What did you want to be when you grew up? Not this, I bet.
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.
Part IV – Pimp Your Interview Skills
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)?
Part III – Pimp Your Network
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.
Part II – Pimp Your Resume!
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.
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