While Healthcare Jobs Take a Hit, Sales Reps are in Demand - CareerAlley

While Healthcare Jobs Take a Hit, Sales Reps are in Demand - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Healthcares ability to maintain steady employment growth has been a ray of light during some tough economic times. Industry insiders were shocked, therefore, when the BLS reported healthcare suffered a 6,000 job hit in December 2013 and January 2014 after a decade of steady growth. At least one corner of the industry did not suffer from this dip in jobs: medical sales. On the contrary, according to a recent survey, the number of medical sales jobs posted online has grown by 16 percent compared to this time last year. Pharma and biotech jobs enjoyed the most growth, and though medical device job postings experienced a small drop due in part to the device excise tax, the job market is still strong overall. The takeaway? If you are looking for a new job in healthcare or have been considering a career change, now is an excellent time to apply for a job in medical sales. Here are some tips for starting the process to land the job of your dreams: To thine own self be true The first thing you should do after you make the decision to pursue a new job in medical sales is a bit of soul searching. What do you want out of a job? What kind of environment and culture suits you best? Do you have skills acquired from your current job or education you would like to cultivate in a new position? If you need some inspiration, consider a few of the many aspects sales reps love about their jobs. Some reps feel medical sales allows them to make a difference in peoples lives. Others enjoy the respect and autonomy of their position. And despite the fast paced nature of the job, many of the top companies are dedicated to the healthy work-life balance of their sales force. When you have built a list of the job attributes you value most, find out which companies are known for these qualities. If the idea of giving back to society is appealing to you, a position at Pfizer might just be up your alley. Like the idea of selling strong products with name-brand recognition? Perhaps you should consider Johnson Johnson or Medtronic. Let your fingers do the walking Once you have narrowed down your search to a few companies, its time to do some homework. You should become intimately familiar with each companys history, product line, and place in the industry. You should be able to ask hiring managers informed, interesting questions to display your knowledge of the business. Further, tailor your resume to fit each company you are applying to. Job listings will reveal the skills, qualities, and experience companies value most. Give yourself an advantage by fine-tuning your resume to suit each opportunity. Employers spend an average of six seconds looking at a resume. Make those six seconds count by painting the best picture possible of why youre a top candidate. Network selectively A mistake many job seekers make is flooding the Internet with their resume. They have profiles on all the social media platforms and job boards they can find. While this isnt necessarily detrimental in itself, it wastes time. Networking is a crucial step of the job search process, so focus on quality, not quantity. You should spend time on one or two social media platforms. LinkedIn should be on the list, as it will allow you to connect with medical industry insiders and keep current on the news and opportunities from your target companies. Finally, rather than posting your resume on every job board on the Internet, focus on niche boards. This will allow you to notice trends in the skills and experience employers are after, and will better prepare you for interviews when opportunities do come up. Always follow up Looking for a job in any industry requires ongoing communication with hiring managers and recruiters. One of the most important things to remember regarding these communications is you must always follow up. Even when you receive a brief email with bad news, your response should be polite and grateful for the time they took to address you. What does this do? It leaves doors open. Hiring managers and recruiters remember people who observe etiquette, and particularly gratitude. Some of them look at hundreds of resumes for one job opening, so it makes an impression when someone acknowledges the time they took to reach out to you. With jobs in medical sales on the rise, now is a great time to search for a new job. Employers are looking for driven, focused individuals who can channel their passion for the industry into profit. So decide what you want, find the companies who can offer it to you, and let them see you are the perfect candidate for their sales team. What do you think? What are you doing to land a new job in medical sales? Robyn Melhuish is the Communications Manager at MedReps.com, a job board which gives members access to the most sought after medical sales jobs and pharmaceutical sales jobs on the Web. Connect with Robyn and MedReps.com on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Joey Trebif