Jobs. Lately it seems there is no topic of greater public interest –creating jobs, cutting jobs, and of course, searching for jobs. But what exactly are job seekers looking for? The high unemployment rate might lead you to believe job seekers are desperate and willing to take anything that comes their way, but that’s not true for the medical sales job seekers on MedReps.com. A recent survey asked medical sales job seekers to identify what they’re looking for in their next employer, and respondents were very specific in the qualities they seek.

Company Qualities and Benefits

So what makes a healthcare company stand out as somewhere that medical sales and marketing professionals would like to work? A recent MedReps.com survey asked our community of medical sales professionals to rank the qualities most important to them in their ideal employer. A solid product offering was given the most weight, followed by strong financials.

Two out of three survey respondents reported that they are currently employed in healthcare sales or marketing. The qualities most important to these passive candidates were identical to those important to active job seekers, with a solid product offering by far the most important.

As it relates to corporate culture and employee growth, competitive commission structure and an emphasis on work-life balance were assigned the highest importance by active and passive job seekers alike. Promoting from within and the availability of job-related training, while important, were rarely ranked in the number one or two spots. Employee wellness initiatives and a company’s commitment to social responsibility were consistently ranked in the bottom two spots.

Company Sector

Of course, other factors influence which healthcare companies a medical sales job seeker considers ideal, starting with the candidate’s preference for the type of products they hope to sell. Professionals seeking positions as medical device reps wouldn’t nominate pharmaceutical companies as their ideal place to work, so in this regard, medical device companies had the edge in the MedReps.com survey.

Over half of all respondents said they are seeking a job with medical device companies or medical equipment companies. Pharmaceutical companies are preferred by 15% of respondents and 12% of respondents are seeking jobs with biotech or biopharma companies. The remaining respondents are seeking sales jobs in dental, laboratory/diagnostics, supplies/disposables, healthcare software, among others.

Company Size

When broken down by the top three product categories, Medtronic was the employer of choice for those pursuing medical device or equipment companies. Johnson & Johnson was the winner among those seeking sales jobs in both pharma and medical supplies/disposables. Amgen was the preferred employer for those seeking jobs with biotech or biopharma companies.

Company size may also be important to a candidate. In the MedReps.com survey, 56% of respondents said they preferred a medium-sized company (51-999 employees), however, the majority of survey respondents voted for companies on the Fortune 500 list as their ideal employer (rather than writing in a smaller company’s name). So it seems while professionals may like the idea of working for a medium-sized company, they are most attracted to the brand recognition and financial strength that’s found more often with large companies.

Conclusion

From small start-ups to industry giants, medical sales and marketing professionals can find sales jobs with a wide variety of healthcare companies. Having an ideal employer in mind can help a job seeker to focus their search, but they will need to be somewhat flexible as they evaluate opportunities. For hiring managers and recruiters, it is important to understand what the candidate is hoping to find with their next employer and to remember that the evaluation process goes both ways.

The struggling economy may have some job seekers feeling desperate, but for the top candidates on MedReps.com, opportunities abound!

Candidates, view healthcare sales jobs from top companies on MedReps.com.

Employers and Recruiters, find out how to post jobs for the MedReps community of industry professionals.

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