Having embarked on a career as a medical representative in 1987, I still reflect on the route that led me to the pharmaceutical industry. Being a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative doesn’t often appear in the list of careers that we aspire to as teenagers hence it is invariably something people come across coincidently. For me I spent five years in a hospital Biochemistry Dept completing post graduate studies and developing a strong clinical understanding of various diseases and illnesses. It was here I met Sales Representatives selling laboratory diagnostics and equipment which sparked an interest in sales (I have to admit to being initially impressed by the suit, car and perceived flexibility of their job). In fact what did appeal to me about a sales role was the inherent challenges working towards targets and ultimately being rewarded (bonus) and recognised for exceeding goals (working in the NHS could not fulfil that need) as well as selling products which genuinely make a difference to people’s lives.
Hence I started buying the New Scientist and Daily Telegraph; there was no internet job searching in those days! Quite quickly I secured two interviews for Laboratory Territory Manager positions before seeing an advertisement for Trainee Medical Representatives with a major pharmaceutical company.
Have to confess at that stage that pharmaceuticals was a bit of a mystery to me, but my Dad said that company was great (blue-chip), and there was a number to call to apply. Two interviews later, including being flown to head office, I was offered a GP/Hospital Representative position.
Looking back I do wonder how I got that job as these days we expect entry level candidates to know so much more about the day to day practicalities of the role, the NHS and how the business works. Clearly the company were looking for the basic ingredients which they could then train, develop and mould to reflect their values and culture in the eyes of their customers; GP, Nurses, Pharmacists, Consultants, Registrars, SHO etc.
Over twenty years later in a different NHS landscape I still believe this to be true so what are some of those basics;
Personal Qualities – An inner drive, self-starter, the ability to work on your own initiative, enthusiasm, can-do attitude, tenacity, the ability to problem solve, good interpersonal skills, the willingness as well as aptitude to learn.
Clinical Foundation – This means an interest in medicine, the ability to learn and apply technical information. You will need to communicate this knowledge to customers of all levels. ‘A’ level standard Biology should help with ABPI.
Business & Selling Skills – Understand you are there to increase sales; it is a sales job & not a promotional or educational position. Have a consultative selling style, i.e. probe to understand the customer needs and agenda before offering solutions. Key Account Management & Networking Skills. Understanding local NHS politics, targets, agenda and how these may impact on your business.
Clearly a lot of clinical and business skills can be taught as long as you have the right positive attitude. In summary I would describe the role of a Medical Sales Representative, whether that be GP, GP/Hospital, Hospital or Generics as the opportunity to run your own local business.
I have enjoyed a varied, challenging and satisfying career in the pharmaceutical industry. I also know others, who embarked on their career at the same time, who have had similar experiences and taken their careers in to different functions in the industry including: Marketing, Senior Sales Management, Training, Consultancy as well as others who are now Senior Representatives such as Hospital Specialist Representative or Healthcare Development Manager.
If this sparks an interest in you fantastic! To discuss your background and transferable skills then contact 20:20 Selection Ltd on 0845 026 2020 or visit www.2020selection.co.uk . We have current opportunities Nationwide with hot-spots in London, Kent, Sussex, Essex, Somerset, Wiltshire, East Anglia.
April 2010
Showing posts with label healthcare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthcare. Show all posts
Friday, 23 April 2010
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Redundancy: How to make this an opportunity
Redundancy in the pharmaceutical industry has been a recurring theme in November and December for the past three years or so; not the best time of year to be told you have no job. Yes the current global economic crisis has compounded matters but the affects we are seeing are more driven by the changing NHS, market access challenges, product pipelines and the drive for profitability.
So what do you need to do if you are told you are ‘on consultation’ or are actually redundant? Firstly do not panic. Then try not to take the news as personal, remember it is the job that is redundant, even if you feel unhappy about selection criteria for redundancy your HR Department will be ensuring that the process is fair and lawful.
