Why you should never work for Stryker (the surgical equipment company)!
Stryker is a surgical equipment/instrument company (like Guidant, Sklar, Roboz, Millenium, and others). For me as a medical sales recruiter, Stryker stands out among medical sales companies, and not in a good way.
The reason I believe that you should never work for Stryker is that I have never seen anyone have a long-term relationship with them in my 17+ years in the medical sales industry. They don’t invest in their people, they don’t promote well, and they don’t have a problem firing people–I think they pink-slip the bottom 25% almost every quarter. You might say, “Well, I’m better than the bottom 25%, so I don’t have a problem.” But, there are circumstances that can easily be beyond your control–for example, maybe there’s a GPO (Group Purchasing Organization) or some other group organization your hospital belongs to…if they sign a contract with another vendor, then they quit working with you. You did nothing to cause that, and you have no control over it, but it makes a massive difference in your sales territory numbers. All of a sudden, you drop to the bottom 25%, and you’re let go. Is that the kind of commitment you want from a company that you work for and invest sweat, blood and tears for? I don’t think so. (It’s not a good references opportunity, either.)
Surgical companies do pay tremendous amounts of money, if you do well at it. However, you have to be able to be in the surgical suite at 5AM in order to be available to surgeons, and those surgeons are a pain in the tail. They (mostly) have egos as big as Texas, and they expect that you will pander to them. And if you don’t, they have 3 or 4 vendors sitting right behind you who will. (Story: I had a friend who went to work for one of these companies–for a year and a half, although he no longer works there. He did make $300,000, but he also said that was the year his hair turned gray. He had no family life, he felt stressed the entire time, and he felt as if the competition was right on his heels. You could say that’s just him, but that’s some tremendous job stress for anybody.)
When I see ”Stryker” on a resume, I don’t want to even talk to the person. In my mind, they’re somewhat “ruined.” They’ve been able to make very big money, and they will always think that’s what they’re worth, in any job. In reality, they aren’t worth that unless they can continue to work at that particular pace, selling that particular product, dealing with that particular nasty little customer–surgeons.
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Written by Peggy McKee - the medical sales recruiter
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Peggy, I read your article regarding Stryker with a smile on my face. What you say about their corporate culture is absolutely true. And, your feelings are shared by many recruiters. Stryker and the former surgical company named U.S. Surgical wrote-the-book on the old “churn-’em-and-burn-’em marketing philosophy regarding their sales team.
However, one positive aspect of hiring a former Stryker rep, especially one who has been able to survive for 2-3 years at Stryker, is the fact that these individuals are self-starters, who have proven that they could excel in a very demanding sales environment in which they had to pay their own expenses and thrive with very little home-office support. Just a positive to consider.
U.S.Surgical is now Corvidien.
Is it still “old wine in a new bottle” with regards to how they treat sales reps?
I read your article and I don’t aggree with your viewpoint. I’ve worked for a division of Stryker for over 2 years and I haven’t felt any pressure what so ever. As a matter of fact when I was hired on by my manager he told me it would take me at least 3 years to make an impact in my territory. It’s a demanding job but to be honest I like it and guess what I also find the time to be a fantastic father to my children! The culture is definitely changing within certain divisions of Stryker including the one I work under. Great company with great products….what more could you ask for. I appreciate your insight but it isn’t entirely true. Never once have I felt like this experience has “ruined” my abilities.
Thanks,
Aaron
Zero Fail!
Peggy ,
How utterly short sighted . Stryker is a huge global organization so to suggest all Stryker sales people are a no-no in your eyes is , well, quite frankly, your loss. There exists in all sales companies a system of letting go those who do not fulfill their contractual obligation. Noone has been fired from Stryker in the way you have described .
I have worked for Stryker, Zimmer and Depuy and theyre ALL THE SAME .. large multinational corporations with a duty to the share holders..
I new work in recruitment and some of the most highly skilled people have come from Stryker with plenty of energy to tackle new challenges .
Think about what you say .. “When I see ”Stryker” on a resume, I don’t want to even talk to the person” is a dreadful approach .
