And How They Can Make Your CV Amazing
Guest post by Andrew Arkley is the founder of PurpleCV
As a medical sales representative, you’re the link between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals. A day in your life can be full of unique challenges, but it is also a gratifying role. You need to be resilient, persistent and have incredible communication skills. But your daily routine means you develop some unique skills that will make your CV amazing.
Here are 10 challenges you likely tackle as a medical sales rep and how they can influence your CV:
Training
While you don’t necessarily need a medical or science-related degree to become a medical sales representative, training for the role is a crucial part of the process. Some companies will have prolonged training processes or require new hires to spend time shadowing an experienced rep before being allowed their own clients. You will need to develop product and medical knowledge alongside sales techniques.
CV benefits
Intensive training processes demonstrate resilience and dedication, two qualities that employers like to see. They need someone who will deal with problems in a non-defeatist manner. Demonstrating your intensive training will undoubtedly show this.
Work-Life Balance
Sales is an on-going process. You have to develop and maintain relationships with your clients; you can’t just take off once you’ve secured one deal and consider that a job done. Extra hours are standard, as are some evenings, and you will spend much time traveling between clients.
CV benefits
While there can often be an emphasis on creating good work-life balance, a CV that shows you have worked roles where this has been more difficult demonstrates dedication and perseverance. Your positive approach to your work will sit favorably with employers, who are always looking for someone they can count on.
Hefty Responsibilities
Over time, your client base will grow to rely on your expertise and knowledge, but this reliability comes with more responsibilities. The stakes can be high when you’re selling medical products; you could find yourself in the middle of a PR disaster if a piece of equipment or medicine doesn’t perform up to standard.
CV benefits
Responsibility is a valued skill in every workplace. An employer needs to know they can trust the judgment and expertise of their workers. Demonstrating your ability to handle responsibility will make your CV stand out.
Flexibility
With all the changes taking place in the healthcare industry, a successful medical sales rep needs to be able to adapt and be flexible to changing situations.
CV benefits
Workers who will step outside their comfort zone and learn new things will get more accomplished and take on more responsibilities. Employers recognize the importance of these traits.
Developing Skills Alongside Industry Developments
The necessary skills needed for a job can change rapidly. Like medical professionals, you need to be in-the-know about the newest products and latest research developments. Keeping up with all of this information can be a challenge.
CV benefits
Proactive learning is something that employers are always looking for. They don’t have time to spoon-feed their workers, so employees who are quick thinkers and highly-intuitive with a capacity to discover and learn will be an asset to their team.
Persuasion
Developing the skills needed to sell is crucial to success as a sales rep in any industry. You need to be able to persuade your clients that your company’s products can better satisfy their needs than your competitors’, and then agree on the terms and conditions of your sale.
CV benefits
A competent salesperson is undoubtedly a useful trait to have on your CV. It demonstrates your resilience, adaptability, and confidence; all traits that employers want.
Patience
Sales won’t always land. A good sales rep knows this. Still, they are patient and self-motivated enough to handle any setbacks that arise from the competition, changes in the industry, or healthcare professionals that won’t give you enough time to meet with them.
CV benefits:
A patient attitude and showing you are someone who doesn’t get demotivated by setbacks are traits that employers are looking for. Make sure you add specific examples to your CV.
Keeping Up with Legislation
To be successful, you need to be fully aware of current legislation and keep all your paperwork up-to-date. You must pay attention to any changes in the healthcare field that may affect you and your company.
CV benefits
A person who takes responsibility and is proactive can be an asset to the workplace. Employees who know how to be self-sufficient and actively engage with their field will out-shine other candidates.
Persistence
In sales, persistence can be the difference between making a sale or not. Having the confidence to follow through with a deal is what makes a successful medical sales representative.
CV benefits
Persistence shows confidence and a will to not give up. Persisting when faced with problems is critical in the modern workplace and demonstrates commitment.
Organizational Skills
Your role is packed with deadlines, meetings, reschedules, and client contact. Salespeople must be able to organize themselves efficiently and respond quickly when plans change at the last second.
CV benefits
Strong organizational skills are vital to pretty much every industry. From time-management to prioritizing tasks, employers will want people who can self-manage their schedules effectively.
As you can see, these ten daily challenges can not only help you become a better medical sales representative, but they can also make your CV, or resume, look great. When it comes to fine-tuning and enhancing your skills, learning to take on additional responsibilities, and even becoming more flexible when it comes to handling your day-to-day tasks, you’ll find that successful sales reps are able to do all of that and more. So, the only question is: do you have what it takes?
Andrew Arkley is the founder of PurpleCV – a professional CV writing platform. He is a UK employment law professional and has over 15 years of experience in the HR and recruitment industry.