It is normal to go through a whole raft of emotions which may include anger, relief, frustration, even sadness. The difficult aspects are often related to the fact that one day you had an interesting, respectable, well paid job with company car to suddenly being unemployed. Once you have digested this, and dealt with any immediate personal or financial implications, then please be positive so you use the situation as the opportunity it is to review your career goals and aspirations.
We know there are fewer jobs in medical/pharmaceutical sales than in the boom of 1995 – 2005 but the positive news is that roles are evolving, becoming more account management focused and often more specialist in nature presenting superb opportunities for strong sales professional to further develop their skills. It is fair to say that some people may see redundancy as a chance to move out of the sector, we are well trained by pharmaceutical companies and your transferable skills are marketable if you decide to explore that route.
Based on our experience there are some key tips which will be crucial in securing the right next position; you don’t want to jump in to a job if it’s not right. We do see too many people coming in six months post redundancy saying “I took my current job as I was redundant but realise now I took it because it was a job”; this doesn’t look good on a CV.
Ensure you have all the data/evidence you need to sell yourself at your next interview. Too many candidates claim the information has been lost or still on the company PC which has now gone back. If you are competing against someone else with a good Brag File you could miss out on that perfect job. Find all your sales data, business plans, appraisals, field visit report, examples of additional projects, formulary letters etc
Refer to this information when you are updating your CV; you need to have your CV as achievement focused as possible, these should be specific. Contact us (20:20 Selection Ltd) for advice
Find an agency that understands the industry and how best to sell your skills
Do not log your CV as open access on recruitment websites as you need to retain control of your personal information
Do keep a log of where you have sent your CV and track progress of your applications.
Consider how a Recruitment Consultant can help you prepare for interviews i.e. interview practice, presentations, attending assessment centres or just a sounding board
Be open to roles and companies you may not have heard of; there some interesting positions available.
Ensure you attend interviews you have committed to as it is a very small world.
Before an interview ensure you fully research the company and therapy area/products; the manager will expect you have done this as well as expect you can sell yourself for her/his specific position
Be prepared to work on feedback after an interview as it will help at second stage or if unsuccessful help for your next interview.
This is not an exhaustive list of tips but hopefully it may give you some help and/or inspiration. Getting the right job does take a lot of time but things can happen for a reason, even though you may not know the reason at this moment!
To discuss your own situation in more details contact our team on 0845 026 2020 or visit the website to view a selection of our current nationwide opportunities http://www.2020selection.co.uk/
So what do you need to do if you are told you are ‘on consultation’ or are actually redundant? Firstly do not panic. Then try not to take the news as personal, remember it is the job that is redundant, even if you feel unhappy about selection criteria for redundancy your HR Department will be ensuring that the process is fair and lawful.
It is normal to go through a whole raft of emotions which may include anger, relief, frustration, even sadness. The difficult aspects are often related to the fact that one day you had an interesting, respectable, well paid job with company car to suddenly being unemployed. Once you have digested this, and dealt with any immediate personal or financial implications, then please be positive so you use the situation as the opportunity it is to review your career goals and aspirations.
We know there are fewer jobs in medical/pharmaceutical sales than in the boom of 1995 – 2005 but the positive news is that roles are evolving, becoming more account management focused and often more specialist in nature presenting superb opportunities for strong sales professional to further develop their skills. It is fair to say that some people may see redundancy as a chance to move out of the sector, we are well trained by pharmaceutical companies and your transferable skills are marketable if you decide to explore that route.
Based on our experience there are some key tips which will be crucial in securing the right next position; you don’t want to jump in to a job if it’s not right. We do see too many people coming in six months post redundancy saying “I took my current job as I was redundant but realise now I took it because it was a job”; this doesn’t look good on a CV.