Good luck . you’ll need it with that attitude
Dave R
Stryker hires the best of the best. The days of the 20% growth or you are fired is over. I currently work for Stryker and I love the people I work for and the culture of Stryker. My manager inspires me, my co workers truly work as a team. The job is very hard and has a lot of stress associated with it. But in todays market what job isnt facing the same situations. At least at Stryker I do not have to worry about a lay off. I do not get how you can say that you wouldnt hire a Stryker Rep. Yes we make a lot of money but we hunt what we kill. The reason why we are making that much money is because we are bringing that much profit to the organization. So why cant we feel that we are worth the money we make? It is a full commission gig. Are you going to hate on Bill Gates for being a billionaire because he went out on a limb and took a chance and created Microsoft Corp? With big risks come big rewards and that is the Stryker way. Its simple sales 101! People who have an issue with Stryker are either people who got passed on during the process or are jealous that they will never have the earning potentials that we do. Please dont hate on Stryker. Its truly foolish of you!
Is this true just sales reps or true for every body else in the company. Like for a designer, tester, developer. etc..,
stryker is a disease, a cancer that kills it’s reps over time. the new guy with two years in……good luck buddy. I have been top 5% my entire career. I have made a ton of money for myself and them….I can be fired next quarters period no exception. My mentor of 10 years was fired for three down quarters.
stryker reps are condescending, egotistical little pricks just like the surgeons they sell to.
they deserve all the crap life has to offer
I agree somewhat with Peggy’s assertion…I worked at Stryker about ten years ago and have since moved-on to GE Health, and when I look back at my time at Stryker , I value what I learned there and I’m proud of the foundation I built, which greatly helped me in making the leap to the big leagues. It’s not an easy gig, but if you busted your butt the rewards were sweet and I left with a solid book of business I still carry today. Bottom-line, if you make an effort and show your superiors you are a hustler, you will be left alone. Yes, things happen that are out of your control, but if you persevere, you’ll survive. My mantra while at Stryker was work twice as hard as as your teams top producer. If anything, Stryker is a great stepping stone.
Thanks for the courage to post Peggy. I always appreciate it straight fwd and honest from you. I’ve heard the same from those at Stryker. Understandably, it sounds like others are taking a defensive posture as old/present Stryker reps.
This is the word in the industry…a good reputation is hard to (re) build.
Thanks!
James
Stryker reps are all dumb dicks, period! Just read any message board where a Stryker rep runs around gloating about how much money they make. That will end the first or second quarter that they miss their quota, and then these shithead Stryker reps will be back to making 50K a year.
This is why Stryker reps all either leave (for grad school), or for another job. Cause they know they can make 300K doing a shit sales job, working 80 hours a week, but they know that they lack the skills to keep such a job, and will be selling insurance after a couple years just to pay off their mortgages.
I don’t think that a person should judge an entire organization by one individual. Every office, territory, district, and region is different in every organization across all industries. Many of you suggest that Stryker employees are egotistical, dicks, etc, however, remember that this is a handfull of individuals….every organization has it’s egotistials, dicks, etc. Peggy states that “The reason I believe that you should never work for Stryker is that I have never seen anyone have a long-term relationship with them in my 17+ years in the medical sales industry.” Is every single person working for Stryker wanting to retire at Stryker? How is long-term defined? Working for Stryker looks great on a resume, it provides great competative sales experience, and it can be a fantastic stepping stone regardless of industy. Also, MBA doesn’t equal brains. Warren Buffet, Ross Perot, Larry Ellison, and Bill Gates never received an MBA and I think that they’ve done pretty good for themselves? Too many prejudice (preconcived notion) people out there. I don’t work for Stryker and never have. Peace out!
Hey all,
Thanks for the discussion. I am a previous orthopedic sales rep for 4 short months. I had difficulty in it. I then pursued small business (very small – self employed small) sales for the past 7 years. I want to rejoin medical device with every and any bit of determination. What do you suggest I do to properly promote myself coming from small business to corporate medical device? Advice on being seen in the stack of resumes – contacts, mentors, training, etc.
