We will post the answer under
“The Recruiter Answers Your Questions” category.
© 2010 Normyle/Erstling All Rights Reserved.
This is something we are asked almost every day. While it is definitely not true of all medical device companies/hiring managers, there is certainly a lot of truth to it. Many device companies will eagerly hire a strong B-B (copiers, ADP, Cintas, etc.) rep, but won’t even interview a Pharm rep. The reputation of Pharm reps is not great.
The prevailing thoughts are:
1. They are not closing, getting purchase orders, but merely “detailing” and getting a vague promise to write more scripts.
2. They are not used to, or comfortable with, working on much more of a commission-oriented compensation plan. Pharm reps usually have high bases and small, capped bonuses. It’s just the opposite in medical device sales where the bases are pretty low (or even 100% commission!), but the commissions are typically uncapped and paid monthly on new and existing business.
3. Pharm reps are used to having a small territory and are frequently done with their day by 3:00 PM which, of course, is not usually the case in medical sales.
That being said (don’t shoot the messenger!), the Pharm reps that have the best chance of getting into medical device sales are those with only one Pharm company on their resume, have less than 3 years in Pharm, and used to be in an aggressive B-B direct sales position like ADP, Canon, Ricoh, or Pitney Bowes, etc. and profess their dislike for Pharm detailing.
© 2010 Normyle/Erstling All Rights Reserved.
Regarding counter offers, it is almost never a good idea to accept one!
The same issues that led you to look in the first place are most likely still there! Another $10,000 is not likely to really change your feelings about the job/company!
The NY Times ran an article a few years back stating that 70-80% of the people that accepted a counter offer were gone within 12 months!! You will never be considered a trusted, loyal employee again and sometimes they will start looking for your replacement soon after accepting the counter offer. You are just buying them time to find your replacement.
© 2010 Normyle/Erstling All Rights Reserved.
The best way to give notice is to ask to sit down with your immediate supervisor and just tell him/her straight out that you have accepted another position and will need to leave by a certain date. Don’t be negative; you are not so much leaving your current position as you are going to the new opportunity. Always try to leave on a positive note. It is a small industry and you never know when your paths may cross again, plus you will want to use them for a reference for years to come!
© 2010 Normyle/Erstling All Rights Reserved.
Sure! Be glad to. In order of importance:
1. CLOSE. You have to ask for the job, or at least for the next step in the process if a phone screen or only a first interview. Close hard and a few times. Show them that you are a sales rep! Lack of a good strong close is probably the #1 complaint we hear from hiring managers.
2. PREPARE. Often it is the candidate that has done the most research/work in preparation for the position that gets the job. Don’t just go on the company’s web site for info–everyone does that! Set yourself apart by going above and beyond in researching the opportunity and the company. The best thing you can do is actually going to Hospitals and/or Physician offices and speaking to the potential accounts. Find out what they think of the product, why they do or do not use it, and what would make them use it in the future. Again, the best prepared candidate, the one who has done the most homework/research frequently gets the job!
3. DRESS FOR SUCCESS! When in doubt, over-dress. You must look like the consummate professional and serious career-minded candidate.
4. BE PRECISE in your answers; don’t ramble.
5. BE POSITIVE! Don’t bad mouth previous company or manager. Always come across as you are trying to go towards something favorable/positive, not running away from something negative.
6. FOLLOW UP PROMPTLY! Get back to your recruiter within one hour and send a brief thank you note (e-mail is okay these days) to the interviewer later that day or night.
© 2010 Normyle/Erstling All Rights Reserved.
Location, Location, Relocation… Just like in Real Estate, location is sometimes the most important variable. Hiring Managers (our clients) usually strongly prefer local candidates with experience in the territory, contacts, knowledge of the accounts, and those who are easily/readily available to interview. We usually recommend that candidates who are trying to relo use a local address on the resume to reduce “sticker shock.” You could temporarily use a relative’s or friend’s address. However, even then you will still be at a competitive disadvantage to local candidates who are currently living/working in the territory. If you are trying to return back home it helps; at least they do not have to worry that you may get homesick, or not like your new city, or break up with your significant other and wish to relo again in a year. Remember, recruiters are typically only referring 2-4 of the very strongest candidates, and local candidates who are currently living/working in the territory are almost always perceived as stronger. Don’t even think about asking for financial assistance for the move.
© 2010 Normyle/Erstling All Rights Reserved.
That’s quite a broad-brush statement, but one that is heard often, so there must be some truth to it. You have to understand how recruiters work. We get probably 100-200 resumes and 50-100 phone calls from candidates a day, so it is virtually impossible to speak to, or reply back to, everyone. However, if a recruiter is currently working on an opportunity that you might be a good fit for, you can bet your last dollar that he or she will get back to you ASAP.
Keep in mind that recruiters work for the hiring company and not the candidate. It is the hiring company that is the client because they are paying us. Typically we are only looking for 2-4 superstar candidates for each position. Our job is to filter and select only those very few candidates that come closest to what the manager is ideally looking for. That is what they are paying us for! Rest assured that if we think we might have something for you in the future, we save your resume and will call you when we have identified a specific opportunity that seems like it might be a good fit!
That being said, we at the NORMYLE/ERSTLING Health Search Group probably only keep about 20% of the resumes we receive. If you have no outside sales experience or are not currently in outside sales, chances are you would never be a candidate for one of our client’s opportunities, so we would not return your call or save your resume. Time allows us to only contact those candidates that we might be able to help.
© 2010 Normyle/Erstling All Rights Reserved.
DON’T!!
Big Mistake to become voluntarily unemployed ever, but especially in this economy.
You are MUCH more marketable (especially to a recruiter) if you are currently working/selling. Many of our clients’ searches will only consider currently employed candidates. They feel that the best candidates are out there selling, not looking. It always a RED FLAG when someone says they just quit on their own without having another job first.
We ask candidates all the time why they left their last job and frequently hear: “that they have decided it was not the place for them, comp. plan changed, don’t like the manager, territory became too large, don’t like the direction of the company, blah, blah, blah…”
All fine and good reasons for looking–but not for leaving–until you find a new opportunity. Even in good times it can take 2-4 months to find a new job, and the longer you are out, the more difficult it becomes. A candidate who has not been working for 6 months is MUCH less marketable (at least for a recruiter) than a candidate who has only been unemployed a few weeks, but a currently employed candidate is the most marketable.
Keep working; stay employed whenever possible while looking/interviewing!!!!!
You are an outside sales rep! It’s not that hard to get away for the occasional interview!
© 2010 Normyle/Erstling All Rights Reserved.
You have all probably heard from your recruiter to get back to them immediately after the interview and wondered why, “What’s so important about providing the feedback?”
The truth is, there is nothing worse than having a hiring manager call us a few hours after the interview and ask, “So what did Sally think of the interview?” and we have to honestly reply that we don’t know because we have not heard from Sally yet.
It shows a complete lack of interest and/or poor follow up skills.
You should always get back to the recruiter as soon as possible (within an hour, if not immediately) after the interview. On the ride back to work is best.
© 2010 Normyle/Erstling All Rights Reserved.