Ensure you have all the data/evidence you need to sell yourself at your next interview. Too many candidates claim the information has been lost or still on the company PC which has now gone back. If you are competing against someone else with a good Brag File you could miss out on that perfect job. Find all your sales data, business plans, appraisals, field visit report, examples of additional projects, formulary letters etc
Refer to this information when you are updating your CV; you need to have your CV as achievement focused as possible, these should be specific. Contact us (20:20 Selection Ltd) for advice
Find an agency that understands the industry and how best to sell your skills
Do not log your CV as open access on recruitment websites as you need to retain control of your personal information
Do keep a log of where you have sent your CV and track progress of your applications.
Consider how a Recruitment Consultant can help you prepare for interviews i.e. interview practice, presentations, attending assessment centres or just a sounding board
Be open to roles and companies you may not have heard of; there some interesting positions available.
Ensure you attend interviews you have committed to as it is a very small world.
Before an interview ensure you fully research the company and therapy area/products; the manager will expect you have done this as well as expect you can sell yourself for her/his specific position
Be prepared to work on feedback after an interview as it will help at second stage or if unsuccessful help for your next interview.
This is not an exhaustive list of tips but hopefully it may give you some help and/or inspiration. Getting the right job does take a lot of time but things can happen for a reason, even though you may not know the reason at this moment!
To discuss your own situation in more details contact our team on 0845 026 2020 or visit the website to view a selection of our current nationwide opportunities http://www.2020selection.co.uk/
Monday, 20 July 2009
Nurse Advisor roles in the pharmaceutical Industry
Have you ever seen a Nurse Advisor, a Clinical Specialist, a Clinical Support Specialist, or a Clinical Trainer post advertised in the RCN or on a jobsite and asked yourself - “That sounds interesting. What do these roles actually mean?”
As a general rule they are non-commercial, i.e. non-promotional roles that rely heavily upon the Clinical experience and expertise of a Nurse with relevant experience, interest and qualifications in a particular Clinical/Therapeutic area.
They all tend to be field based roles, so you will work from home and travel to GP surgeries, clinics, hospitals or PCT offices usually within your locality. Some overnight stays may be required occasionally and a degree of flexibility is a must. You will be required to work to very high standards in line with the ABPI code of conduct, and according to your company’s own stringent Standard Operating Procedures, but these roles tend to be very rewarding on a professional level and give you the satisfaction of having a high degree of autonomy when operating in the field.
Examples of the areas of expertise that these roles involve include: Diabetes, Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and Coronary Heart Disease. The role would normally involve working in just one of these areas.
Most Nurse Advisors (and similar) are employed directly by either Pharmaceutical companies or Healthcare and Device manufacturers. There are some companies who assemble teams of these Nurse Advisors and deploy them to carry out exactly those same kinds of role on behalf of a client (e.g. a Pharmaceutical company who manufactures an asthma inhaler) – these personnel are employed by the third party company rather than the Pharmaceutical Company. These ‘teams’ are becoming increasingly popular in this sector. There is little to choose between being employed by one or the other actually.
The roles themselves vary widely. Some examples include:
Managing health outcomes in Type II Diabetes including initiating patient on injecatble therapies
Asthma nurses- identifying patients with poorly controlled asthma
COPD nurses- running patient clinics and making treatment recommendations to their GP
Training hospital nurses on use of infusion systems
To apply for these roles you will need to be currently registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, hold diplomas in the relevant clinical/therapeutic area, ideally have a teaching qualification and have a minimum of five years post-registration experience. And, as the role involves driving you will need a current Full Driving Licence with no more than six points on it.
The roles will usually reward you with a package of between £25,000 to £40,000, plus corporate benefits such as a company car, private healthcare, company pension, mobile phone, laptop and many roles attract performance related bonuses too.
Many nurses who have entered the Pharmaceutical or Healthcare industry via this route have gone on to forge extremely successful and rewarding careers in the industry.
As a general rule they are non-commercial, i.e. non-promotional roles that rely heavily upon the Clinical experience and expertise of a Nurse with relevant experience, interest and qualifications in a particular Clinical/Therapeutic area.
