Is It A Good Time To Apply For
Pharmaceutical Rep Jobs?

One of the questions often asked by individuals interested in pharmaceutical rep jobs is whether it is presently a good time to apply for such positions. Has the pharmaceutical industry reached a peak in hiring? Or is it in a slump? Well, the answer is it depends on each particular company. Each one goes through cycles where there seems to be growth in sales forces at times and then there are low periods when hiring freezes and even layoffs could occur. These depend largely on what's happening to the pharmaceutical company's main promoted drugs and those waiting to be launched.

Many companies have been caught without new drugs to launch when suddenly some of their original blockbuster drugs got genericized or pulled from the market due to other factors such as damaging side effects and serious safety issues. The drug Vioxx from Merck is such an example. Merck was forced to lay off many employees across different areas including sales departments which affected quite a few of their pharmaceutical reps. With nothing else new to promote, sales forces can be cut back. During launches of new drugs, it is the opposite with huge sales force expansions with many new positions to fill.

My stance on this is that if one wants to get become a pharmaceutical rep, it is important to get your name and face known to inside people such as pharmaceutical sales managers, especially well ahead of any hiring campaigns. This helps put you up front compared to the rest of the crowd and makes you a known entity before your competition. Sales managers would always prefer to hire known candidates with excellent skills and potential. If they already know you through previous meetings and referrals from others in the industry, your chances of getting hired during any sales force expansion will be much greater than if you just applied as an unknown at the time of pharmaceutical rep job postings.

So basically anytime is a good time to at least start networking with important contacts in the pharmaceutical industry whether companies are going through growth or slumps with their sales forces. When I was a sales manager, I always liked meeting any good potential candidates no matter what part of the cycle my company was in. You might not get a job right away but at least you will get your name out there in front of the people who can help you break into the industry. I always kept the high potential people on file and when it came time to fill pharmaceutical rep positions, they were always the first individuals to call.

I wrote “How To Get A Dream Job In Pharmaceutical Sales – Direct Inside Advice and Guidance from a Sales Manager” to help outsiders break into the industry. One of the most important chapters in the book is how and who to network with in the pharmaceutical industry so that you put yourself out in front of the right people. These are the people who can help you get your first pharmaceutical rep job.

Click on the link below for more useful tips and important information on pharmaceutical rep jobs.

To main page on how to get
pharmaceutical rep jobs

 

Video on Pharmaceutical Rep Careers