Recruitment Guidelines
Want
to be a Medical Representative?
Want to be a Medical Representative?
Do you know what the job is all about?
If so, and if you are really motivated to do
the job then you will be successful.
In order to get a job as a Medical Rep you
will have to demonstrate that you have done something to learn about the job
and that you are motivated to get out there to promote the company's products
to the medical profession. If you know a Medical Rep ask him/her to allow you
to spend the day with them and "shadow" him/her for at least one full
working day. If you don't know a Medical Rep then you will need to go to a local
surgery and ask the receptionist if they have business cards of any Medical
Reps. Phone the representatives up and ask them if you can meet for a chat and
possibly if you can accompany them on a typical working day. You want to find
out as much about the job as possible. The sort of thing to find out is:-
- How do you plan your day?
- How do you decide who to visit?
- What information does the company supply to help
planning?
- What are the different methods of getting to see
GPs?
- What was covered on your training course?
- Have you sat the ABPI exam?
- Find out what factors can effect doctors' prescribing
such as PCGs (Primary Care Groups).
Also, visit a few chemists, talk to Practice
Managers in local surgeries and ,if possible, talk to a friendly GP about being
a Medical Rep. All this information will be useful at your interviews.
Prospective employers will be looking for well
organised, self motivated people who can bounce back after being rejected by
numerous doctor's receptionists and who are capable of "Selling" their
products to doctors when they are given the opportunity.
[Top of Page]
CVs, Curriculum Vitae or Resumes
There is no universally accepted format for
your CV. The purpose of the CV is not get you the job but to get you an interview
and after the interview to remind the person who interviewed you of your positive
aspects .
To be effective the CV should be aimed at the
target organisation and job role. This means a single generalist CV is not likely
to be enough. The CV should highlight your achievements, skills or personality
and how they relate to the job you are applying for. It should answer the question
of why you should be considered for this role.
To decide what to include follow the following
tips:
- A well prepared CV adds to the credibility of its
contents, a professional document points to the ability to do a professional
job.
The
most common contents of a CV include:
- Personal Details
- Skills and Career Summary
- Key Achievements
- Career History
- Generally, the document should contain no more
than 2 pages. The first page should always include enough personal details
for a recruitment consultant or potential employer to contact you easily.
- Your CV should be honest and factual. Lying on
your CV is a waste of time and if you are caught out you will almost certainly
lose your job and put a dark shadow on your career.
- Your career history should commence with your current
or most recent job and work backwards.
- Where information clearly demonstrates your suitability
for the vacancy you are applying for, and enhances your chances of being short-listed,
include this information near the beginning of the CV and possibly mention
it in your cover letter.
- Typos and grammatical errors may mean that you
CV goes straight into the bin. No employer will want to hire someone who can't
be bothered to check their own work. Don't rely on the spell check to pick
up all the mistakes, read it over thoroughly several times.
- Start points with purposeful verbs such as achieved,
gained, learned, served, responsible for, arranged, encouraged etc.
- Ask a friend or relative to read your CV to check
it and offer suggestions. You may not like the suggestions but listen to them.
Your CV is intended for other people to read and not for you.
- Check with referees before you use their names.
Make sure you have their current address details and that they will give you
a positive reference. The best people to use for references are your current
or previous employers or a professor or lecturer at your college/university
- someone who knows you and is used to providing references.
- If you are sending a hard copy of your CV you should
use a good quality paper, typically 100 gms in weight. In most cased be conservative
and print your CV in black ink on white paper. (The CV may be photocopied
at the other end for distribution to relevant managers). Covering letters
should use identical stationery. Use standard typefaces such as Arial or Times
New Roman and do not use a type size less than 10pt. Careful use of bold type
can be very effective.If
you are sending your CV electronically you may like to send an extra copy
in ASCII or Plain Text Format
in case your original version proves difficult to open.
- All CVs should be sent with an accompanying letter
or email.
[Top of Page]
Covering Letters or Emails
The purpose of your "covering letter"
or "covering email" is exactly the same. They should do the following:
- Explain you reason for writing, i.e. to deliver
a CV as part of your job application.
- Specify the exact job for which you are applying
(mentioning company, position and any specific number or code for ease of
reference).
- Draw attention to those skills/experience/qualifications
on your CV which you think highlight your suitability for the job on offer.
- Sign off positively and confidently, in expectation
of a prompt reply, e.g. "I am really excited by this opportunity and
feel that I could make a real impact in this role. I look forward to hearing
from you soon."
- Be easy to read and not contain very long sentences.
Try and keep your sentences under 35 words in length (an old journalist's
rule of thumb). If you find yourself going over this divide what you are trying
to say into two or more sentences.
[Top of Page]
The Interview
This is a big subject that deserves a lot written
about it and , in fact, there have been many books written about it.
For the purposes of this section we will restrict
ourselves to some questions you should be prepared to answer, some you should
ask and, some common reasons for failing at interview.
Questions
- Why do you want to work in this field (job, company)?
- What do you know about this company?
- Describe a typical working day for a Medical Representative.
- How do you handle rejection?
- Do you prefer working with others or alone?
- Why did you go to xxxxxxxxxxxxx University?
- Why did you study xxxxxxxxxxxxx at university?
- What are your career goals for the next 5/10 years?
- Which two or three accomplishments have given you
the most satisfaction? Why?
- See this pen I'm holding? Sell it to me.
- How have you handled a major problem or crisis?
- What are your greatest strengths? Weaknesses?
- Tell me about your last manager.
- What questions would you like to ask me?
[Top of Page]
Questions to ask the interviewer
- How will I be measured............what are the
criteria?
- What are the opportunities in this job?
- How long has the position been open?
- How well is the company doing?
- How does the company compare with its competitors?
- What happens next......what is the next stage in
the selection process?
Reasons for failure at interview
Lateness or not showing up.
Poor personal appearance, poor grooming or
inappropriate attire.
Lack of confidence, poor eye contact.
Poor attitude - arrogant, "know it all"
or rude.
Lack of interest, no enthusiasm.
Unprepared for the interview.
Lack of knowledge of the company or the industry.
Inappropriate answers or questions.
Unrealistic goals or expectations.
Also, note that interviewers form impressions
of candidates very early on in the interview....usually in the first four minutes
of the interview (Primacy Effect) so you should take particular care of your
manner, comments and appearance right from the start.
Best of luck.
[Top of
Page]
