Medical Sales Recruiter - Tips & Quips

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?