Brian
Thank you for the note here.
Also, remember that even though an organization’s culture is not attractive to me, doesn’t make it unattractive to others.
This is just my opinion.
Peace out!
Peggy
Terrance:
That’s a little rough.
Peggy
I think this is far more a commentary on the field of recruitment opposed to Stryker. I get it; some of you are pissed that the Stryker Rep just pulled up in a new Corvette Z06 (I’m outting myself) and you’re wondering how you can pay for your next tank of gas so understandably there is some jealousy. However, to feel such disdain for a company you have only heard about and never worked at really seems a little psychotic. As for Peggy, what you said is really kind of like a hiring manager coming out and saying he hires strictly on race and or gender. It’s pretty sad really that you would be that dumb to actually point out to whomever is dumb enough to hire you that hey “I’m hiring people based on the perception I have of companies I’ve never worked for opposed to the candidates actual talents”. Are you really that dumb or was this “opinion” of yours just a joke?
I have started several companies and just sold my last one for bank. My expertise is in sales/start up/commission only so I’m comfortable with cold start. It’s been a month since selling my company and the LION inside me is gnawing at me to “hunt” for the sale. My wife is an orthopedic surgeon and I’m looking into Stryker as a possible candidate to work for. Just noticed an opening in our area but didn’t know if that might be a conflict of interest? I mean…kinda seems like shooting fish in a barrel to me but then again I can talk a dog off a meat truck. Any other companies in medical sales to look at?
I worked for Stryker in Australia for a year and 1 yr in Nz. never met such egotistical and difficult peeps in all my life. If you are prepared to be treated extremely poorly then go for it but I would say the day I walked into Stryker was a mistake. I’ve worked in equivalents and you see nothing of the extreme stress and misery you see at Stryker. The thing is that HR are fairly blind as to the behavior there – almost a willful blindness.
I really think the psych testing they use is a mistake – almost as if they unwittingly hire peeps with issues. Put them all in a room and wham! It’s your worse nightmare. Bullying is rife, it’s VERY male dominated – in short I heard and saw examples of discrimination that you just would not expect in a decent company in this day and age.
Dj , read ur comment with interest. Its true that many of the personalities there are unique – what many people in the general world would call ‘overbearing’ , ‘interesting’ (with that tone of voice haha), or ‘difficult’. But thats what Stryker are proud of. And they opely say it in that place.Sure the office culture is very very male driven, to some extent females are excluded (noticed this in many of the Asia pacific offices – even in the aus and Nz offices which you seem to have beenplaced (did I ever work with you ? But then I’m anonymous haha) In my time I saw blatant homophobia shown towards someone.he was excluded deliberately and not brought into that fold but the people there are proud of how they are. In that place talent is recognized far far more if you fit their straight white male (and aggressive) mold. If you don’t they won’t train you well (believe me that people are st up to fail)and you will be marked for extermination.
With you comment I was interested in what ya said about the psych testing – possibly the system is accidentally picking up ‘interesting haha people’ from society and shoving them in one room. Good luck navigating that one!
Those of you that are demonstrating a hostile attitude toward Stryker, probably have those feeling because they didn’t have what it takes to excel in this highly competitive industry. Like any job, if you don’t have the skills to do the job well, your experience will be negative. This job isn’t for everybody. It requires intelligence, dedication, perseverance, and an extremely competitive personality. Those of you that are successful with Stryker are the best of the best and any company would be drooling at the opportunity to have you on their team.
and Terrance Lynch is obviously a disgruntled ex Stryker rep. It’s cool Terrance, like I said in my previous post, ‘not everyone has what it takes’. Good luck with the insurance sales jig.
Bryan W – was shown this page by another Stryker person. Youre missing the point – its actually not about talent my friend – those who don’t fit into their rather shallow ideal (whoever anonymous d is is right) then they will do anything they can to undermine you. The place is actually a career wrecker for many so enter at your own peril. I really hope the head company steps in and does something because people who are narrow minded one dimensional, and who plain don’t know how to handle people seem to be doing well there. Your comment about the best of the best? Every company says that about themselves it’s just that Stryker is so deluded they actually think it.
