How can you show an employer you have a winning spirit in a medical sales interview?
Medical sales is about winning. In fact, just about every sales position is about winning. Winning the bid, winning the sale, winning the contract…it is all the same. In medical sales, you are always trying to win business for your employer. Though sometimes, even when you have done your best, your employer can change the sales goal making it more difficult for you to win. Medical sales is not for the faint at heart. There will be times you win and times you may lose, but a winning spirit is an important part of gaining an employer’s attention, both in pharmaceutical and medical sales. It is critical to show you have a winning spirit throughout the entire interview process.
The most obvious way is to show them your past accomplishments. Keep your awards or emails from past employers who have congratulated you on your successes.
The second way to show the employer you have a winning spirit is to discuss with them how you win? How did you get that last sale, contract, or deal? What do you do that may be different from other salespeople? Your uniqueness is important to highlight during the interview process. What will an employer get if they hire you? Will they get a proven sales professional with a history of succeeding in their past? Employers are looking for sales accomplishments that you can prove. In a world where references are more difficult to get, make it easy for them to see that you know how to do the job.
Another way you can show an employer you have a winning spirit is by how competitive you are throughout the interview process. Do you follow-up with the interviewer? Do you ask what the next step in the interview process will be? Do you show up prepared and dressed for success? Many employers believe that how you treat an interviewer and the interview process is likely how you will treat a potential customer and the sales process. Do you follow-up with a customer? Of course, you do! Do you continue to try to put a sales deal forward to win the sale? Of course, you do! It is no different during the interview process. Successful candidates will follow-up and try to keep the interview process moving forward.
Make the interviewer want to hire you for a pharmaceutical or medical sales position!
How do you make the interviewer want to hire you for a pharmaceutical or medical sales position?
Simplify the process for them as much as possible. Every manager I know wants to hire people that they do not have to micromanage. You can show the interviewer you are someone that prepares. Be ready to interview! Have reference letters and a list of references ready. If they ask you to give a presentation, fill out an application, fly across the country to meet the CEO, do it! Every part of the interview process is a test to see if you do what you say you are going to do. Being reliable starts during the interview process.
If you find that you are not that interested, then drop out of the process. Employers will respect you for it in the long run.
Global Edge Recruiting has a Career Center to help you learn more about medical sales and how to get a job in medical sales. For more information, visit out Frequently Asked Questions page. Visit our Medical Sales Jobs page to locate a medical sales job in your area.
Special thank you: Photo by Carl Heyerdahl on Unsplash