Consultant Questionnaire - Steve Waller, PanMEDICA

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND IN THE INDUSTRY:- I have been working within the Pharmaceutical / Healthcare recruitment industry for about 5 years. WHAT CAN YOUR COMPANY DO FOR CANDIDATES THAT OTHERS CAN'T? PanMedica prides itself on really understanding our candidates, their needs and also the companies that we work with, we provide a personalised service and tailor make it to suit both candidates and clients alike. We have state of the art computer systems and this enables us to ensure a speedy recruitment process from start to finish. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR FIRST IN A CANDIDATE FOR A MEDICAL SALES REP POSITION? Commitment, if someone is committed to seeking a role either as a trainee or experienced Medical Representative they will demonstrate lots of the qualities we all seek as they will have gone the extra mile. For a trainee that means going out with a Medical representative, writing a report and researching a company thoroughly so they can genuinely tell you why they wish to work for that particular organisation. IS A QUALIFICATION IN LIFE SCIENCES A PRE-REQUISITE? No, not at all many of the best sales people don't necessarily have a life sciences degree !! The qualification pre-requisite is a MYTH !!! HOW DO YOU THINK THE ROLE OF THE MEDICAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE WILL CHANGE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS? The role of a Medical Representative is changing and will continue to change but one thing will always remain, products need to be sold, no matter who the customer within the NHS, PCO or GP they will need to understand new changes and developments in healthcare and the role of a medical rep is to do just this !! I feel Medical Representatives are moving more into Account Management, particularly in the more senior roles, but I think it will be interesting to see, ask me again in 5 years !!! HOW CAN UNDERGRADUATES IMPROVE THEIR CHANCES OF GETTING A MEDICAL REP POSITION? I think research is the key, prove it is what you want !! This needs to come across in communication by both written and verbal means. The first port of call is usually either over the phone or by a letter with a CV and maybe some research attached. These are all key factors to ensure are correct, no typo's, presentation and content are all vital. Make your job easier in selling yourself by putting the work in up front !! HOW CAN GRADUATES IMPROVE THEIR CHANCES OF GETTING A MEDICAL REP POSITION? Really do your homework and be ready to be asked for specific examples in your life which demonstrate key competencies as requested by the relevant client. Also try to put a good Brag file together with previous success's in, don't fill it with irrelevant information, whatever is in the file should be used at the interview. WHAT ARE THE COMMON MISTAKES THAT CANDIDATES MAKE? I believe that candidates will make many mistakes because selling yourself is a different skill to selling a product. My advice would be listen carefully and answer the question that you have been asked not what you want to get across, slow down and remember above all, YOU ARE THE PRODUCT !! SELL YOURSELF. WHAT IS THE SINGLE BEST PIECE OF CV ADVICE YOU WOULD OFFER POTENTIAL CANDIDATES? The best thing you can do with a cv is ensure it is spelt correctly and is presented well and is not complicated to navigate around. WHAT IS THE SINGLE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD OFFER POTENTIAL CANDIDATES? You are the product, sell yourself !!! WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU HAVE RECEIVED IN YOUR CAREER? There are no such words as 'Can't' or 'Won't', It can always be done you just have to find the way !! WHAT WEBSITES DO YOU RECOMMEND? www.panmedica.co.uk, www.pharmiweb.co.uk, WHAT BOOKS OR MAGAZINES DO YOU RECOMMEND? DT, GROCER, Pharmaceutical Field, Pharmaceutical Times, Pharmaceutical Marketing, Mims