Any suggestions for a new resume? Lifetime of pharma experience aint cutting it...

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Anonymous

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Was cut in the December 2010 bloodbath and I still haven't landed a decent good paying job.
I think all those years of pharma experience are hurting my resume - 17 to be exact! I've had interviews but the competition is FIERCE! Companies now are wanting that specific experience for the job so they can get up and running quickly. If you don't have that EXACT experience, then you won't make it past the 1st round of interviews.
Help! I'm almost ready to run out of unemployment and the health insurance from last year. I have a mortgage, kids, car payment, etc. My spouse works but it's not enough to cover all the bills once unemployment goes away. Any ideas for rearranging my resume so that I hopefully can get a job in this very very rough and tough job market out there? Thanks!
 




Re: Any suggestions for a new resume? Lifetime of pharma experience aint cutting it..

Anonymous said:
Was cut in the December 2010 bloodbath and I still haven't landed a decent good paying job.
I think all those years of pharma experience are hurting my resume - 17 to be exact! I've had interviews but the competition is FIERCE! Companies now are wanting that specific experience for the job so they can get up and running quickly. If you don't have that EXACT experience, then you won't make it past the 1st round of interviews.
Help! I'm almost ready to run out of unemployment and the health insurance from last year. I have a mortgage, kids, car payment, etc. My spouse works but it's not enough to cover all the bills once unemployment goes away. Any ideas for rearranging my resume so that I hopefully can get a job in this very very rough and tough job market out there? Thanks!
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Buy into a small business , use your home equity if you have to
Laundromat , dunkin donuts , subway , pizzeria , vending machines
janitorial svs , landscaping , get a partner
reach out to family members . Cast aside your corporate shackles
 




Re: Any suggestions for a new resume? Lifetime of pharma experience aint cutting it..

Are you looking for contract positions? There are many out there...yes the pay will be less but if this is what you want then you should look at those opportunities.
 




Re: Any suggestions for a new resume? Lifetime of pharma experience aint cutting it..

Number one get your resume prof. updated it will help, also get on linkedin network like crazy. Lastly look outside of medical it is shrinking. PA school an option secondary providers NP's PA's will explode in coming years and they make decent money.

Best of Luck==
 








Re: Any suggestions for a new resume? Lifetime of pharma experience aint cutting it..

I am in the same boat as the original post. I have had a very tough time even getting to the interview phase and have really tried hard to network with friends, family members, etc. the job market is tough and not many people are willing to consider middle-age applicants with one area of experience.
 




Re: Any suggestions for a new resume? Lifetime of pharma experience aint cutting it..

Anonymous; said:
Was cut in the December 2010 bloodbath and I still haven't landed a decent good paying job.
I think all those years of pharma experience are hurting my resume - 17 to be exact! I've had interviews but the competition is FIERCE! Companies now are wanting that specific experience for the job so they can get up and running quickly. If you don't have that EXACT experience, then you won't make it past the 1st round of interviews.
Help! I'm almost ready to run out of unemployment and the health insurance from last year. I have a mortgage, kids, car payment, etc. My spouse works but it's not enough to cover all the bills once unemployment goes away. Any ideas for rearranging my resume so that I hopefully can get a job in this very very rough and tough job market out there? Thanks!
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There is no doubt the market is tough. It sounds like you are getting interviews which means that your resume looks good to the hiring manager. With your 17 years of experience it may be the case that your previous salary may be much more than the current market is paying. You may have to say your salary was lower to match the positions that you are applying to.

As far as wanting specific experience that is something that you cannot control. You have to sell yourself and your transferable skills. Provide examples of how you quickly excelled in your territory. After 17 years you must of had different territory alignments, show that you quickly grew business in this new geography. With your experience you have launched tons of products, again provide examples of your quick start. Remember, you are applying for a sales position and the person that sells themselves and abilities the best in the interview will probably get the position. What is the likelihood that the territory that the hiring company has available is the exact territory that the chosen candidate had, calling on the same accounts, selling a product in that therapeutic class, in most cases not likely. Everyone accepting a new opportunity will have a learning curve. It is up to you to show the hiring manager that your learning curve is shorter than the rest. Also, you need to prove that you are a low risk hire. Use your tenure with previous companies to show loyalty especially if the opportunity is lower in pay as they may worry that you will jump ship for a higher paying job and may view this as a stop gap opportunity.

Lastly, stay positive, do not sound desperate for the position, be confident and let them know that after 17 years of success you have been afforded the luxury of being selective in your job search and are looking for the right opportunity. If you are looking at a CSO position let them know that you believe this is the future of pharma sales.

Best of luck to you and others facing these same set of challenges.

Best of luck to you.
 




Re: Any suggestions for a new resume? Lifetime of pharma experience aint cutting it..

agree with previous poster....you need to put the lowest salary you are willing to accept. LinkedIn is also a good idea. Recruiters look at LinkedIn.
 




Re: Any suggestions for a new resume? Lifetime of pharma experience aint cutting it..

Anonymous said:
Number one get your resume prof. updated it will help, also get on linkedin network like crazy. Lastly look outside of medical it is shrinking. PA school an option secondary providers NP's PA's will explode in coming years and they make decent money.

Great advice above. I went back to nursing school and I am currently working as an RN. I never have to worry about getting laid off by pharma again. I have job security and my work is extremely rewarding. Even in a depression/recession, people will still need healthcare no matter what.
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Re: Any suggestions for a new resume? Lifetime of pharma experience aint cutting it..

Unfortunatley the market is extremely difficult and the Pharma industry is dying a fast death. There are more than 8.5% unemployed in the US which is not an accurate count on the amount of people actually out of work or working a part-time jobs. WSJ had one study that was based on Dept of Labor studies that have 25 million men alone that are unemployed, under-employed or just stopped working. Many young women estimated 30% stopped looking and are going back to school. We are in a domestic and global recession which is only going to get worse. Europe, Asia, and our own economy are going to burst. To many debt bubbles like deficit spending and housing. Inflation Inflation. Gas going up and many more issues. If this helps, probably doing a career change is going to be the best bet if you can afford it. The jobs in demand are nursing, PA, NP, engineering(ALL) especially petrolium and chemical. Mechanicl and electrical are good. Computer science, computer engineering and MIS along with Logistics careers will be in high demand. These jobs require specific skills which is where the job market is unfortunatley going. Estimated 1.6 million computer careers in the next 5 yrs. It will be difficult to do if you have a family and bills to pay but I know some that are doing it. Its a personal decision depending on your situation. All I can say is stay away from pharma because this is going to continue for a long time. Most other sales jobs are a dime a dozen and are not stable. Does anyone really want to sell and work for Yellow Book or sell cars. Not me. Career change here we come. Severance is the tuition money.
 




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