My two yr career with stryker….two years i will never get back. never ever.
Some of the interesting comments on here are very very interesting indeed..
The place reeks … and badly….
It’s not about talent…………OOOOKAAYYY!
Fobby,
Sorry your Stryker Career didn’t work out. Like I said before, it’s not for everyone.
Some people are put into tough situations and do have terrible experiences, but that can really happen with any job. However, no one can argue that to be a successful orthopaedic rep takes a person that is incredibly dynamic. Of coarse all of you ex Stryker reps are disgruntled. Try and find a better fit for yourselves, and stop crying about it.
Bryan W – did you actually ready Fobbys comment correctly? The comment being made is that the place is a good ol boy network – if ya don’t fit into there physical mold it won’t work out for you. You should fit in from your well at Stryker bw – itsounds as if you just read and see things as you wish. When there are bad workplaces (and i mean very bad) they should be exposed so that good people will steer away
And Bryan W – you sound very protective of Stryker…very protective in fact…
As an objective viewer it sounds as if some folks don’t think very highly of Stryker! Sadly this levels with the general feedback myself and others have heard on the market with people being bullied for example. The challenge is with Stryker to fix this reputation! PS this site is starting to generate some interest (amongst us recruiters and position hunters) so would recommend this be fixed quick!
Yes Sydney, of course I did.
What I don’t understand is, what is really trying to be accomplished here?
Many of these comments are from disgruntled ex-Stryker reps that were not cut out for this type of job, whether it be Zimmer, Depuy, Stryker, Etc. These jobs are not for most people, but those who do excel are truly very talented. Those who have terrible experiences with the companies they worked for, obviously slander that company making erroneous comments because that’s what make people feel better.
Stryker doesn’t not have any plans on changing the types of people they are hiring. Why would they? Stryker is one of the only companies thriving in a depressed market. Their sales force is incredibly strong. Stryker has all candidates take a intense Gallup interview to ensure that everyone they hire has similar attributes and personalities. The don’t have any intention of changing and will never be at risk of finding people that would do anything to work for them. Stryker wants to be the fastest growing, most admired orthopedic company in the world and right now, they are.
Bryan W -’stryker will not change’. culture is one of bullying dude, and of a very discrim practise in some areas.That my friend is what people are trying to ‘accomplish’ that is to draw peoples attention to this. So if stryker won’t change abduction won’t do anything about this the i think customers etc need to know what sorta people theyr dealing with. Yes stryker people are obviously againaggressive by nature and its known from gallop they are looking for people who will win at any cost. Any cost. So the q has to be entertained ‘does stryker represent the collective characteristics of the industry’.The industry is an industry of compassion – and i really don’t know if stryker moving front that workable well. You can flip the figures any way you many but there are many healthcare comp doing well- and some better than stryker. So please don’t argue that only aggressive people do well in the industry.
also apologies for the odd inappropriate word in the above post. iphone fail. In a nutshell Bryan I think people need to be aware that they are dealing with a very ‘special’ culture if they want to join the company or work with it. There are many thngs there you wouldn’t find in other companies in terms of bullying etc. That’s all. Don’t wanna spar with you so promise this is my last post
So many freaking cry babies here wa wa wa one word for ya – losers! if ya don’t like stryker or the culture then obviously you are not good enough. go first.d yourself some second rate job then. And if you don’t like it then tough – we have a set culture, we know what demographic and type of person we want abduction we will not budge from that. That is why we are streets ahead of all compedition in the industry – the others only see our dust. We have better financials and better products and goodwill then all the others. From a Stryker Champion.
Isn’t it so embarrassing that Im a homosexual?
To whoever posted that previous entry under my name…ur pathetic. You just summed things up in one sarcastic and childish entry.
Worst. Employer. Ever.
WOW! I just interviewed for a position at Stryker today. After signing on to, preparing and practicing all I learned from Peggy McKee’s website and downloads. I worked hard to prepare for this interview and got great feedback from the recruiter. Now I feel apprehensive about accepting another interview or job offer if it comes around. I’m out of work and need a job badly and would prefer medical device sales. Bummed out and confused.
