Medical Sales Recruiter - Tips & Quips

We all know (hopefully) the basics on how to get a job–do your homework, be professional, write thank you notes–but what about those pesky (and potentially fatal to your job search) slip-ups that all candidates can make?  Carl Chapman has a really helpful article called Top 10 Ways to Blow Getting the Job.  Briefly, with a little paraphrasing, here they are:

1. Inappropriate dress:  You need to look the part.  Dress for the job you want.  PHC Consulting recommends suits for men and suits with either skirts or pants for women.
2. Not Showing desire:  You want this job, right?  Let that show.  Enthusiasm is contagious.
3. Not exhibiting a “Can-Do” attitude:  Short of walking across hot coals (and maybe that, too) you need to cheerfully do whatever it takes to land this job, even if it seems inconvenient or unnecessary.
4. Talking badly about your former/current employer:  Not even a negative tone, please.
5. Discussing your personal life:  Be focused on the job and what the company needs, not on yourself, except for relating it to how you are perfect for this job.
6. Asking for too much money:  Don’t go beyond the reasonable limits you’ve already discussed with your recruiter.  At PHC Consulting, we recommend that you avoid discussing money until you have an offer. 
7. Inflexibility with regard to location:  You may need to move, or commute longer than you would like.
8. History of job-hopping:  Moving from job to job at the same level can make you look unstable.
9. Lack of knowledge:  Do your homework. Know the industry facts and trends, as well as the strengths and challenges of the particular company you’re interviewing with.
10. Poor language skills:  Communicating ineffectively, or using improper English, curse words or slang can all cause a potential employer to see you in a negative light.  Candidates for medical sales jobs (or any sales jobs) are held to an even higher standard than you might expect.

Carl has great information about these 10 things, and even though he doesn’t relate them directly to pharmaceutical sales, the info is well worth the read for job-seekers in any customer-oriented industry.