If getting into medical sales is your goal, then there’s a number of things you can do in order to make that dream come true, even if you’re still in college or have just graduated.
How Students and New Grads Can Break into Medical Sales
Continue reading to find out what college students and those who have recently earned their degree can do to successfully break into the medical sales field.
Take Relevant Courses While in College
While a college degree isn’t a necessity when it comes to medical sales, most of those who want to get into the field find themselves taking college courses. Some end up with a degree in business or marketing, alongside a minor in biology. Other options include a pre-med path that requires a lot of classes in various sciences, including chemistry, as well as topics like human anatomy and physiology.
Earn a Master’s Degree
In areas where the medical sales field is highly competitive to get into, you’ll need an additional degree in order to get a leg up on everyone else applying for the job. This is where an MBA comes into play.
A Master’s in Business Administration can teach you many different things, from leadership to advanced sales and marketing techniques. As a result, it can be something that recruiters look for when they’re searching for new medical sales reps to add to their team.
Consider a Certificate Course
Of course, in some cases, you don’t need either a Bachelor’s degree or a Master’s degree to work in medical sales. You just need a certificate that satisfies many of the requirements. These certificate programs are designed to teach the most important parts of medical sales, from the medical terminology that you’ll need to the sales techniques that you’ll have to employ in order to reach out successfully to customers.
Not only can these certificate courses work well on their own, but some people choose to obtain a specialty certificate in medical sales on top of their Bachelor’s degree. For those who didn’t get to take enough pre-med or biology courses in college and only focused on the business side of things, an additional certification helps show potential employers that you have what it takes to be successful in the field.
Spend Time Interning
An internship can help you get your foot in the proverbial door and provide you with plenty of hands-on experience. Choose a local company that specializes in the same medical niche that you want to get into, such as biotech, medical devices or pharmaceuticals, and see if they have an internship program.
An alternative to this involves going to your college’s job placement assistance office and seeing if they have a list of related internships that are available. Your school might already have a relationship with one of your dream employers, and you might even be able to get college credit on top of that.
Network with Others in the Field
On top if interning, it’s important to get to know people who are currently working in the field that you wish to enter. Look for events that involve the medical sales field, such as conferences, relevant presentations and more. Attend them, and then spend some time getting to know the other people there. When it comes to finding a job in the field, the more people you know, the better.
Reach Out to a Medical Sales Rep
If you have any questions about the industry, use those networking skills to connect with someone already working in it. Having a mentor, even if it’s an unofficial mentorship, can be extremely beneficial.
Look up local people working in medical sales on LinkedIn, and then find someone willing to take the time to either meet with you or answer your questions. You’ll learn a lot more about the field this way and will have someone important in your networking corner.
Check Your Online Profiles
Many employers head straight to the internet after receiving a resume that interests them. This is done for two reasons. One, they want to make sure that the person who applied has a non-controversial set of social media accounts, and two, they want to see just how serious the person is about the medical sales field.
In order to meet both of these requirements, take the time to review your online profiles prior to applying. Remove any tweets, photos or status posts that could be seen as controversial, and beef up those profiles with plenty of information about the industry. The combination should be enough to make your application worth a second glance.
With these few simple tips, you’ll pave a path to success in medical sales and can enjoy a great start to your fruitful career in this exciting industry.
