Organize Your Job SearchWritten by Ryan Stewart
Every successful pharmaceutical sales job search requires two basic elements: time and organization. All other components are secondary. If you are organized , you will find more time to conduct a full-scale job search. The rule of thumb in todays economy is that it takes 1 month of job searching for every $10,000 of target salary before you get an offer. As with all rules, this can vary depending on your location, target industry and other factors; but no matter how long your job search will take, getting organized before you begin will ultimately save you time and energy.So, what is best way to organize your campaign? Initially, you need to take a personal inventory on specifics of your search. To start, you should: * Identify your skills and experience. What are you looking for in your next position? What issues do you need to consider (commute, travel, childcare, etc). * Locate and begin researching your target market. Are you searching by pharmaceutical companies or within a geographic area? * Prepare your career portfolio materials, such as your résumé, generic or posting-specific cover letter s, professional biography, brag book , etc. After determining direction of your job search campaign, you should ensure you have an organized approach to 3 major areas. Follow these initial steps to effectively organize your job search efforts: * Time - Determine how much time each week you can realistically devote to your search. You will need to build in time to search for, read and apply for advertised positions, but you also need to make sure you allow time to continue your networking efforts, write follow-up correspondence, following up on leads and visiting any employment professionals; like recruiting agencies. Be sure to work within your natural energy patterns if possible. Most people have a preference for time they make telephone calls or search job boards so try to build this into your day. It is also helpful to tackle your least favorite tasks first thing each day to get them out of way. Try keeping a time log that tracks time you spend on certain activities. This can be an effective tool if you find that you are struggling to stay on task.
| | The Importance of Your Elevator SpeechWritten by Ryan Stewart
You may be trying to get a job as a pharmaceutical sales representative or you may be an experienced rep and looking for a new opportunity. You have done your research on latest industry news, you have had your résumé updated by a professional and you bought a new interview suit. You are ready, right? Wrong. You have forgotten a very important component in your pharmaceutical job search.Remember that every career design should have following basic tools: * Résumé * Career Portfolio (a.k.a. Brag Book), including your proven sales results and any awards, recognition, etc. * List of pharmaceutical companies that meet your needs for an employer * A networking program, including your elevator speech Since 80% of jobs filled today are never advertised, a networking program is essential to success and an elevator speech is a vital part of that program. An elevator speech is a brief speech that describes your experience and what you can bring to a potential employer. It serves as a verbal advertisement that illustrates your value in a concise and memorable manner. An elevator speech gets its name from fact that it should be short enough (under 30 seconds) to tell someone on an elevator. It should be easy for you to remember at anytime, whether you are relaxed or nervous, and must include attention-grabbing information. While exact content is up to you, be sure you include following: * Your name * Area of expertise * Attention-grabber that speaks to need of listener Here are two actual elevator speeches. Which one do you think gets best results? “Hi. I am Caroline Cross, a pharmaceutical rep for Sandoz. I have a Bachelors degree in chemistry and a Masters degree is biology. I am looking to join a company where I can advance my career and eventually work my way into management” “My name is Chris Stanley and I generated a 30% increase in territory sales over past 6 months. Additionally, I developed a new product projection matrix that has increased product diversification among our client physicians by 15% over a 2 month time period. My ultimate goal is to use my industry knowledge to increase profitability of a cutting-edge organization.”
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