Dude, you may need work….I understand. but trust me mate that a lot of people in that charming place wanna get out. turnover is about 25 percent per year. They apply the Gallup test but internally a kinda sub culture has developed – and it’s not pretty. I’m wanting to get out bad ( my name isn’t Siobhan haha). The subculture is very much like wat others on this site described. if you are not male, white, hetero, macho etc it may be tough. It’s true that it’s discrimination. However the Gallup thing has been corrupted and if you don’t act that way at Stryker you’ll get the ‘well Stryker isn’t for everyone’ routine. It’s one thing to choose aggressive people, it’s another thing to start descriminating based on gender etc. it’s an odd place. There are people there who have only been there – it’s all they know – they seem confused when new starters are shaking their heads in amazement. They just don’t get how different Stryker is. Look dude, take it if you need the mullah but keep looking. Training , general communication, professionalism – all are very poor. I’ve seen people walked from that place cause they made a mistake in something they weren’t trained properly in. Thing is management won’t take responsibility. It’s always the employees fault. Sad thing is too that as the recruiter in charge of this page indicated, yes, sometimes other recruiters and healthcare professionals baulk a bit when they see Stryker on a cv as Stryker (as one person put it well) doesn’t necessarily represent the empathy, the compassion, and the charitable nature of the industry.
Been reading all the comments here and fed up. No one …that is no one has the right to tell us what to do, how to act, how to behave. WE will decide what type of person works for us, and WE will decide what we are going to be as a company. Stryker is a family and like all families…if you don’t fit in, you’re out. Yep people at Stryker don’t have skills in some ways. Yep we don’t necessarily have the girly people skills that others have…but suck it up princess. SUCK IT UP!!! If you are going to be offended by what people say then obviously Stryker isn’t for you. Im so sick of losers LOSERS! On this site telling us what to do! F—off princesses ! I used to offend people sure but at Stryker I don’t have that problem. It’s full of tough, meaty champions … And I would like to see myself as part of that mix. we are champions and Stryker is a champion. Respect that fact.
Wow. Kinda blown away by all the negative comments….I’m actually looking to get into medical device sales and Stryker is on my radar…
What other companies does anyone suggest getting into being green to medical sales?
Hi T – I’ve worked with Smith & Nephew as well as well as Zimmer (as well as Stryker).Both SM and Zimmer have strong cultures – would recommend both.Stryker has a highly strung way about it – wasn’t at all good for my health,but thats just me.
charlie you sound like a real douche. You have put me off ever applying to Stryker. ‘touch meaty champions like me’ , what a sad case you obviously are
Having worked for Stryker, small distributors and Synthes I felt it worthwhile to give some advice to anyone looking to join Stryker.
I had two years in Stryker, hitting my number in my first year and coming 3rd in the team second year but not hitting my number. Reason I left was a desire to change division to trauma and wanting the training Synthes provided.
Stryker employs very similar personality types which causes friction between work colleagues in competition with each other to stand out. For those that haven’t been through selection yet, you will be given a gallop profile test to complete which is a series of questions like, “are you resourceful, give a time in the last 3 months when you have been resourceful”. Your results of this test not only decide if you will be successful in getting a job, but will also determine how management see you. I was concerned in my role early on due to clashes with colleagues and spoke to my manager about it during a coaching session as felt it was going to effect career progression. I remember saying that I didnt think I was a fit for Stryker. My manager was pretty good at coaching and pointed out that I had the highest gallop score compared to team so I had nothing to worry about. I say this to emphasise the importance of this first gallop. Questions are all similar to the one I gave an example of. Just relax and try and give good examples from all parts of your life, present and distant past ensuring stuff from personal life and work life. Just thought of another question and my answer,
Gallop, “do you make back up plans?”
