Job Responsibilities
90% spent on communicating drug properties, uses and benefits to
target medical practitioners with the objective of increasing
prescriptions for specific branded medications. Ten percent on
administrative activities such as uploading call details to the
company's server, communicating key field information to district
and regional management, communicating with sales counterparts
regarding information on commonly called on medical personnel,
conferences, meetings, and updating oneself on new product
information.
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Job Requirements
A college degree is the minimum qualifier for employment. A
science background, MBA, and or B2B experience is a plus.
Experienced or highly skilled representatives go up the career
ladder via two key areas; sales management or marketing. The
sales management route includes initial posting/promotion as
field sales trainer, specialist, or four levels of sales
representative positions (sales representative, senior sales
representative, territory manager, senior territory manager). The
latter two positions are managerial positions with perks and
salaries equivalent to that of a district manager. These
positions are for senior, highly skilled and experience
representatives who do not want to take on managerial
responsibilities. District managers are the first level sales
management positions. Generally DMs are picked from a roster of
product trainers who are posted in Chicago HQ. Trainers are thus
part of a pool of future DMs. Trainers can also move on to
marketing as product managers then move up the ladder in to
marketing management.
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Uppers
Meeting different people, not being desk bound, more schedule flexibility
(generally a minimum of ten doctor calls are required per day). Once a
representative has met his minimum target, he may opt to call it a day in the
field. Perks such as a company vehicle, bonuses, paid vacation, medical benefits,
401K, pension plan (minimum service of five years). It is also fulfilling to see
a prescription habit changed through your professional effort.
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Downers
Increasing administrative tasks, micro-managing if you have such
type boss, too many counterparts, worsening accessibility of MDs,
and fewer opportunities for career mobility.
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Lifestyle
Company promotes diversity with increased promotion opportunities for women and
minorities. Dress code is business attire (coat and tie for men and blazer and
skirts/pants for women. Working hours (an average of eight)in the field are from
8-4 or 9-5. Primary care reps work smaller territories of about 150 MD targets
while specialists target fewer MDs but travel greater distances. It is not rare
that specialists have two to three overnight travels a month.Overnight travel
entitles reps to company paid for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (including all
official travel related costs. Regional and area conferences occur at least
thrice a year. These include group dinners with socials.
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Compensation
Current base pay as senior representative is $77K plus bonus of
$20K-$30K. This is slightly beneath the upper quartile of the
industry. Depending on the company and location (state) entry
level salary starts at $55K. Other benefits have been discussed
previously.
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Advice to Jobseekers
To ensure a better prospect of being hired, have a good idea of
what the job entails. This may mean interviewing current pharma
reps and riding along with them. A previous selling experience is
valuable. Experience in pharma helps but it can also be an
albatross around the neck depending on what kind of previous
performance one gets. There are no specific personality types.
Interviewers try to uncover traits such as a passion for work,
ability to bounce back from multiple rejections, empathy,
listening skills, willingness to outgrow oneself, self-
independence, self-motivation, good organization, honesty,
ability to work in teams, and desire to succeed despite all odds.
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