Preparing for a Pharma Revenue Job Interview

My first question is:  Why would you wanna?  The industry’s going downhill fast for sales reps.  Other areas of medical revenue (pharmaceutical sales, clinical diagnostics sales, medical device sales, biotech sales, imaging sales, pathology sales–just about any other area of healthcare revenue) are more stable, less tied to the economy, more respected, and more appealing if you really like the sales process.  Click this link for more information.

But, if you’re set on taking your chances in lab sales, here’s what to do to have a successful laboratory revenue job interview:

1.  Research the company.  There is no substitute for doing your homework.  Know what the company does, what its current issues are, and what the future plans include.  Your career opportunity is to find out what you can do for Them.  Your research gives you material to talk about during the interview and a way to custom-fit your answers to their specific questions. 

2.  Build a brag book.  Click the link for the movie scene and more explanation, but basically it’s a collection of awards, sales rankings, successful projects, letters from happy customers or managers, and so on.  When you present it during the interview, it showcases your presentation skills as well as your accomplishments.  Here’s a link to a podcast if you need it.

3.  Create a 30/60/90-day plan.  This kind of plan is a written demonstration of what you will do for the company in your first 3 months on the job–how you will get your training, how you will transition into being a contributing member of the sales team, and so on.  Here’s a link to a episode and a blog post that explains them in more detail, but if you need more help, you can download samples and a template with audio coaching from the Sales Recruiter.  This kind of plan will definitely get the attention of the hiring manager.

4.  Read my Tips on How to Ace Your Laboratory Sales Interview.   Also, here’s an article on Sales Interview Queries for you.  Think of your interview as a sales call, and behave accordingly. 

5.  Consider custom coaching from the Clinical Revenue Recruiter.  Most people need no more than an hour.  Ask the questions you need in a private, one-on-one conversation to improve your personal situation.  I’ve been a laboratory sales recruiter for over 10 years now, and I was in the clinical sales area before that as a revenue rep, regional manager, and national accounts manager.  I can go over your CV with you, critique your answers to interview questions and prepare you for the interview, give you insider tips on the industry, help you get into clinical sales if you’re new to it, teach you how to negotiate and recognize a fair offer, build your personal brand, or even decide between career opportunity offers.  Career coaching works.

Article courtesy of  Peggy McKee - Owner / Senior Recruiter at the nationally
recognized clinical and pathology sales recruiting team of PHC Consulting.
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Preparing for a Pharmaceutical Sales Job Interview