This week we have a guest blogger, Shawn Graham author of “Courting your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job”. Shawn shares his perspective on pursuing a career in pharmaceutical sales. I hope you enjoy.

Courting a career in pharmaceutical sales

Great earnings potential, an opportunity to build your own business, autonomy–a few of the many factors that make a career in pharmaceutical sales highly desirable. And, with aging baby boomers and average life expectancy for people living in the U.S. continuing to climb, job seekers will continue to be drawn to the industry in droves. So how can you stand out from an ever increasing crowd of equally qualified candidates? Let’s take a look at five key tips that will help you do just that.

1. Know your type. A good friend of mine was attracted to pharmaceutical sales because of the autonomy, lack of structure, and chance to work out of a home office. But guess what? After a few short months, she realized she actually needed the supervision, structure, and interactions that come from working in a traditional office. Before you apply, do your homework–make sure you truly understand the role.

2. Play the field. You’re competing with hundreds of candidates for a limited number of positions. To increase your chances of success, reach out to friends of friends, alumni from your college or university, or others at the Pfizers, GlaxoSmithKlines, and Mercks of the world before you apply. Doing so will allow you to gather information about the company that you can reference during the interview in addition to sending a signal to the company that you “get it.”

3. Show genuine interest. It’s not enough to say you want to work for them because they’re a “top pharmaceutical company.” That’s like telling someone you’d like to ask out that they’re “hot.” It might be true, but so are thousands of other people. So what makes him or her special? Companies want to know that you “get them” and what makes them different from their competitors. If you want the job, let the interviewer know. Highlight the reasons why you’re interested in that particular position with that particular company and why you think you’re a great fit.

4. Exude subtle confidence. Often the most difficult to pull off without appearing overconfident, you want to approach the interview as though the job is yours for the taking. If you did your homework, that preparation will automatically build your confidence. Understand the industry and the job and come prepared to highlight examples from your previous work experience that relate to the opening.

5. Seal the deal. When interviewing for a pharmaceutical sales job, more so than most other functions, your ability to seal the deal could mean the difference between a call back and rejection. Don’t leave the interviewer wondering if you’re interested. Before you head for the door, ask for the job. And, if you’re not sure what to say, check out the sample closing script Tom included in his book, How to Break Into Pharmaceutical Sales.

When it comes to a career in pharmaceutical sales, it’s all about relationships. Your ability to establish connections and build rapport with people in the business will go a long way in determining your ultimate success.

Shawn Graham is author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job (www.courtingyourcareer.com).

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This entry was posted on Monday, April 21st, 2008 at 11:28 pm and is filed under Interviewing, Preparation, Networking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.