You met the most amazing medical sales candidate. Their potential was obvious and they’re determined to work for your company. Maybe you met them during a career fair or even at the airport in the security line.
There’s just one issue — you have no open role for this candidate. Staying connected is one option. But what if they find a new opportunity by the time a spot opens up at your company?
Sometimes, it just isn’t worth the risk. There are those once-in-a-lifetime candidates who deserve a spot on your medical sales team, whether you have a current opening or not. Of course, creating a role always comes with a risk. So, you have to be positive they’re worth it before moving forward and going to bat for them.
Here are four signs you’ve found a medical sales rep star and it’s time to create a role for them:
1. They’re already behind the company’s mission
Medical sales roles are all about the company’s mission. You can have a team of top-rated sales reps who have a proven track record for sales. However, if they don’t believe in the company’s goals, they’ll leave for other opportunities or never reach their full potential.
Candidates who have a pre-existent connection to the products and the overall mission behind them are worthy of a role. These are the people who simply ‘get it.’ No matter what position they start in, they have the passion to propel your company into a successful future. Even more, their connection to the company will boost morale for increased productivity and teamwork.
2. They have undeniable soft skills
Talent acquisition pros realize the power of soft skills and they’re forever changing the future of work. In fact, an incredible 92% say soft skills matter as much or more than hard skills. Why? Because they believe soft skills are increasingly important to company success.
Medical sales professionals with the power of soft skills need the opportunity to prove their worth. These candidates may not have the exact product knowledge or experience in medical sales, directly, but they know how to make connections. If you’ve found a candidate with a combination of these soft skills, consider finding a place for them before competitors find them:
- Empathetic
- Relationship-building skills with all personalities
- Love for collaboration
- Critical/strategic thinking on the spot
- Natural storyteller
- Strong listener
If they have these attributes, product knowledge, tech skills, and other hard skills will come quickly and easily with focused training.
3. They come highly recommended by a sales team member
Internal referrals are one of your most powerful recruitment tools. Your current medical sales team knows the company culture, sales team expectations, and the traits of a successful sales rep.
Don’t let your company advocates’ recommendations go to waste. You may not have their referral’s ideal position currently open, but there’s space to create a role elsewhere at the moment. You’ll benefit from gaining a top new employee and showing your team you value their referrals.
4. They’ve already proven their worth
Sometimes medical sales candidates are already part of your company. They’ve proven their dedication, are passionate about the products, and feel it’s time to move on in their career.
These are the candidates you really can’t afford to lose. Mostly because losing them as a sales candidate also means potentially losing a quality employee.
When a current employee comes to you with a request to join the sales team, assess their potential as a sales team member. If their potential as a sales rep is high and they’re already a dedicated employee, find room on your team. This could be in the form of a full-time role or a hybrid role where they perform both their current duties and function as part of the sales team.
