just a few days to study and lots of memorization. In a terrific article entitled Job-Search Strategies: Real Estate to Pharmaceuti- cal Sales (Career Change), resume writ- er Teena Rose interviews a candidate, S. Plamper, who successfully landed a job in pharmaceutical sales. The in- terview details all the ins and outs of Plamper’s 13-week interview process, which included an online profiling test, a requirement to write a short autobiography, and a ride-along with another rep. Plamper credits her suc- cess to having her resume profession- ally written, networking effectively, picking the brain of a pharmaceutical rep already on the job, delivering cre- ative presentations in her interviews, and connecting with those who inter- viewed her. That connection with the interviewer can be elusive, but it’s im- portant. When chemistry and rapport are lacking, it can be hard to establish it, but doing so shows you have a sales rep’s knack for building relationships. Just as with any interview, thank-
you notes should be standard proce- dure. Rose suggests that hand-deliver- ing your note is a great way to show your aggressiveness.
What about Certification Programs? You’ll see ads on the Internet for cer-
tification programs for pharmaceutical sales reps. Best advice seems to be to proceed with extreme caution. Chanc- es are they may offer no information you couldn’t gather on your own. If you’re considering such a program, ask for hard evidence that those with certifications have been more success- ful in landing jobs in pharma sales than those without. According to MedZilla, the only four accredited certification programs are at Saint Joseph’s Uni- versity Erivan K. Haub School of Busi- ness, University of Mississippi Center for Marketing and Management, Rut- gers (MBA in Pharmaceutical Manage- ment), and Certified Medical Repre- sentatives Institute (CMRI). Rose also
www.hnmagazine.com
mentions the American Pharmaceuti- cal Association’s certification program, approved by the Pharmaceutical Advi- sory Board.
Once You’re Hired... Expect an intense training period
and a constant need to stay abreast of products and disease states. You’ll likely be tested on material not only during the training but as an ongoing part of your job. You may attend trade shows and conferences and read indus- try publications. You may need to learn about medical terminology, as well as insurance-company reimbursement policies and codes. It’s not unusual for reps to pursue extra training and self- study in chemistry and other areas. Also expect to compete with numer-
ous other reps to get face time in pri- vate offices and hospitals with medi- cal professionals, some of whom will give you only a minute or two. After all, there are some 90,000 pharmaceuti- cal sales reps in the mix, according to a survey by Noesis Healthcare Interac- tions. Writing for Knight Ridder/Tri- bune Business News, Aissatou Sidime learned from working reps that getting access to physicians is the toughest part of the job and that most sales reps have five or six competitors for each drug they represent. You’ll get to know the “80-20” rule in which reps often find that 20 percent of physicians write 80 percent of the prescriptions, so you’ll learn to focus your priorities on high- prescribing doctors. Reps may also spend time educat-
ing clinical personnel, such as nurses, on how to administer their company’s products. Considerable paperwork, including writing up reports of sales calls, is also part of a rep’s job. A Noesis survey further reported
that knowledge and training, ongoing communication, sales tools and mar- keting programs, and motivation and incentives are the pillars that make a rep effective and successful. Reps want to learn more about disease states and competitors’ brands, the survey says.
Celebrating 18 Years of Diversity
Areas for possible advancement in- clude product line manager and dis- trict sales manager. The Hay Group in its 2005 Sales
Force Effectiveness Study finds that fu- ture trends indicate greater demand for sales staff in the biotech and speciality pharmaceutical sectors. “Pharmaceu- tical companies have always had the challenge of how to effectively train and develop sales personnel,” says a press release about the Hay Group’s report. “With downsizing in the in- dustry and more sales staff looking for jobs, previous pharmaceutical and spe- cialty experience will be essential. For example, biotech companies are more likely to be looking for sales profes- sionals with education and studies in the life sciences and at least two years of sales or health care marketing expe- rience. The compensation for biotech representatives can be more than one- third higher than the general primary care sales representative,” the release continues.
Final Thoughts For more great tips on breaking in
straight from the mouths of experi- enced reps, see our sidebar Tips from Reps: Advice from Real Pharmaceuti- cal Sales Reps on How to Break into Pharma Sales, as well as these Resourc- es for Those Interested in Breaking into Pharmaceutical Sales. Questions about some of the termi-
nology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker’s Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms. Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., creative director
and associate publisher of Quintessential Ca- reers, is an educator, author, and blogger who provides content for Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for jobseek- ers, and blogs about storytelling in the job search at A Storied Career.
Copyright by Quintessential Careers. The original ar- ticle can be found at:
http://www.quintcareers.com/ pharmaceutical_sales_careers.html. Reprinted with permission.
HISPANIC NETWORK MAGAZINE 91
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