10 Quick Pharmaceutical Sales Interview Tips You Can Use to Land The Job Selling For Pharma Company

Seeing job opportunities selling for pharmaceutical companies? Need quick tips to excel in the interview when they call? 

Here are 10 quick pharmaceutical sales interview tips to help you succeed:

Hook them with your intro. Self-introduction is perhaps, the most wasted opportunity to impress the possible employer. Use this moment to hook them in. Impress them with the value you're bringing in when you are hired. It could be your experience, education, or both. It should answer the question, "What's in it for the company if I were hired?"

Do your homework. Don't get this wrong. Your homework here is your understanding of the pharmaceutical company you'll be working with. Take the time to look at the vision, mission, and anything related to the company. It's pretty simple these days when all you have to do is to go on the World Wide Web :)

Get connected online. This is optional, of course, but you can never tell when an opportunity will come knocking at your door. Many companies and recruiters turn to the Web to find candidates nowadays. It doesn't hurt to jump in and join them. Sign up with recruiters networks or online board jobs to be kept in the loop.

First impression count. Don't weigh down on the nitty-gritty. Polish your outlook - sleeve, slack, tie, be courteous from the moment you enter the office and stay focus. Impress, yes, but skip the makeup artist act.

Keep the stress level low. I've written about stress and how to keep it at bay. Do a quick search to see how to manage stress before, during and after your pharmaceutical sales interview.

Sharpen your soft skill. What are soft skills? In short, people skills. Learn how to communicate better with people. Perhaps, an excellent place to start is learning how to listen better. Skills of reading body language is not a bad idea either. The point is fine to tune your expertise in interacting with people. It will be useful now and later. You'll see.

Be truthful. Remember when I say that you want to impress future employee but keep the makeup artist act aside? I remember interviewing a candidate once, and in his effort to impress us with his array of companies he had worked for, he got tangled up with different roles that he played for each of them. In our eyes, he looks like a chump trying to force his story through. Not too impressive, if you asked me. So, be truthful. Show them what you capable of through solid education or experience. Leave out the false claim.

Promote yourself. Promote yourself ethically, of course. Don't act in a way that makes you look like a fool. Matched your capabilities, education, and experience with the job role you're applying. Show to the interviewer how you'll fit in, based on that. Sell your future employer your advantages and benefits, so to speak. But don't stoop too low like you're desperate for the job. It's never worth it.

Learn to ask the right question. Ask a question to discover what the pharma company aspires to. Link that to your competencies. Ask the details of requirements, attitude, knowledge, and skills needed to succeed with the role, and show your commitment to delivering them. Don't just ask about salary and insurance. There are more to the job than only those.

Thank them later. You can do this by sending a 'Thank You' note. You can call them then. You can also email them to show your appreciation. The point is, thanked them for giving you the opportunity. It's probable that hundreds were going for the job opening, but you were chosen for the interview, a step closer to getting in the door.

There you have it. Ten quick tips to help you excel in your pharmaceutical sales interview. And let me remind you; knowing is one thing, doing is another. What can you do today to implement ONE tip that you've learned?

(Article is inspired by Joel Brown, Addicted2Success.com )

Related reading: 

1. How to choose an ideal pharma company to work for?
2. Why Pharmaceutical company really hires you as a sales rep?