They all tend to be field based roles, so you will work from home and travel to GP surgeries, clinics, hospitals or PCT offices usually within your locality. Some overnight stays may be required occasionally and a degree of flexibility is a must. You will be required to work to very high standards in line with the ABPI code of conduct, and according to your company’s own stringent Standard Operating Procedures, but these roles tend to be very rewarding on a professional level and give you the satisfaction of having a high degree of autonomy when operating in the field.
Examples of the areas of expertise that these roles involve include: Diabetes, Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and Coronary Heart Disease. The role would normally involve working in just one of these areas.
Most Nurse Advisors (and similar) are employed directly by either Pharmaceutical companies or Healthcare and Device manufacturers. There are some companies who assemble teams of these Nurse Advisors and deploy them to carry out exactly those same kinds of role on behalf of a client (e.g. a Pharmaceutical company who manufactures an asthma inhaler) – these personnel are employed by the third party company rather than the Pharmaceutical Company. These ‘teams’ are becoming increasingly popular in this sector. There is little to choose between being employed by one or the other actually.
The roles themselves vary widely. Some examples include:
Managing health outcomes in Type II Diabetes including initiating patient on injecatble therapies
Asthma nurses- identifying patients with poorly controlled asthma
COPD nurses- running patient clinics and making treatment recommendations to their GP
Training hospital nurses on use of infusion systems
To apply for these roles you will need to be currently registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, hold diplomas in the relevant clinical/therapeutic area, ideally have a teaching qualification and have a minimum of five years post-registration experience. And, as the role involves driving you will need a current Full Driving Licence with no more than six points on it.
The roles will usually reward you with a package of between £25,000 to £40,000, plus corporate benefits such as a company car, private healthcare, company pension, mobile phone, laptop and many roles attract performance related bonuses too.
Many nurses who have entered the Pharmaceutical or Healthcare industry via this route have gone on to forge extremely successful and rewarding careers in the industry.
Friday, 5 June 2009
20:20 Selection in 'On Target' Publication
Realising the 20:20 vision
Healthcare recruitment consultancy 20:20 Selection Ltd is expanding with new premises and two new staff members.
Managing Director Karen Forshaw commented: “We have always considered it essential that the working environment should add value to our core function of recruiting for the pharmaceutical and medical industry. In our new location we are better prepared to address the challenges ahead.”
Managing Director Karen Forshaw commented: “We have always considered it essential that the working environment should add value to our core function of recruiting for the pharmaceutical and medical industry. In our new location we are better prepared to address the challenges ahead.”
New Recruitment Consultant Sarah Taylor has worked in the Sales and Marketing department of a private hospital, and has recruitment experience from earlier roles. She said: “20:20 Selection Ltd is a leading player in a fast-paced industry, with a unique team ethos focused on delighting the customer. It was these key features that attracted me to the company and I am delighted to be part of its success story.”
Sarah Byrom joins as Recruitment Administrator, having previously been a Recruitment Assistant for a computer game company. “Working in recruitment requires efficient and effective administration support,” she said. “I understand the importance of a slick programme which ultimately benefits our most important asset, the customer.”
http://www.ontargetmag.com/article.aspx?issueID=140&articleID=1065
New Service at 2020 Selection Ltd
2009 sees the introduction of WebCam technology at 20:20 Selection Ltd making interviewing and coaching more convenient for you!
Our new building offers many sophisticated facilities such as a state of the art Conference and Meeting room complete with an interaction video link from which clients can communicate and maximise their busy working schedules.
We feel the benefits of video link is endless, it offers clients in the field, the opportunity to attend important board meetings in real time, and allows prospective candidates the opportunity of having direct dialogue with our consultants when they are unable to travel to our offices for interview.
Contact us on 0845 026 2020 to learn more about how we coach our candidates and the latest vacancies in the medical industry.
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