Me, “yes”
Gallop, “give me an example of a time you have had a back up plan in the last 3 weeks”
Me, “right now, I have an interview with Zimmer tomorrow”
I mention about conflicts, you’re going to have them if you work with Stryker. I had quite a few! My conflicts at the start were my own making, I had come from a small company and was pretty intimidated by the talent of those around me. I still had good ideas coming from a different background but probably came across as over confident and cocky which put some of the more experienced members of the teams backs up a bit. My approach was then just to keep my nose down and hit targets. Talking about targets though I did then still have a bit of a target on my head from some colleagues. I was set up for a big fall by a colleague. My manager, despite his very good abilities at coaching, had a pretty extreme temper reacted very quickly to a report from the colleague in question and exploded at me. I was on a “to be fired by the end of the day” list I’m pretty sure but was able to clear my name and show that I hadn’t done what I was being accused of.
That was probably the biggest set up, but there were others. Arguments are common, even with managers. My approach was to not be afraid to argue back. I even had an argument in front of my manager in front of his manager – sounds bad but was in the newsletter 2 months later for the good work I was doing. Arguments happen, but you’re judged on the work you do.
If you don’t work hard you won’t survive, if conflict upsets you deeply you won’t survive.
Despite the war zone like environment, Stryker has some brilliant qualities about it. Firstly the people. Taking the back stabbing, the dirty play, and conflicts aside – everyone in Stryker is an achiever. It’s a fast paced environment and being around such achieves brings out the motivation and focus in you too.
Secondly the organisation is very business savvy. Stryker want to win business more than any company I’ve come across before. Managers are very talented at working towards this business growth and will support you in what you need.
Pay – don’t need to say a lot, the rewards are there.
I think if anyone works for Stryker they will learn a lot about themselves, others and how to win business. It really is a fantastic proving ground and if you can stick it out a few years it will certainly help you in your career. I would ignore the comments from the recruiter that says she would never even look at a former Stryker employee as that is pretty uncommon. I hope if she reads this she has opened her mind a bit since writing that.
I hope that helps, sorry it went on a bit, just wanted to give a full picture. Good luck if you decide to join, make friends quick, work hard and watch your back.
One more point to add,
Bryan mentioned Stryker’s current logo/ambition – “to be the worlds fastest growing most admired medical device company”.
In my opinion this is probably their biggest problem and something I brought up in interviews summarising the reason I wanted to leave. A medical device company, whether orthopaedic or otherwise should be focused on the patient before anything else. Stryker have become fixated on growth which I don’t think will be good for business. If their focus was on improving patient care and outcome the growth would come.
And if you did your research you would find out that Stryker aren’t currently the fast growing and definately won’t be this year.
Having left Stryker quite a few months ago, I have found the comments on this site really quite interesting. My story is that I took a position with Stryker approximately 1 year ago and that position turned out to be radically different than the position discussed during interview. Additionally, I found the team dynamic to be really quite unusual. Rather than adding to the large volume of comments on this page with an essay (and I really do think a lot of comments are warranted – there are some very talented people at Stryker and I think they are being done a disservice by the reputation the company has in the market), can I just add that Strykers talk often doesn’t match its walk – for example, the initial interview process
Indicated that I would be trained up – quite thoroughly – with regard to the job (the position was very much a career change) Sadly, this didn’t turn out to be the case – my manager seemed to have great trouble communicating, and despite the job interview, he seemed to have great difficulty in understanding what my experience up to that point was. What I’m trying to say here is that Stryker, at least in my experience, is not a great learning opportunity – in other workplaces there is that degree of empathy whereby managers etc will at least tend to understand where their staff ‘are’ – and through good management will try to ensure their subordinates have the knowledge they need. The other thing (and maybe I am writing an essay!) is that yes, there is a great deal of BS – I used to find it interesting (and quite unprofessional) to watch the other person at my level praise the manager to his face, and then slag him off quite severely for his management style and general personality the minute he left the room.
Whilst these things separately may not seem dramatic, over time, and coupled with each other (and coupled with many of the things other people have noted here), it does have a very detrimental effect. Now Im not posting this to necessarily ‘have a go at Stryker’ – I just think it is something they must be very aware of, and I think it’s something that people considering joining Stryker must be aware of . As they say, ‘Stryker is not for everyone’.