Pharmaceutical Sales in Columbus (houses, employment, university)

[dchamilton]

Anyone here involved in Pharmaceutical Sales? I'm looking to break into this industry, and from what I've learned thus far, it's easiest to get a job if you know someone in the industry.

So, if you, or anyone you know is involved with Pharmaceutical Sales, I'm interested in speaking with you to learn any advice you can give to get my foot in the door.

Thanks. I appreciate it.

[jmargaret]

You can't honestly be trying to get a job following advice from people on this forum! Please make better use of your time--find someone who is actually a pharm rep and spend a few days with him/her. Contact someone who is in the medical field--he/she will know of many med. sales reps. And move to somewhere that houses a higher number of drug companies and medical facilities--either East Coast or California--that's where the majority of those companies are located. Of course, someone on this forum is going to retort, "But we have OSU....." That's not the type of place I'm talking about.....and I do work in the field. Good luck in your job search.

[GeminiGal]

Originally Posted by jmargaret

. Of course, someone on this forum is going to retort, "But we have OSU....." That's not the type of place I'm talking about.....and I do work in the field. Good luck in your job search.

The OP had a question, and instead you ridicule then go into a bashing of Columbus.

[GeminiGal]

Originally Posted by dchamilton

Anyone here involved in Pharmaceutical Sales? I'm looking to break into this industry, and from what I've learned thus far, it's easiest to get a job if you know someone in the industry.

So, if you, or anyone you know is involved with Pharmaceutical Sales, I'm interested in speaking with you to learn any advice you can give to get my foot in the door.

Thanks. I appreciate it.

OP - it is all about who you know. I do know a few people that used to be sales reps for the industry. The one that I do know now says that it can be tough - many companies are merging (or have merged) and the healthcare crisis is also making it tough. If I were you, I'd find someone YOU know or a "friend of a friend" and get some advice, or maybe head over to the work / employment forum here on CD. Good luck!

[dchamilton]

Thanks GeminiGal. I appreciate it. I'm working on that, and I'm hoping it works. I'll check out the employment forum.

jmargaret: The reason I came to this forum to post was because I had seen a couple instances in other cities where people had posted about expressed interest in pharmaceutical sales and they received VERY helpful advice from some reps in the industry. They also made good contacts with those reps (from this forum) and were able to begin a networking relationship with those people. It seems that a big part of getting a job in pharma sales is all about WHO you know. Could it really be a bad thing for me to just ask? Sorry if I made you roll your eyes at my effort. I know I have the ability to be very successful in this field, but until I'm actually IN this field, I need to do what I can to get INTO this field.

Anyone else have anything to add for me? I'd appreciate it.

[jmargaret]

Although GeminiGal believes that Columbus is just wonderful for everyone, she is right in that many of the Big Pharm companies have merged and pharm sales jobs are not as plentiful as they used to be. The jobs are even harder to find than ever, and I would think that if you are seriously job-searching that a forum such as this is not a serious way to do it. You might want to try working in sales in other fields while you are searching for a pharma job. A science background is also a huge plus, even with sales positions. Biopharm is the future for the field--that's what I meant when I said to look in other areas of the country because central Ohio does not have much/any biotech. Even though I lived there for many years I had to commute long distances to work in the field, and I finally realized after many years that relocating was the best thing for me. You'll have to do alot of work, especially in this market, to break into the field and find what works for you.

[Zippy7fo]

I would look long and hard at pharm sales. Its not as glorious as people think.

-Right now their is a massive reform process that will impact how reps call on doctors.
-You only get 5-10 minutes to talk to a doctor before they blow you off
-Its really about looks not who you know. Many firms hire college cheerleaders with no practical experience or training. Why? Think about it for a sec..nice doctor who's been in the books most of his life and attractive female in need of his attention...
-Pipelines across the companies are looking bleak. Not as many new drugs are being developed right now...
-Very competitive, I think Pfizer cuts 10 percent of all underperofrmers every year..

University of Rutgers has a great MBA program for the pharmaceutical industry. I would look into that to advance your career past the sales force depending on your interests...

[Tenzo]

Columbus is great for Pharm sales.
It's booming
Just check yesterday's New York Times.

[zarmal]

From my experiences in pharma sales, I would totally agree with Zippy, except nowadays most stand up calls with doctors last about 15-30 seconds!

If you do have your heart set upon pharma sales avoid primary care sales and focus upon speciality care (biotech products ). I would disagree with Jmargaret as it may be easier to find a sales position in locations away from where the big pharma companies are located as they usually have more reps where they are located and sometimes do struggle to fill vacancies in other locations within the U.S.

Saying that, if i had to work in sales again it would not be within pharma, most of the big healthcare companies also have positions in medical devices, nutrition, animal health etc, these areas may be more rewarding in the long term.