1.      Identify good recruiters to work with, specifically those who will represent you beyond your resume. Be aware of recruiters who do not ask you any questions and do not tell you whether or not they are sending your resume to the hiring client.

2.      Never pay a for a Recruiter to represent you as the Recruiter is paid by the Client company, and is tasked with finding  the most qualified candidates to be interviewed. One should be leery of any recruiter who promises you a job if you pay them a fee.

3.      Always ask the recruiter before the end of your conversation who they are representing. You need to do this because you may already be represented by another Recruiter or you may have applied to that company or previously interviewed. A Recruiter does not want to duplicate your efforts. Additionally it never works in your best interest to be represented by multiple sources. You must be up front with the Recruiter in the beginning. By covering up who represents you or whether or not you applied may come back to haunt you in the end. Please note that there will be times when a Recruiter cannot reveal the client company for one or two reasons; 1) the search is confidential OR 2) the Recruiter is working on the search as a split Recruiter and the other Recruiter has “ownership” of the search with the client. In either case, the Recruiter should be able to give you a valid reason why they cannot reveal the client. (more…)

More and more medical sales (including pharmaceutical sales) companies are requiring Job Candidates to have a  phone interview with the Hiring Manager as the first step towards being granted a “face to face” interview.  In some of the larger companies the Human Resource Department will conduct the first phone interview and then schedule you for a second phone interview with the Hiring Manager.  If you pass all the phone interview exercises, you are granted the opportunity to meet with the Hiring Manager for the first “face to face” interview.  Add on top of this process the phone discussion or pre-screen you had with your recruiter and you could have up to three barrier points of entry before you get to the real stuff; the actual “person to person” live interview!

What does this mean?  As this practice becomes more common place, understanding how to conduct yourself and present yourself via the phone becomes critical.  A first impression in a phone interview is limited to really two things: audio impression and the printed word (your resume) to the interviewer. 

Emphasis on the first impression is shifted from the visual to the audio in a phone interview.  Most Job Candidates do not realize that this really changes the entire playing field!  In any game, you must understand how to prepare yourself and which skills will be needed to make it a win.  Many top tennis players know the skill differences needed to play on a slow clay court vs. a fast grass court.  Clay courts take away most of the advantages of a big serve, much like a phone interview taking away the advantage of “The Dress for Success” impression of the interview!  So how do you play the phone interview?  By understanding what works and what does not work. (more…)

By Anissa Neubauer

Former District Sales Manager in Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Sales

Founder of Kick Consulting.

www.kickconsulting.com

Ok, so you’ve landed an interview with the company of your dreams.  Well, maybe not of your dreams, but you’ll be selling pharmaceuticals.   Don’t panic, prepare.  Think about this, it took you weeks or even months to obtain an interview and the person interviewing and if you aren’t prepared you can ruin your chances in a matter of minutes.  The interviewer is going to size you up in the first ten minutes (sometimes less) and determine if they want to help you through the interview or just get through the interview.   Don’t ruin your chances by failing to prepare. Here are the steps to prepare: (more…)

I write most of my articles from my Divisional Manager and Area VP Roles Medical Device Sales experience; the person who was interviewing candidates for Medical Sales Positions, Clinical Support Roles and also Divisional Manager Roles.  It is with those set of glasses that I will share the importance of doing your homework before EACH interview stage.  It is plain and simple; managers hire those candidates that…. (more…)

 Job Candidates often will know what a Brag Book is or at least a fuzzy concept of what it should be; it is the best vehicle available to support the content you have placed within your resume.  Simply put, it is a book that say’s “Yep, I really did win all those sales awards and no lie, my resume is 100% true!”.  It is becoming increasingly important and needed to be added to our Blog given the high statistics of inaccurate at best, to down right lies that some people will put on their resumes!  It is for this reason that a Brag Book has quickly become a mandatory part of the Medical Sales Interview process and can be critical to moving beyond the first interview, find out why… (more…)

As mentioned in my previous blog about follow-up during the First Interview, “Thank You” notes are a very integral part of the Interview process. Not only do they show your “sense of urgency” to follow up, but it is also an opportunity to exhibit your written communication skills. That said, “thank you” notes should be written and sent ASAP. When a person sends an email, follow-up more than one or two days later, it tells the perspective employer that the high level of interest does not exist. 

Also, it helps to be creative with a personal touch. With email so easily accessible, sometimes a candidate stands out more when he/she sends a hand written “thank you”. I have had instances where candidates have FedExed handwritten notes. I have also had candidates who have written personal notes directly after the interview and left them with the hotel concierge when interviews have taken place in a hotel lobby.

One thing to be sure to remember,….. (more…)

 If you are interviewing for a Medical Sales Position you are very aware of the number of steps in the interview process with most companies.   Typically somewhere after the 2nd interview you will be asked to travel in the field with one of the hiring companies recognized Sales Stars (a Field Sales Trainer or minimally,  a sales representative that will show you a good productive day in the field).

Many of you may feel that this is a day that is all about you; deciding if you like the job and getting an opportunity to find out about what it is really like working for the company.  Afterall, you are going to be with a kindred soul, a sales warrior just like you that must slay the dragons each day to EXCEED quota (remember “meeting quota” is a dirty phrase in the world of medical sales)!  Certainly you can let your hair down a bit and ask a few questions you would never ask the hiring manager, in fact you might just tell the Star Sales Person how you really feel about that wretched, low down boss of yours and why you want to quit!  Right?

While you are at it, you may try to find out a little dirt on the hiring manager of the new company that sent you out on the field ride, right?   Wow, you found out they were divorced and you are really feeling this Star Sales Person is becoming your personal friend and confidant; by the end of the day you decide to tell them how terrible your divorce was and that it led to your current bankruptcy and drinking problem!  Afterall, this is the “Field Visit”, a time to get friendly!  Right? ….Wrong!  There are 18 ways to shine in the Field Visit and we have them listed for you! (more…)