Hey all, I want a real evaluation of what it is like to work as a rep in Oncology for Amgen. I know the manager seems pretty laid back and supportive. So no concerns in who I would be working for as a manager. I currently like the products I sell and I have established credibility in my role, but the travel is excessive. The current role has a higher salary..15k higher, but no car and a nonexistent 401k. Overall, the total compensation package seems to be a wash. I am looking for someplace where I can be developed, have opportunities for advancement and a better work/life balance. My concerns are that it seems that with limited access (as everywhere in Oncology) its hard to grow things and Amgen is wanting double digit growth. I also get the Big Pharma feel which feels weighted in politics and monotony. I get the impression that there is a lot of activity for minimal reasons......are people just making up "work" a lot or is it simply a situation of limited access. The geography is small (much smaller) than my current position and I'm considering the switch for family life. Being gone 1 day compared to being gone multiple days a week. How happy are people in the Oncology side and what are the thoughts going forward. The pipeline looks to have plenty of possibilities as well as development of their own biosimilars....however there is a concern for RIF. What are thoughts for reps about my decision if I get the offer? Money is the same, home life would be increased, but seems like the job is limited. I am also concerned about lay offs and the emergency of biosimilars that could decimate territories.
cons: Your job will consist of checking boxes, spread sheets and compliance tests. Culture is depressing. Working in a pod. Crap leadership. Pros: 401k match Summer shut down
Stay away! It is the worst type of hell working here. I am interviewing to GET OUT OF HERE. I honestly can't understand why anyone stays. I LEFT A GREAT JOB to join what I thought was a great company. They DEGRADE and BEAT YOU UP mentally to where people look visibility aged and haggard after working here only a year or two. Compliance training is OUT OF CONTROL u have at least 1000 training modules so everyone is scared to even open their mouth or go to work in the morning. Actually ur better staying home bc if you actually try to do your job with any care they will ultimately find some small non significant way to fire you anyway. People drop like flies. RUN LIKE HELL or YOU WILL BE IN A LIVING HELL
LISTEN to this post!!! Well written comment on Amgen, the only thing that I would add is that it's much WORSE
Thank you everyone, I turned down my offer today. The info helped as well as the thousands of other entries on this site. Just too much to ignore, seems out of control.
So many people are interviewing to get out....the culture has never been so bad and 6 months from now looks worse......once the reach and frequency numbers are met and there is no improvement to sales, questions will need to be answered. We will then start the great contraction, and we will have completely duplicated the green team fiasco......Cheers ZS, you got paid both times.
If you came to a negative board like this for real career advice, you are not going to get a fair snapshot of what it's really like here. Unfortunately for you, this job is amazing for work/life balance. Territories are very small and access is not that great. So, you can leave late and get home early and still get your job done. I like it here but that's because my DM is motivating, sharp, and leaves me alone. If you work for a knowledgeable DM that gets oncology (which is some, not all managers here) you won't be micro-managed. Finally, if you want to be more than a rep, this place has a lot to offer. Amgen always works to promote their own people and there are so many opportunities. If you just want to be a rep for the rest of your career, there are probably a lot more lucrative companies where you could work in oncology. I could see where people that want to stay reps would not be happy here in the long term. A lot of things to consider, it really depends on what you want for your career and your family. In both of those areas (career development and work/life balance) Amgen wins.
You have a 1 in 10 shot of having a decent DM. 9/10 change of working for a nightmare. Pick your odds son.
This person is delusional ... The WORST part about Amgen is there are NO career advancement opportunities!
Sadly this is true. You want a promotion. No need to work hard. Play the game right and you will be rewarded.
