sales reps have jumped from start-up to start-up, always looking for that brass ring. And while I applaud their entrepreneurial spirit and belief in that next opportunity being the right one, they also have to consider how their resume starts to look after one lay-off after another. Any candidate can afford to try and fail a couple of times and be able to explain their decision-making to the next hiring manager, but not even the best of candidates can explain away six or seven jobs in the past four years! Take a hard, honest look at your own resume to determine if you can afford to have yet another job listed. If not, set your sights on a more stable, long-term opportunity with a big name company and get your career path back on track.
Bottom line, there are really no guarantees for a start-up company, but if you do your research, feel comfortable with the opportunity, and if your financial situation and resume could stand to take the hit of being back on the job market in six months, go for it! The thrill of bringing a new product or drug to market that can improve or even save patient lives with a cutting-edge and innovative company can be worth the risk.
Copyright - Nikki K. Kerzic, Find Your Dream Job Now, Inc.
With more Americans looking for work these days, you have got to be more creative and more tenacious than the other candidates if you are going to land a job. Sure, everyone talks about the importance of networking, but do you really know how to do it? Is your idea of networking sitting in front of your computer every morning (probably still in your pajamas!) with a steaming cup of coffee and looking through all the big job search sites? I hate to break it to you, but the majority of sales representative jobs in the pharmaceutical and medical sales industry are never even posted on the big job search boards. The internet has made a whole generation of lazy job seekers who think that the next perfect job is just going to pop up in their inbox one day and they are off to easy street in their dream job. Let’s wake up and actually talk about some old-fashioned, grass roots networking efforts and some new, creative, and more high-tech ways to find a job in pharmaceutical or medical sales.
Simply stated, networking is the backbone of any job search. Without networking, how will you ever find out about the available pharmaceutical or medical sales jobs in your area? Sure, using the internet job search boards is a piece of the job hunt pie and you must be diligent about staying on top of jobs posted on various job search boards and the company websites themselves. But I know for a fact you are going to miss out on a lot of opportunities if all you are doing is sitting in front of your computer and sending out resumes. If it was that easy, everyone would be working in this industry! After all, you are selling yourself, and your marketing strategy has to cover all the bases!
Here is one of my favorite ideas for “outside the box” networking that anyone can use to find their dream job in pharmaceutical or medical sales. I know this technique works and since most job seekers out there are not using it, you will put yourself at a great advantage.
Network in and through Medical Conventions! Every medical specialty, from optometry to cardiology, has annual conventions. At these conventions, every major manufacturer of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies has a booth in the exhibit hall. Throughout the convention, doctors have an opportunity to walk through the exhibit hall to see the latest in technology and talk to their local sales representatives. The convention is a perfect place for you to meet several sales representatives and find out about many different companies, but finding out about these conventions can be tricky. Here are a few ways:
- Check out the trade publications for several different specialties at the library. In these journals, you will find ads and information on upcoming conventions. Although most annual conventions are held in resort cities like Palm Springs and Orlando, nearly every medical specialty has a local state association meeting in the major metropolitan city in each state. (But don’t overlook medical conventions held in Colorado and Tahoe in the winter time.)
- Check with local hotels in your area for any upcoming medical conventions. Conventions will only be held at large, major hotels or convention centers because medical conventions can have several hundred doctors in attendance, not to mention their spouses and/or office staff.
- Ask your doctor about any upcoming conventions that they know about. While your doctor may only have limited information about conventions in their specialty, it is still a place to start.
Once you find out about the convention, you can network with the sales representatives working the booth. However, remember that they are there to work and talk to their customers, not to you. Simply introduce yourself, state that you are interested in getting into medical sales and you would like the opportunity to call them at a later date. Ask for their business card and be on your way. Do not waste the sales representative’s time by trying to give a sales pitch on yourself. If the exhibit hall is closed to outsiders, see if there is a place that you could catch sales representatives just outside of the exhibit hall, probably where they are serving food and coffee for the exhibitors.
If all else fails and you cannot get into the convention, this is where a good relationship with an existing pharmaceutical/medical sales representative or your doctor can pay off. Ask them to pick up business cards of all the sales representatives at the convention and pass them on to you for your database. Even if you do not call the sales representative on the card, you can always use the corporate address for contacting the company directly.
