Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals
So You Want to Get Into Pharmaceutical Sales...
by Katharine Hansen, Ph.D. A
s a resume writer, I get a lot of cli- ents who are looking to switch ca-
reers into pharmaceutical sales, as well as new college grads who would like to enter the field upon graduation. Do job- seekers with no experience in pharma- ceutical sales -- or even no experience in sales -- stand a chance of breaking into this popular but competitive field? The answer is a resounding “maybe.” This article will give you some guide- lines on increasing your odds. The pharmaceutical-sales field, of-
ten called “recession-proof,” is popular because it offers excellent salary poten- tial, great benefits, flexibility, opportu- nity for growth, and frequently the use of a company car. An aging population of baby boomers, the shift away from clinical treatment of illnesses in hos- pitals, and the fact that people seek a good quality of life as life expectancies continue to increase are among the fac- tors spurring the growth of the phar- maceutical sector. “The pharmaceuti- cal industry is among the largest, most stable, and fastest growing businesses in the entire world,” writes Anne Clay- ton in her book, Insight into a Career in Pharmaceutical Sales. The industry has grown 300 percent in the last decade, according to the Hay Group, a global organizational and human-resources consulting firm. The job is also seen as somewhat
prestigious. “A pharmaceutical sales representative sells a technologically advanced product to highly intelligent physicians in a very professional envi- ronment,” writes pharmaceutical sales recruiter Pat Riley, summing up the field’s appeal. Riley is author of several e-books on how to break into pharma- ceutical sales. What kind of people are pharmaceu-
86 HISPANIC NETWORK MAGAZINE Celebrating 18 Years of Diversity
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