I’m going to be talking now about one of the most difficult steps in the process of becoming a
pharmaceutical sales or medical sales rep, and that’s the interview questions.
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Before I became a pharmaceutical sales rep, I didn’t have any idea how difficult was the process of becoming one,
especially because I was coming from a totally unrelated industry.
I have said this many times, if you approach getting a job in this industry in the same way that you’ve been doing it in other industries,
it’s not gonna work. You have to really prepare to this type of environment and interview process.
I remember that before I finally got my first job, I had to go through about 40 interviews, combining
phone screening and face-to-face interviews; and the reason for this was because I didn’t know
what I was doing, I was totally unprepared for those interviews and I had to learn all of that the
hard way, making mistakes, and that’s way it took me so long and I wasted a lot of opportunities
on the way because I didn’t know better.
I remember that the first time a recruiter called me for an interview, we were doing a phone screening,
and the recruiter hung up on me because, because my answers were horrible!
I don’t want you to go through the same pattern of frustration,
One of the key elements to avoid this is to get prepared for the interview questions.
Therefore, I’m going to talk about one of the most common interview questions that you’re going to get
and what would be the best way to answer that question. Almost in every single process that you’re going to be
in this industry , during the interview process you’re going to be asked: “Hey, tell me about yourself”.
The best way to answer this question is to use what is called the 30 seconds commercial. I use a template that
you can follow to answer that question. For instance in my case, I always say something like: “I am a sales rep
with the bulk of my career in pharmaceutical and medical sales; my most recent position was with DepoMed in Miami
where I was a calling one Pain Specialists and Neurologists, and my key strengths are: I am a powerful negotiator, and a
strong relationship builder”
Something like that. You may wan to keep it short, to the point, and most important: you want to practice that.
Well, now that we have covered one of the most common interview questions, let’s talk about the to the second
most common one, and that is: “Why should we hire you”?
You’re going to get this question probably as frequently as the first one, and you have to get it
prepared and solid. You have to be ready to say what separates you from the rest, what history
of success are you bringing to this company? what are the attributes that separates you
from the rest? What makes you really successful? and what are the real reasons why this company
should go for you and not for other person?
These are only just two examples of the most common questions that you’re going to get in the
process and believe me, it makes a huge difference when you’re prepared for them.
To help you in the process to becoming a pharmaceutical or medical sales rep, In my training videos I also include
a free bonus which is my collection of the interview questions that I have gathered in my career.
I started to notice that the interview questions were very similar once you go through so many interviews,
and I started to write them down so I could practice my answers.
I also consulted with some colleagues and some recruiters to make sure I didn’t miss any of the most important
questions that you’re going to be asked in the process so you can have the best preparation for the challenge of
becoming a pharmaceutical or medical sales rep.
It can be a challenge, like I said, if you’re not prepared, but once you know the steps, once you have the right preparation,
it’s going to be a lot faster and easy for you to get that dreamed job.
I hope this help, and I invite you keep checking my blog and my website, so you can learn more
about the process of becoming a pharmaceutical or medical sales rep.
