How to Become a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
A pharmaceutical sales career can be very rewarding. It is a rapidly growing industry due to the development and demand for new drugs in the healthcare market. There are hundreds of pharmaceutical companies seeking representatives to help market their product. A career in pharmaceutical sales pays very well, may require some traveling and requires industry education along with product knowledge.
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Instructions
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Get a college education. Most companies will only consider looking at your resume if you have a Bachelor's degree in business, marketing or a related field.
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Seek industry training and education. There are several accredited pharmaceutical sales training programs available. This will help applicants who have no previous pharmaceutical sales experience. Such programs focus on industry sales training, product knowledge, medical terminology, FDA regulations and specific laws regarding the industry.
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Network with others. Once you have received the appropriate education and training network with others in the industry. Talk to other representatives and build a relationship. This can lead to a referral for an open position.You may also want to seek the help of a recruiter.
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Get some experience in sales. If you have never worked in a sales or customer service position before, you may want to build this experience first. Many pharmaceutical companies do not want to train a representative in sales or customer service; they want an applicant to already have that skill and experience.
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Tips & Warnings
Specialized training will increase your chances of being hired with a pharmaceutical company. Most recruiters seek applicants with pharmacology and science education.
The National Association of Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives offers an accredited training program.
