How To Get a Job In Medical Sales If You Haven’t Worked In Sales

As a clinical sales recruiter, I get almost daily inquiries from people who would like to be in pharma sales even though they have no sales background and wanna know what they should do.  I’m never surprised to get these calls.  Pharma sales is (I think) the top tier of sales categories, and there are many, many people who wanna be involved in it.  But because it’s such a desirable career path and so many strong candidates are vying for positions, competition is tough–which means you’re going to have to be at the top of your game to land a spot.

Landing a position in pharma sales is difficult, but not impossible.  There are 3 ways you can go (or you can mix and match):

Hire a career coach. An hour will do it for most people, generally split up into short sessions over days or weeks, as you implement the suggestions.  It might look something like this:

• First 20 minutes: Review your RESUME, identify your goals, and pinpoint which areas you have to improve.  You’ll get a list of sales books to read (so you don’t have to take a class), and we’ll set up a job-shadowing opportunity, if you’d like.

• Next Twenty minute session: Once you’ve read the books and made your RESUME changes, we’ll discuss the concepts and review your CV.

• Final Twenty minute session: We’ll put together a plan for your career opportunity shadow, discuss what your goal is, and talk about how to incorporate the keywords you’ll get from it into your resume so that it will get the attention of hiring managers and their Applicant Tracking Systems.

But the best thing about working with a career coach is that it’s personalized.  If you need help with another aspect of getting the job, that’s what you’ll concentrate on.  You’ll talk about your specific situation, in detail, to determine the most effective steps you can take to land the job.

Get the How to Get Into Pathology Revenue kit. I have organized anything I’ve learned from the last 15 years in the business into a a step-by-step, comprehensive guide:

* tips and tricks from 15 years of working and placing people in clinical sales
* a CV template designed to be your marketing brochure
* a bold and persuasive cover letter
* a technology sheet –your “secret weapon”
* a thank you note that will be another selling tool for you
* A 30/60/90-day plan – you’ll be the most prepared candidate the hiring manager has ever seen

The tools available in this kit are a complete, step-by-step map for you to follow to land your fantasy job in medical sales.

Work the “Do-It-Yourself” plan.

You can absolutely research what it takes to transition into pharmaceutical sales from a non-sales background.  There are hundreds of articles available right on this blog, and here are some key tips:

• Go for a ride-along with a revenue rep. See what a typical day is like.  Ask questions about the career opportunity, discover out how to be competitive in the career opportunity search and once you get the position.  Get a few names to call from labs, doctors, or hospitals they sell to.

• Use the field preceptorship (career opportunity shadowing) to fill your resume with keywords that will make sure it’s flagged by computerized tracking systems.  Your RESUME should have a sales focus and also highlight your technical background.

• Work your professional network. Set up a profile on LinkedIn.  Join sales groups like Sales Cafe:  Sales Rep Careers to make contacts and gain knowledge.

• Improve your revenue skills. Read about sales skills and revenue call best practices online, and find some books on sales techniques.  Watch my YouTube vids for position search advice.

• Learn to handle phone interviews. Most initial contacts with recruiters and hiring managers are conducted by phone, because it’s an efficient way to weed out candidates who aren’t going to fit.  You must know how to make a nice impression so you can land the face-to-face interview.

• Learn how to write a 30/60/90-day plan. This is a key element to your career opportunity interview process–especially if you have no revenue experience.  It helps the hiring manager understand that you know what it takes to be successful in the job, and helps him “see” you as a sales rep.  A 30/60/90-day plan is a written outline of what you’d be doing in the first Thirty days, the first Sixty days, and the first Ninety days on the career opportunity–like training, customer introductions, and going after new accounts.  If it’s specific to the company, it lets the hiring manager know that you’ve researched and prepared for THIS job, and you’re very interested in working for this particular company.

It’s hard work, but it’s worth it.  I wish you the best of luck.

Article courtesy of  Peggy McKee - Owner / Senior Headhunter at the nationally
recognized clinical and medical revenue recruiting team of PHC Consulting.
© Copyright 2008 PHC Consulting | All rights reserved

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How To Get a Job In Medical Sales If You Haven’t Worked In Sales