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Pharmaceutical Sales Career Information
Minimum qualifications for pharmaceutical sales:
- Education: 4 year degree [Note: certification is NOT required or even “preferred” and no certification program is approved by the pharmaceutical industry]
- Clean driving record
- Articulate and able to learn and communicate complex information
Essential personal characteristics for pharmaceutical sales:
- Self motivation
- Strong organizational skills
- Self-confidence
General requirements (usually required):
- B2B (business to business) sales OR medical industry experience (in some cases a background in nursing or other health care experience is as good as or preferred to sales experience)
- Proven record of achievement/accomplishment
Rules of thumb:
- Too much experience can work against you
- Job hopping is a negative
- Being currently employed is a plus and some companies will not talk to you if you are not currently employed
Special Circumstances:
Hiring preferences depend largely on the district manager doing the interviewing (your future direct superior). While professional qualifications tend to remain fairly consistent for pharmaceutical sales, every manager looks for different things on a personal level. The final cut comes down to a professional decision combined with a personal choice.
- Returning to work after children - some pharmaceutical managers are accepting, even appreciative of a parent returning to a career after raising children. With others you can forget it. If you have the appropriate qualifications, you might make it into pharmaceutical sales even if you've been out of the workforce a while, but plan on a lengthy search. Count on a year & don't get discouraged! Use the time to research & make contacts in the pharmaceutical/medical industry.
- Technical industry: job hopping - If you have been in the technical (or similarly changing) industry, your resume may have some job hops in it. Understandable that in such a volatile industry, you may have had no choice in your career transitions due to downsizing, etc. Some pharmaceutical companies/managers will not consider a candidate who has had too many jobs - regardless of the reason. Your best bet if you are in this situation is to network extensively. Your chances will be better for getting an initial interview.
- No sales experience/recent graduate - Most pharmaceutical companies require some outside sales experience, and managers will even tell you to go get the experience and apply again after you have it. There are a few pharmaceutical companies that will hire sales representatives right out of college or with limited professional experience (no sales experience). Your goal in the interview is to illustrate why you will be a better long-term hire than the next person - who has experience (find out how to do that in the Interview Survival Guide for Pharmaceutical Sales or sign up for a Tele-class).
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