Interview Techniques for Pharmaceutical Reps
Pharmaceutical sales reps work for drug companies. Their main role is to distribute products and relevant informational materials about specific drugs to physicians, hospital nurses and medical technicians. As sales agents, pharmaceutical reps are trained to persuade doctors to prescribe more drugs developed by their employer. Candidates for pharmaceutical rep positions should prepare ahead of time for their interview, which generally involves at least two to three meetings with different hiring managers.
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Preparation
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Hiring managers will ask prospective candidates questions that are behavioral, hypothetical and open ended. The questions help interviewers assess an applicant's sales skills and knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry. Interview candidates for pharmaceutical rep jobs should prepare for their interview by researching their prospective employer and by learning about the pharmaceutical industry. The best way to learn about the ins and outs of a pharmaceutical rep career is by doing a preceptorship, also known as a "ride-along." A ride-along is a full day field experience with a veteran pharmaceutical rep.
The Interview
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Applicants who are invited to interview with a hiring manager for a pharmaceutical firm should be familiar with the company, its products and any new products that are in development. Specific information about pharmaceutical companies can be obtained online. Other sources include books, articles and newsletters. Behavioral questions are common for pharmaceutical rep positions. Behavioral questions are designed to evaluate a candidate's future work performance. Hiring managers often ask questions that help them to evaluate a candidate's self-confidence, critical thinking, teamwork skills and willingness to learn.
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Questions
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Interviewees for pharmaceutical rep positions should have sufficient sales experience and demonstrate their sales skills during the interview. An interview begins the minute a candidate walks through the door. A hiring manager looks for candidates who can increase a company's revenue and will ask questions like "what do you understand by selling?" Because pharmaceutical reps work as a team, a hiring manager will ask an interviewee questions related to his ability to work well with others. Hiring managers will also want to know about a candidate's communication and analytical skills.
Considerations
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College graduates who are interested in pharmaceutical rep jobs should consider applying for internship opportunities at one of the larger firms like Pfizer, Merck, Novartis and Johnson & Johnson. Candidates with extensive sales experience in advertising, marketing are ideal for pharmaceutical rep positions. Because pharmaceutical rep positions are highly competitive, interviewees must demonstrate why they should be selected for the position over others. This requires advance practice using various role playing techniques and crafting well thought out responses to commonly asked interview questions for pharmaceutical reps.
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References
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