Medical Sales Recruiter - Tips & Quips

I admit, I love YouTube and videos (above is a really cute one of a hamster). But the videos I love the best are the ones like this….http://www.interview-on-demand.com/video-career-profile.iod?aWQ9NTgmb3duPTE5MA==
You can make one of these CareerViews yourself (http://www.interview-on-demand.com/jobseekers.iod) - send it to me (it is free for now). If you are a fit for one of my client companies, I will use it to present you to them!!

Would you hire someone who’s been their own boss?  In my experience as a medical sales recruiter, I sometimes come up against resistance to the prospect of hiring someone who has been an entrepreneur.  Entrepreneurs often “scare” potential employers.  Because of the background that goes with it (they made their own hours, answered only to themselves, and did what they thought was best), hiring managers worry that they won’t be able to adapt to having a supervisor to answer to and having to keep to regular hours.  These assumptions are unfortunate and often just wrong. 

Typical traits that make for good entrepreneurs also make for great candidates in healthcare sales, medical sales, medical device sales, pharmaceutical sales, clinical diagnostics sales, lab products sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, cellular products sales, molecular products sales, and biotechnology products sales.  What do I mean by that?  Well, an article called How to Become an Entrepreneur says that successful entrepreneurs follow a plan, think creatively, envision their success, and never give up.  Another article says that the emotional characteristics of entrepreneurs include:  they are self-confident, attracted to challenges, are innovative, have high energy and drive, are risk-takers, and can easily adapt to change.  That sounds like exactly the kind of qualities a savvy hiring manager should look for to find a high-achieving, successful healthcare salesperson.

Advice to the jobseeker (that formerly was an owner): downgrade your title, explain how difficult the job was and talk about the fact that you are eager to join an organization (and not be the top dog). I had one candidate talk in terms of when he was going  to start another company….NEXT….what hiring manager wants to hear that?

I was reading the Asia Pacific Headhunter blog and found this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJB0CzlzSwY I really enjoyed this and thought you might as well. Please do not see this as an endorsement of Monster. I just thought the video was funny.

One last thing, if you were in medical or laboratory sales, you would be less likely to be layed off. And if you are in pharmaceutical sales, you may not find this funny…due to recent experiences.

Welcome to my 4-part “Pimp Your Career” series.

In Part I, we worked with pimping your personal brand.

In Part II - Pimp Your Resume, I showed you how to put together a resume a recruiter or hiring manager will want to read. 

In Part III - Pimp Your Network, I told you how important it is to spend time building a great network to help you when you need it. 

In Part IV, we’re going to discuss improving your interview skills.

Candidates for healthcare sales, pathology sales, imaging sales, laboratory and clinical diagnostics sales, pharmaceutical sales, cellular products sales, molecular products sales, or biotechnology products sales jobs should already have good communication skills.  Hopefully, these are natural talents that helped lead them to these career areas in the first place.  Stepping it up so that you shine in the interview and stand out from the crowd of great talkers is what’s going to get you the job. 

I cannot stress enough:  DO YOUR HOMEWORK ON THE COMPANY.  Know what they do, and what’s currently going on with them.  Check the company’s website and Google them for outside stuff written about them, too, in newspapers, magazines, and blogs.  That should give you plenty of material to discuss, as well as help you direct your answers to what’s going to be of the most interest to them.  And, it gives you material for great questions to ask–it fills in the info you need, and demonstrates your interest in the company.

Preparation and presentation before and during the interview will help you.  Make sure you are fresh and alert, watch your body language, and be prepared to market yourself.  Don’t rely on the interviewer to lead you to the information they need on you.  Not all interviewers are skilled at getting the information they need.  Radiate enthusiasm for the job.  Act like you’d enjoy it, not like you’re desperate to get it.

Go into the interview with a 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day business plan.  This is simply a plan for what you are going to do in that time frame after you get hired (but the links will give you examples).  If you want to get a hiring manager’s attention, this is the way to do it.  It shows that you are serious, capable, and committed. 

A few more tricks to tone your interview skills:  have a few small talk topics ready to go, and remember to be confident.  No sarcasm or self-deprecation.  If you have to give yourself a pep talk before you go in, do it.  Be positive.  Use the CareerView tool at www.interview-on-demand.com/ to learn how you look and sound when you interview.  Ask for feedback from others.

If you’re going to a dinner/lunch interview, please make sure your table manners are excellent.  Get a book if you have to.  I know, it sounds basic, but I had a candidate lose a job because of poor table manners at dinner.

And of course, dress professionally.  Conservatively, with nails trimmed, shoes shined, and no overt fragrances or flashy jewelry.

