Looking to break in am I making a mistake?

Clint Cora is an idiot. I am pretty sure he is doing something else now besides bloggin on this website.

I do have a CNPR manual for sale if someone wants to buy a used one. The program is very comprehensive and will certainly help you if you are looking to enter a career in pharmaceutical sales.

Email me at williamcoe9999@yahoo.com

 

Sure, it could help, but don't think it's a golden ticket or an Ivy League MBA. You have to leverage it to show your commitment, passion, and how it positively (using specific examples) separates you from other candidates. Have a sense of humility and desire to learn and demonstrate how the course or whatever it is fit in with your goals. Make sure you convey how open you are to the company's training.

 

I agree. The CNPR Certification will is certainly looked at very positively by the industry and company's but it is not equivalent to a degree. If you get the CNPR and some sales experience that should be enough to qualify for the interviews. You will definetly need to get additional training by the company as you need to no everything about their particular pharmaceutical products.

 

The grammar/syntax/spelling in the above sentence should tell you everything you need "to no" about whatever-the-fuck-training this r***** is touting.

Good Luck.

Your Friend,

"A Real Job In Med Device"

 

It's possible that everyone who has responded is right and wrong.
Educating yourself about the job requirements is always a big plus.

I've never seen a job posting require a CNPR certification-have you?

The key component that is being ignored here is that it's a SALES job you're applying for.
If you lack sales skills and the ability to articulate sales accomplishments during an interview the possibilities of getting hired decrease.
If you're going to spent time and money preparing yourself start with sales training courses. There are many nationally recognized programs available.
This demonstrates your ability to strategically approach and achieve a goal.

So to recap, you're right if you spend money to gain more sales skills-
you're wrong to listen to the CNPR promoters.
Spend your money where you'll get the best ROI

 

If you are a CNPR graduate go to www.astellas.com as they are hiring entry level reps.

 

I kept looking for that mention of the certification and guess what? It's not there.

http://www.candidatecare.com/srccsh/job.guid?_reqID=2000018175110&_cache=-4604326470183096879&x=63565

 

Lyle Bootman, the chairman of the commissioners and dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Arizona told The New York Times that the certification program has tremendous potential for changing the way reps interact with physicians.

 

The NAPRx is proud to announce its new recruitment advertising agreement with Astellas. Astellas is looking to fill many pharmaceutical sales positions nationally, so we encourage you to apply today. Go to www.napsronline.org

 

If anyone is looking for a pharmaceutical sales jobs I would apply to inVentiv as they are hiring for new pharmaceutical sales reps. Go to www.inventivhealth.com. And post your resume

 

I'm not crying scam but be aware of what you are getting into. I have been applying to entry level Pharmaceutical positions over the last 2 months. I have several years of sales and business development experience just looking to change industries. I had been contacted by several recruiters asking me questions and all of them asked if I have a CNPR certification and all of them have stated that employers will want to see that I have some sort of pharmacology training to go along with my sales experience. Logical for one to think that you should go pass the CNRP exam and continue to apply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So within 2 weeks of the last recruiter contacting me, I have passed the exam with a 90 and reapplied to those positions directly to the recruiter and applied to a hand full of other ENTRY LEVEL positions. Funny how I have not heard back from any of them! Food for thought I guess. I'm starting to think that its not worth the paper they printed my certificate on in terms of landing an interview.

 

I would not use a recruiter if I was entry level. I obtained my CNPR and applied directly to the companies and it worked for me. It may take a bit but with you industry training you are very qualified and valuable to the pharmaceutical sales industry. Recruiters charge a fee to the companies so if you apply on your own then the companies can avoid paying those placement fees to hire you. It is much more effective for you this way.

 

No, I have not completed any pharmaceutical sales training yet. It just makes sense that everyone can benefit from training, but the area I feel I would need training in the most is product knowledge. From what I see that is what CNPR Certification does for someone. To a large extent I think people who can sell things can sell things. What I mean is that if people are successful in selling one thing, they would likely be successful in selling another thing if they wanted to just as long as they get trainend on the product.

In order to sell something you have to be an effective communicator first. You also have to be knowledgeable about your product/service. I have always to be an effective communicator and knowledgeable about what I was trying to sell, under the most stressful of circumstances. So, while I have not had sales training for pharmaceuticals I am certainly going to enroll in the program ASAP, I am a fast learner and possess many of the skills I think that are necessary to excel in this field with the proper training.

 

I think the way that you get anyone to agree with you/buy from you is by communicating effectively and having superior product knowledge. The CNPR program is one of the best programs in the U.S. that provides effective and accredited education to work in pharmaceutical sales. It is crucial to properly understand a doctor's needs and use superior pharmacology product knowledge, along with effective communication to tell the doctor why a particular drug is better fit/more economical/more reliable. It is important to accentuate the positives of the pharmacology product compared to another product and try to minimize the negatives of my product.

The CNPR program is designed to all of this and is available at over 300 colleges. Please go to our website for more information, http://www.gatlineducation.com/pharmaceutical_sales_training.htm

 

Great program! I recommend it.

 

To all pharma job hunters reading this thread. 99% of the posts about the value of the NPRx are complete and total bullshit. It is not needed. Your best chance is to network. Do some more homework to determine if you really want to get into this highly unstable industry. You assholes posting all the fraudulent bs about needed a worthless certificate have no shame.

 

Any recommendations how to network with hiring managers/recruiters for a pharma position? I've been trying to get a foot in the door for months now and can't even get an interview. It's not from lack of education or experience either. It just seems like you need to know someone from the inside... but HOW?

 

First, please look at other types of sales. Pharma is a kiss of death on anyone's resume and you will NEVER be taken seriously by better sales positions. The industry is completely unstable, micromanaged and very difficult/stressful for anyone who wants to feel worthwhile and be treated like an adult.
Second, there are a glut of unemployed reps. Last I looked at stats, it was about 150,000 out of work reps who have experience. You are not going to win against them.
Third, look to real sales jobs in IT, engineering, construction, accounting or even industrial supplies. There are lots of jobs out there if you are willing to bust your butt and like that proverbial carrot on a stick. Pharma is a horrible choice.
Fourth and finally, if you are young (under 38) and only have to worry about yourself, go back to school and get a tech certification. The pharma industry is dying. HCPs have basically closed their doors to us and companies are going contract. A contract pharma position maybe pays 50k total. So, you can do better than that at many other jobs/industries.

If after reading this, you are still dying to get in, steer clear of big pharma unless you want to work for one of the contract organizations (Publicis, Ventiv. . . ), or can find a smaller company or even a device company. Look at the jobs that are open, join LinkedIn, do a search on there for that company and find someone who lives near you or IS a manager and send that person a PM from LInkedIn asking for their help to get an interview for the opening. Be prepared to discuss why you want to be in pharma and why that company/product.

 

I am a pharmaceutical sales rep and love it!!! These guys above are obviously not pharma reps.

 

This career selection offers an excellent salary and career advancement in the healthcare industry.