Making the Switch to a Pharmaceutical Sales Career
The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most lucrative
business sectors as evidenced by its $550 billion global
industry revenue in 2004. As such, many careers have been
developed to cater to the varying needs of the industry. One
good example of such a career option is pharmaceutical sales,
which is believed to be one of the most sought-after careers in
the job market today.
The reason behind this trend is that pharmaceutical sales offers
extraordinary salary potential, which may go as high as
six-figures annually. Other amazing perks are special bonuses, a
company car, trainings in exotic locations, flexible work hours,
as well as unlimited opportunities for career growth.
Needless to say, many people who already have a career in sales
are slowly but surely transitioning into pharmaceutical sales.
If you're one of those people who are ready to take your sales
career to the next level, there are a variety ways to do just
that.
For starters, educating yourself about the pharmaceutical
industry is an important first step. Learn about various
pharmaceutical companies, especially the biggest and most
successful ones and how the entire industry is doing. It's also
important to keep yourself updated on industry trends.
In addition, equip yourself so that potential employers may
notice you. As mentioned earlier, pharmaceutical sales positions
are so in demand these days that you have to truly stand out
among other hopefuls. To address this concern, there are online
companies today, which through their websites are offering
products and services that aim to help prospective
pharmaceutical sales reps - with or without sales experience -
to land a job in the field.
Such products and services may include how-to e-Books and other
information materials, resume writing and evaluation services so
that your resume is specific to and targeted towards the
pharmaceutical sales industry, and more. They also offer
interview coaching, which may include doing mock interviews to
help you develop the confidence and to ensure that you know the
right things to say.
It would also be a good idea to begin establishing networks with
other pharmaceutical industry professionals, particularly in
your area. The reason behind this is that job openings are
oftentimes filled through referrals from existing pharmaceutical
sales reps and that pharmaceutical companies rarely post job
ads, except for those which are relatively harder to fill. As
such, you definitely would want to be in that loop.
Lastly, different companies have different requirements - some
require their pharmaceutical sales reps to at least have a
bachelor's degree, others may require an MBA. But in the end,
having a smooth transition to pharmaceutical sales boils down to
having the right attitude. For instance, one should have an
aptitude for science so that learning would be a breeze. More
than having the sales or the medical background, equally
important is displaying your outstanding interpersonal
communication skills. An aspiring pharmaceutical sales rep
should be able to relate to different types of people.
Also, an aspiring pharmaceutical sales rep should be an
aggressive, motivated and driven self-starter with high
achievement goals. This is especially important once you've
actually got the job. Otherwise, it would be very difficult to
succeed. Needless to say, pharmaceutical sales is one career
option where the saying "you reap what you sow" is very, very
true.