Look at it from an employer’s perspective:  they want someone with the skills to do the job as well as someone they can relate to and work with on a day-to-day basis.  Be friendly.  Think of it as a networking opportunity.  Being relaxed and confident, and asking your own questions in a give-and-take session will help alleviate your nerves and result in a great interview.

One last tip - check to see who you are LinkedIn with who has a connection to the hiring manager (or someone very close to them).  What? You aren’t on LinkedIn? You should be!  Didn’t I tell you that way back in the series (Pimp Your Brand)?

Welcome to my 4-part “Pimp Your Career” series.

In part I, I showed you the way to pimp your brand.  In part II, I showed you how to pimp your resume.  The third part of your job-search strategy in healthcare sales, pharmaceutical sales, medical research sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, laboratory sales, clinical diagnostics sales, or sales of molecular, cellular, or biotechnology products is having a great network.  To avoid the inevitable panic that will accompany a job search in which you realize you have no one to go to for information, help, or support when you really need it, ALWAYS BE BUILDING YOUR NETWORK.  (Have I communicated how important that is??  I hope so.)  I have talked about network-building skills in several posts and one podcast. 

When I talk about building your network, I don’t mean that you need to have handed out your business card to everyone who glances at you on the street.  That’s not going to be effective.  Networks are relationships.  Not deep, BFF (best friends forever) relationships that are going to take all your time, but at least something that will ensure they remember who you are when you call.  It doesn’t have to be lunches, it could be a quick e-mail. Think:  “Hey, how are you?” or “Here’s something that might interest you” (no e-mail chain letters, please).  Seth Godin’s Catchers and Throwers post has a great way to think about this idea: 

You can contact just about anyone you want. The only rule is you need to contact them personally, with respect, and do it months before you need their help! Contact them about them, not about you. Engage. Contribute. Question. Pay attention. Read. Interact.

 If you have a network of business accquaintences/friends assembled, it won’t feel so awkward to ask them for help when you need it.

For example:  you could send an e-mail to your network introducing them to this blog or my website.  You would be doing them (and me) a favor — they won’t forget it.

Welcome to my 4-part “Pimp Your Career” series. 

The previous post showed you how to pimp your personal brand.  This post is focused on giving your resume the look that will get you the opportunities you deserve!

Many, many people do not know how to write a resume.  It’s not just a list of jobs you’ve had, or skills you have.  It’s a marketing document.  You are marketing yourself.  There’s a lot of competition in medical/healthcare sales, and your resume is the first place you can distinguish yourself from other candidates.  (Too bad you can’t attach your winning personality to it, although you can at www.interview-on-demand.com/)  So, you need to think about what kinds of ways you can jazz it up so that you appear professional, polished, and on top of your game.

Phil Rosenberg has a fantastic article showing you how to keep your resume out of Resume Hell, where “poor, sad resumes go that never see the light of day.”  Some of his advice:

• Be a subject matter expert, in whatever your field is.
• Be awsome:  show what you’ve accomplished, not what you were “responsible for.”
• Be customized.  Heavily customize your resume for each job.

Phil offers some great advice to keep your resume from being ordinary.  It’s very worth the read.

Penelope Trunk adds to that by showing you how to edit your resume like a professional resume writer.  She says don’t focus on your responsibilities, focus on what you’ve achieved.  Remember that it’s a marketing document, and don’t give everything away….give them a reason to call and find out more. 

Don’t forget to take advantage of keyword optimization in your resume.  Know the buzzwords and what’s going on in pathology sales, imaging sales, clinical diagnostics sales, research sales, or whatever your specialty is, and take a hint from the job description.  Include those words and phrases in prominent places on your resume.  Job descriptions tell you what they’re looking for…it’s your job to let them know you have it.

Key Pointers (briefly):

1. Shorter is better (1 page if you have less experience, 2 pages at the most)

2. Be sure to tell what the product of your employers is/was. You may be very aware of these companies and what they do, but recruiters and other hiring managers may not.

3. If you are in sales or sales management - you need numbers (revenue, growth, expenses, knockout accounts, etc.) I have had a couple of candidates who used a colored graph that worked well.

4. Objectives are important. I bet candidates would be astounded if they knew how unclear it is to a recruiter what position they are after. And you can’t put it in the cover letter (we don’t read them).

5. Leave out the “references upon request” line….we know.

Welcome to my 4-part “Pimp Your Career” series.