I know there are some of you out there coming up with a hundred different reasons why this networking technique will not work. But I am talking about true grass-roots networking that causes you to get away from your computer (and out of those pajamas!), actually look someone in the eye, and shake their hand to find a job. You cannot afford to be doing exactly what everyone else is doing – the competition is too stiff in the pharmaceutical and medical device sales industry. I guarantee with a little extra effort on your part, you will land a job in this lucrative industry of pharmaceutical and medical sales because you are being creative and tenacious. You are greatly reducing your competition and increasing your odds of landing that dream job – and isn’t that the ultimate goal?
Copyright - Nikki K. Kerzic, Find Your Dream Job Now, Inc.
I was recently asked this question on my blog and my answer is always NO! Yes, I know it is difficult to stay focused on your current job when all you want to do is get out of there. But spending your time at work perusing job search sites all day does not help anyone and could get you fired. Here is my list of the top five things you should not do when searching for a new job while currently employed….
- Do not job search on your company’s time. It is not only unethical, you could be fired if caught. Your employer is paying you to work for them so be honest and respectful by doing so. You can use your own time such as breaks and your lunch hour but I recommend that you do as much job searching on line at home as you can. Many companies ban personal use of company computers, even during your break time.
- Do not discuss your job search plans with co-workers. Sure, misery loves company so if you hate your job, chances are your colleagues are pretty unhappy too. But you never know where the company grapevine will lead and someone may try to use this information against you. I was recently working with a candidate who told me that out of the blue, his boss asked him if he had been talking to XYZ Company, a major competitor. He had no idea how is boss found out since he had only mentioned the interview to one “trusted” friend. Obviously, word spread so always keep your job search intentions to yourself.
- Do not use any work contact information, such as your email address or work phone number. Only give out your personal cell phone number and personal email address on your resume. You can check messages on your breaks to see if you have heard from recruiters and/ or hiring managers. As mentioned above, this not only is a way to get caught job hunting, you might be let go for using company resources.
- Do not interview on your boss’s dime. Schedule interviews as breakfast or lunch meetings or even after work. I have had to do this for numerous candidates and my clients never seem to mind making accommodations for this request. And it shows that you are respectful of your current employer, something a hiring manager always likes to see. Along the same lines, if you do have an interview at lunch, do not show up to work in a formal suit if that is not your normal attire – it could be a dead giveaway. You can always do a quick change before the interview.
- Do not slack off in your current job. You always want to look at your current job as a way to build your resume. Make sure you are still giving 100% and exceeding all job expectations. All of this effort will look good on your resume and secure your current job if your dream job does not come around for a while. You can draw unwanted attention to yourself from a lack of effort and could find yourself out of your current job sooner than you would like.
Yes, I know it can be more difficult to job search while currently employed but you just need to make it a priority outside of your normal work hours. Make sure you keep your time very organized and focused. You will need to cut out some other activities while on the job hunt and make your job search time very efficient. And companies are much more likely to hire a candidate who is working than one who needs to explain why they are unemployed. And despite how bad things may seem at your current job, make sure you never burn bridges with your employer. It can be a small world out there and you never know when you may need them as a reference. It is not impossible to land a great job while employed, it just takes some patience, caution, and planning.
If you have a question for me, log onto to my new blog . You can send me a question or comment regarding any aspect of your job search and I will get you the information you need right away. Also, be sure to visit PharmRepConnect to sign up for my free job search tips. I am also going to start offering free teleseminars covering everything from resume writing to networking so get on my email list to get dates and times for the teleseminars.
Copyright - Nikki K. Kerzic, Find Your Dream Job Now, Inc.
You see a great medical device sales or pharmaceutical sales job posting on line that asks you to send your resume to a recruiter. You enthusiastically send your resume per the instructions, but now they are not responding to your e-mails. What is going on? Did your resume end up in some black hole? Did anyone even look at it? How could they not call you when you think you are perfect for this job?
