Have you been actively pursuing everything possible to start a
new career in medical sales and feeling frustrated because it seems you aren’t getting anywhere quick? Are you close to giving up your dream?

The biggest problem that I have seen over my 30 plus years
in recruiting is that most people don’t really know how to
be  objective and honest with themselves.

LETS BE HONEST!
Human Nature forces us to only see what we want to see and most of the time we just close an eye to what’s right in front of us. I believe that everybody needs a professional opinion, and more importantly guidance from either a career coach or veteran recruiting professional who has the insight and experience to give you the real facts.

 Most of the greatest golfer in the world have a swing coach or a knowledgeable caddie by their side for advice and support.
There are excellent experts out there who can support your
career efforts if you are committed to making it happens.

Feel free leave a mesage here on our blog and we’ll offer recommendations.
tweet us at www.twitter.com/ralphsteeber

Written By: Ralph Steeber. CPC

It’s amazing to me how many Gurus there are out there selling their services about having the “secret formula or plan” on How To Get A Job In Pharmaceutical Sales. The real question to ask yourself might be Is Pharmaceutical Sales Right For You?

I’ll be the first to agree that it’s a great profession that offers excellent salaries, bonuses, company cars, super benefits BUT is it the Right Place For You? Are you qualified to start further up the ladder in maybe medical products or devices?

Before you get all involved in buying books, tapes, job searching, recruiters, resume sending and ultimately face to face interviews, be sure a pharmaceutical sales career is right for you. A Pharmaceutical Sales Career has many benefits but there are a “few negatives” that the average jobseeker doesn’t take into consideration. In my 30 plus years of recruiting I’ve seen many individuals after a few short years in pharmaceutical sales wishing that they would have investigated other options.

The fact is if you have the Right Sales and Education you could be qualified to HOP right over pharmaceutical sales, that’s right HOP right into the medical products or devices field. When recruiters represent clients in higher/direct sales openings the general comment is No Pharma Reps please!  If you don’t believe this, just ask your local or favorite recruiter if pharmaceutical reps are in demand when they recruit for medical products/devices or equipment.

My closing advice is: don’t short change yourself and look at all your options.

If you would like to discuss this issue or share your experiences to help others who are considering their career possibilities you can add your remarks to this blog.  If you request help in your comments our  staff at Medicalreps will contact you direct and confidentially to assist you.

Offer your suggestions, stories, career advice or any general comments

Many jobseekers are not aware that Medical Sales Marketplace offers numerous product levels that can impact their career path. Because of the vast multifacets of the industry, knowing where you are is important so you don’t get trapped or become stagnate.

The Five Basic Product Sales Levels are: (1) Pharmaceuticals (2) Disposables (3) Medical Devices (4) Small Equipment (50K-500K) (5) Large Equipment (500K-5 million)

Most people who begin their career without having past medical sales experience start in levels 1 or 2 depending on experience and many times “who they have worked for”. Once accomplished, after 3-4 years you need to evaluate yourself and determine if you like what you do and can be challenged, plus earn the type of money to keep you happy.

Choosing the right first job isn’t always possible because generally you’re just excited to “Get a Job in Medical Sales” and when given the first offer the answer is “YES”.

If that’s the case, you need to periodically evaluate your career, determine whether you can stay the course, be happy for a long time or start checking out your options in higher levels. Unfortunately, in my 30 years of recruiting, I have seen too many people get content, wait too long, then when the light finally goes off it’s often too late.

Once you get over 3 years in any level, both money and options to be a “Choice A Candidate” to that hiring employer, becomes less and less with each passing year.

When making career changes, to sell yourself you have to offer either product or market knowledge to command attention from hiring managers and companies. Of course demonstrating sales accomplishments over the past 2-3 years is also very important. Anything more than that is irrelevant and nobody usually cares what you did 7-8 years ago.

So my advice is to periodically evaluate your career path and future with your current employer and keep an open ear to other options when they present themselves. If you would like a professional evaluation of your employment path and advice on possibilities for future options send your resume to admin@medicalreps.com

The truth is this, although we would like to believe that “the age factor” should have nothing to do with whether you get consideration most companies do care. 
If you’re making a 180 degree career change (example) spent 18 years in Industrial Widget Sales and you want to transfer those skills to Medical Sales it’s probably not going to happen unless the hiring manager is your brother-in-law.

 It has been my experience that the “un-written rule” is generally mid 30’s OR 10-12 years removed from college as a benchmark no matter what your track record or field.

It’s not that anyone feels you can’t learn or do the job it’s simply a matter of FIT. Most hiring managers feel the person that fits better regarding money being offered, different sales habits and style, overall chemistry with the sales team is dependent on age. 
Even though you bring great sales experience, desire and determination there are younger jobseekers that possess what’s necessary. The rule is that if a company (in their mind) is going to train their new hire then previous experience to determine as to whether you can get the job done is based on your performance over the past 3-4 years.

Now there’s always the exception to the rule and over my 30 years in recruiting I have seen people outside the norm get hired, usually a personal referral, great chemistry or simply in the right place at the right time.

I always advise people that it can happen but have plan B working also. If you’re reading this and it applies my suggestion is to broaden your search base and you just never know what can happen.

If you can share any stories or experiences on this subject please sign in and use the comment area.

Ralph Steeber, CPC

Are you a new jobseeker wanting to break into medical sales but finding it hard? Well, maybe you’re not looking in the right places. If you can’t secure interviews with major pharmaceutical and hospital device companies maybe you ought to explore the “Specialty Markets”

Over the past few years a number of specialty market areas have developed. They allow jobseekers the opportunity to begin a career in healthcare by entering thru the side or back door without “the perfect education and sales experience”.

Two of the fastest growing of these specialties are the nursing home and home care industries. Today there are 80 Million people in the “baby boomer” generation who are between 55-62 years old. In the next 3-10 years, these people will be reaching retirement age.

Services directed to this group are IV infusion, nutritional care, skilled nursing services, rehabilitation therapy, dialysis treatment, and peritoneal services to name just a few. New services and products are constantly being developed to take advantage of this trillion dollar market.

Another growing segment is the durable medical equipment marketplace. This market is generally retail operation with both inside and outside representatives.

Products such as specialty beds, wheelchairs, walkers, ventilators, surgical and medical supplies.

New area keep developing because as technology advances. Insurance and goverment are constantly changing guidelines; they want products and services that save money.

So OPEN YOUR EYES to the specialty markets, IT JUST MIGHT SURPRISE YOU!

Are you qualified and actively seeking a career change? I’m sure you have seen the many choices you have to get your resume sent out. You could pay a “Resume Submission Service” that claims with ONE CLICK of the button they can have your resume in the hands of the Best and Most Successful Recruiters coast to coast and your phone will start ringing with JOBS-JOBS-JOBS-JOBS. Well, it’s not quite that easy. Yes, it’s a smart and cost effective way to get great exposure in a hurry but you need to know if you have the qualifications necessary to create interest. All the clicks in the world won’t help if you don’t have what they want. On the upside, Recruiters have the technology to work anywhere worldwide with no boundaries. That means simply, you don’t know who is going to have the right client and job opportunity sitting on their desk that’s perfect for you. After evaluating and reviewing resume services ask the question before you spend your money ” Do I Qualified? “. Our website highly recommends PharmaResumeBlaster. PharmaBlaster has an excellent database of experienced sales recruiters and most importantly, guarantees to help you until you get results. 

 If you would like your resume reviewed for free prior to purchasing this type service just simply send your resume to admin@medicalreps.com ( tagline- Resume Review)