This post will be about your personal brand.  When people think of you, what do they think?  Sales guru, marketing manager, computer geek, public-relations person, etc…  This is your personal brand.  If the answer you get is different from the one you want, you have some work to do.  There’s a lot out there right now about personal branding.  You need to know what that means for you, and you need to know how to take maximum advantage of it.  Your personal brand is what makes you special.  It’s how you distinguish yourself from everyone else in medical sales, healthcare sales, lab sales, pharma sales, pathology sales, imaging sales, clinical diagnostics sales, and sales of cellular, molecular, and biotech products.  It’s how you market yourself. 

Think about how corporate brands market themselves.  They are everywhere, and you should be, too.  By that, I mean:

1.  Have a Facebook page

2.  Create a profile on LinkedIn

3.  Interview On Demand offers a CareerView profile for jobseekers that not only includes your resume, but also a video where you can answer a few interview questions and include a “why should you hire me” summary.  It’s a great tool to add a little kick to your resume, and it’s more professional than YouTube.

4.  Do some blog writing– on your own blog, or as a guest contributor on one that’s related to your field.

5.  Have a personalized signature on all your e-mails, so that when people see it, they think of you.  Have a logo.  Even on personal e-mail accounts. 

6.  Keep up with your network through phone calls and e-mail.  Don’t lose track of people who will be great references for you.

If you’re having trouble defining yourself, ask others what they think is special about you.  What makes you different from others in your field?  Go to Dan Schwabel’s blog.  It’s THE source for info about personal branding. 

Think about personal branding in terms of your elevator pitch.  It’s the answer to the “what do you do?” and the “tell me about yourself” questions.  Your personal branding statement is going to highlight your best attributes, and be quick, focused, and memorable.

Seth Godin points out that people make decisions based on little scraps of information all the time:

It’s not fair but it’s true. Your blog, your outfit, the typeface you choose, the tone of your voice, the expression on your face, the location of your office, the way you rank on a Google search, the look of your Facebook page…

I’m going to spend the next few posts showing you how to jazz up your job search and career…step it up, trick it out, be outstanding (like “Pimp My Ride”).  As a medical sales recruiter, I am aware that competition is fierce in healthcare sales, pathology sales, imaging sales, pharmaceutical sales, laboratory sales, and all sales involving cellular, molecular, biotechnology or biotech products.  The candidate who will be hired will have taken a little more time and gone to some extra trouble with his resume, worked on his interview skills, and will have a great network of people in the industry that he/she knows to leverage.  There will be four parts:

I.  Pimp Your Personal Brand

II.  Pimp Your Resume

III.  Pimp Your Network

IV.  Pimp Your Interview Skills

And they will be in that order, because that is the order that you should work with for maximum success.  So, sit back, buckle up and get ready to take your career off the blocks, on high octane, with full-on bling!!  I hope it will be helpful for you.

You should always put your best foot forward in a job interview, but some things should still be kept to yourself.  I had a candidate who was supremely qualified not get the job because too many of her “assets” were showing.  Cleavage in a job interview is only a good idea in a very limited selection of industries…but never in medical sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, clinical diagnostics sales, research products sales, pharmaceutical sales, or medical device sales. 

Here’s a link for you to go to to read about developing an effective professional presence, so that you give the interviewer a great first impression. 

I have warned healthcare sales candidates about being too free with their Facebook or MySpace pages, because of the very real possiblity that potential medical sales employers will go looking for all the information they can find on candidates they’re thinking about hiring.  The other day, I found an article about employees turning the tables on employers by researching the company, the hiring manager, and future co-workers to dig up any dirt you might need to know before you commit.  It’s got a laundry list of sites to use to get information, and plenty of “nightmare” scenarios to scare you into looking. 

I did post a comment on this article, but the gist of what I said is this:  This kind of dirt-digging is more likely to muddy the interview waters than clear them up. 

1.  Hiring managers from the companies I work with are too professional to post any negative or positive thoughts on specific candidates in such a public forum. 

2.  The kind of candid information candidates would be looking for on sites (like  http://www.cafepharma.com/and http://www.biofind.com/for my industry) is likely to have been posted by disgruntled employees or those who have been already fired! They don’t have a job, so they spend their time bashing their past employer or any other employer that represents “the man” that is holding them down! I know of a fantastic company in the clinical diagnostics arena that is haunted by one poster who has a sole mission in life of saying outrageous statements about their former employer (including sexual harrasment allegations, illegal activities, etc.). Because of the anonymity of these sites, there is no recourse for the employer.  I would hate to have any candidate turn down an opportunity with this company because of one bad egg.

There are plenty of helpful, professional and comprehensive sites for medical sales candidates to use when researching companies they are interviewing with.  I suggest you stick with those.