I know that job seekers often find that working with a recruiter can be frustrating. I have worked as a hiring manager and a recruiter in the world of medical device sales for nearly twenty years so here is the cold, hard truth – recruiters work for the hiring company, not for you. As a job seeker, you probably view recruiters as a necessary evil in the job search process and you just wish you knew what they were thinking and how to work with them. I am going to give you the ins and outs of how to successfully work with a recruiter and get them on your side.
Problem #1: You cannot get anyone at the recruiting firm to respond to your resume despite follow-up phone calls and e-mails.
Recuiters can get literally hundreds of resumes every day for a job posting in medical device or pharmaceutical sales due to the high job demand. You want to make sure your e-mailed resume stands out and makes the recruiters job easier. Put a clear cut subject line on your message such as “Resume for Tampa opening.” You do not need to try to use the subject line for anything cute or too over the top. Just make their job easier by giving the recruiter a clue about what your e-mail contains. And of course, make sure your attached resume and cover letter clearly spell out your job experience and accomplishments. (You may even want to post a copy of your resume in the body of the e-mail since some recruiters might not be able to open your attachment.) An effective resume is the most important part of your job search that will either get you a call back from the recruiter or get your resume deleted. If the recruiter has to guess about what you are doing now or does not immediately see the kinds of top-performing sales successes the hiring manager wants, they will not be calling you.
On the other hand, you may not have heard back because your work experience does not fit the bill. It may be that the hiring company requires a bachelor’s degree and you do not have any college education. If there is such a clear cut job requirement right in the posting and you respond anyways, the recruiter is going to think that you either did not read the posting or that you just disregarded the requirement. This can be a waste of time for everyone, including you. The way around this is with a well-written cover letter or introductory e-mail. If you are a fit for the majority of the job requirements, state that in the cover letter written directly to the recruiter. (See my previous article for tips on how to write a powerful cover letter.) If you are missing a key requirement from the hiring company, state to the recruiter that you would like to be kept in their database for other positions that may have available.
Problem #2: You spoke to the recruiter for a phone screen but now have not heard anything back.
The good news in this situation is that your resume is helping you. Based on just that information, the recruiter felt compelled to call you. However, something has caused them to not pass you on to the hiring manager. Quite honestly, the recruiters reputation is at stake. They will not pass on a candidate that they do not think will do well in the initial interview. During phone screenings, keep your answers concise and to the point. I have personally found that many candidates get long-winded during a phone screen and feel the need to give responses that are too in-depth. Especially for a sales job, if you are too verbose, the recruiter may question your ability to be a good listener and to be a good sales rep. If the recruiter has worked with the hiring company in the past, they certainly know what the hiring manager is looking for and are able to evaluate how well you would fit in with the corporate culture. If you are passed over, be sure to follow up with the recruiter to find out why you were not the right candidate. Make them a partner in your job search and ask for constructive feedback and to be considered for future positions. Above all else, do not get frustrated and defensive with a recruiter if they do not pass you on to the hiring manager. They will certainly not call you in the future if you are hostile.
Problem #3: You got a first interview with the hiring manager but not a second and the recruiter is being vague about the reason why.
Most likely, the recruiter did not get a lot of feedback from the hiring manager. Many hiring managers are now being told by their companies to give very non-specific feedback to candidates. This is due to a concern with any kind of perceived discrimination. If the manager tells the recruiter that you are overqualified, you might think this is ageism. I know one major medical device company that specifically trains their managers to only say that they are moving forward with other candidates who are a better fit. They never give any specific feedback to the recruiter. Obviously, this is very frustrating for you as the job seeker, but I would recommend the same advice I gave to the above problem – politely ask for any feedback they can give you, do not get defensive, and ask to be considered for future positions.
Working closely with a recruiter can be a sure-fire way to land a job with a top medical device or pharmaceutical company. Most positions in this industry are still filled by recruiters. To make sure you are someone that the recruiter will call, always be the pleasantly persistent type who respects the fact that they work for the hiring company, not for you. And if you do have a recruiter that you like, be sure to send them referrals. This is a great way to help them and to keep yourself at the top of their mind when they have an opening in your area. Recruiters really do want to help you find your dream job but they want to work with candidates they are confident about and those that they like.
Copyright - Nikki K. Kerzic, Find Your Dream Job Now, Inc.
