Leverage Your Network to Break into Pharmaceutical SalesWritten by Ryan Stewart
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What do you do if your network does not contain any pharmaceutical sales representatives? Consider joining a pharmaceutical discussion board on web, attend job fairs and ask folks at pharmaceutical booth. Another option is to research Chamber of Commerce membership lists and if there are pharmaceutical members listed you may want to consider attending next Chamber Mixer. Most local Chambers of Commerce allow you to attend one free event, without being a member. This is a great way to build your network regardless of your career aspirations. Networking is a lot like pharma sales. Think about it, to set yourself apart from competition in sales, you take extra time to develop relationships with your customers, right? The same concepts apply to developing your pharmaceutical contacts. The little extra things you do to promote goodwill with your customers work when you are establishing and maintain your network. Send thank you notes if someone with a pharmaceutical career takes their time to speak with you or introduces you to a new contact. It is important to remember that most people really like to help their friends and when you solicit their advice and express your appreciation they are often willing to do a lot more to further your career or help you gain entry into competitive field of pharma sales.
Ryan Stewart is the Founder, Owner, and Administrator of first-class Pharmaceutical Sales Job Search Megasite PharmBoard.com http://www.pharmboard.com
| | Organize Your Job SearchWritten by Ryan Stewart
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* Space – Think of space you have to conduct your job search. If it is organized like an actual office, you will be more inclined to approach your job search in a professional frame of mind. The bare minimum you need is a comfortable chair, a desk or table devoted solely to your job search, a telephone and basic office materials; like notepaper, pens and highlighters. Of course, it is helpful if you have a computer and a fax machine. Other supplies that streamline your job search include: index cards, telephone directory, file folders and a calendar. Establish a filing system for each custom-tailored résumé you have. Consider having a separate file for each job you apply to that contains positing or advertisement, cover letter you sent, résumé submitted and copies of company information you have researched. This will make it easy to document any conversations on inside of manila folder and you can easily take that folder with you when you interview. * Contacts - A dynamic network of contacts is essential to any job search and successful career. Over course of a typical job search campaign you will speak with hundreds of people so it is important to keep track of them. This is useful during your search as well as later on in your career. A great way to manage your contacts is a simple card file. Be sure to get a business card for anyone with whom you meet and develop a standard information card for those you encounter over telephone or via e-mail. Track obvious information like name, title, address, telephone and fax number, but go one step further and track source of contact. Think of it like “6 degrees of separation” game. This is a great way to effortlessly expand your network. Be sure to develop a system that allows you to set up follow up reminders for meetings and telephone calls.You already know that searching for a new job can be both time consuming and overwhelming but being organized can help you manage your network, stay focused and maximize your available time. All these can lead to expanded opportunities, decreased frustration and perhaps a faster resolution to your job search!
Ryan Stewart is the Founder, Owner, & Administrator of the first-class Pharmaceutical Sales Job Search Megasite, PharmBoard.com. http://www.pharmboard.com
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