How does Novartis CP Chatter look to Prospective Employers?

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Anonymous

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As a regular reader and a sometimes contributor to CafePharma I have wondered about just how accurately does what we read in the Novartis threads represent what is going on and the people who are bashed.

Personally I can understand a lot of the anger and no doubt some of the people who are frequently criticized do cheat on time, spouses and are generally poor managers and reps. However I feel there has to be a lot of elements of libel being typed in these threads because everyone is safe hiding behind the pen name "Anonymous".

Beyond all of this, how does this look to prospective employers and recruiters? If I were a manager or director with another company and if I were bombarded with resumes from former Novartians for a sales position, I just might go to CafePharma to get a feel for how things were at Novartis. Seeing some of the very immature comments and downright vulgarity that seems to be a part of almost every thread, it would be a very big turnoff. There would be a good possibility that I would think - "Look elsewhere, stay clear of any former Novartis reps, they are immature, backstabbing, lazy, etc., etc."

Given that there will be another 1600 or so joining the 1400 that joined the ranks of the unemployed last year; does it make any sense to further ruin the chances of landing a job for the large majority of reps and managers that are good people and play by the rules and would never engage in some of the thread responses that we see here daily? I think not. If you have something constructive to add to the discussion, by all means state it. However if the end result of a post is to just pull everyone else down along with you, please just keep your fingers off the keyboard.

Barry Simon
Novartis Hospital Sales, 1997 -2010
Cancer Survivor (Total Remission, in case any of my Novartis friends want to know)
 






Thank you Barry! What a wonderful statement and how true. I have not visited cafepharma often and have rarely replied. The thing that kept me away was how offensive I found it to be the times I did visit. With so much going on in the company right now I have been curious as to what people are saying and I have come on a little more often. I have been at Novartis over 10 years. I, too, am a cancer survivor (6 years now) and doing well. I have seen good and bad at Novartis, but overall this is a really good gig. Sure there are things that are unfair, but there are so many advantages. For what we do there is no better paying job and the benefits we have to go along with everything else, I don't think we will ever find anywhere else. The job is not perfect, but there are few jobs that really are. The benefits we have received through the years are priceless...the children's programs we could attend, the doctors we knew to go to when we were ill, the private school tuition we could afford, the children we have put through college, the health care coverage for cancer...I know people who have children because Novartis paid for the in-vetro and the list goes on and on. Yeah, sometimes I get mad and frustrated and I understand others frustration as well. Overall this is a good place to be. We get so much even in a lay off. Many Americans find out they are let go one day and without a paycheck within a few weeks. When I tell people of the severance package at Novartis no one can believe how good it is. Some of it is required by law, but not all. I really hope to stay here. If I were able to stay here until I retire, I could have a good savings for retirement. If I have to leave, all of that is in jeopardy. Anyway, I appreciate what I have had through the years and the opportunities Novartis has provided me. On the other side, I do feel good about the job that I have done for Novartis in return. I think it works both ways. If I get to stay I will continue to do my best at the job. If I have to leave I know I will be okay, but I will miss what I have had.

Since I am still here I hesitate to put my name. I am not sure how upper management looks at cafepharma and as I said, I would like to stay. Thanks again for your candor. I wish you continued good health!
 












Anonymous said:
Thank you Barry! What a wonderful statement and how true. I have not visited cafepharma often and have rarely replied. The thing that kept me away was how offensive I found it to be the times I did visit. With so much going on in the company right now I have been curious as to what people are saying and I have come on a little more often. I have been at Novartis over 10 years. I, too, am a cancer survivor (6 years now) and doing well. I have seen good and bad at Novartis, but overall this is a really good gig. Sure there are things that are unfair, but there are so many advantages. For what we do there is no better paying job and the benefits we have to go along with everything else, I don't think we will ever find anywhere else. The job is not perfect, but there are few jobs that really are. The benefits we have received through the years are priceless...the children's programs we could attend, the doctors we knew to go to when we were ill, the private school tuition we could afford, the children we have put through college, the health care coverage for cancer...I know people who have children because Novartis paid for the in-vetro and the list goes on and on. Yeah, sometimes I get mad and frustrated and I understand others frustration as well. Overall this is a good place to be. We get so much even in a lay off. Many Americans find out they are let go one day and without a paycheck within a few weeks. When I tell people of the severance package at Novartis no one can believe how good it is. Some of it is required by law, but not all. I really hope to stay here. If I were able to stay here until I retire, I could have a good savings for retirement. If I have to leave, all of that is in jeopardy. Anyway, I appreciate what I have had through the years and the opportunities Novartis has provided me. On the other side, I do feel good about the job that I have done for Novartis in return. I think it works both ways. If I get to stay I will continue to do my best at the job. If I have to leave I know I will be okay, but I will miss what I have had.

Since I am still here I hesitate to put my name. I am not sure how upper management looks at cafepharma and as I said, I would like to stay. Thanks again for your candor. I wish you continued good health!
Click to expand...

Another attempt by HR to mitigate the ugly truth about what it is like here at Novartis.
 












Anonymous said:
Another attempt by HR to mitigate the ugly truth about what it is like here at Novartis.
Click to expand...

Unbelievable. No, my first post was not some sort of HR plot. I am who I said I was. "Retired" from Novartis with the layoff last year and now working as a "per diem" surgical case consultant for American Medical Systems.

Barry Simon
New Orleans, LA
 


















Barry, its a little naive to think that everything posted on here is from Novartis employees. I know our competitors and previously laid off reps with an axe to grind are posting a lot of it. I know one rep let go in Dec 2010 who is on Novartis board more than anyone. He posts all kinds of crazy stuff to get people fired up and then tells me about it.
 






You have a point berry. However, welcome to the world of social media. This format is not going away. In the coming years as facebook, twitter and bulletin boards grow, you will be able to get real time information on the workings of a company. Probably down to the department level. The younger employee's post everything about themselves.

A Company will no longer be able to present themselves one way to wall street and another way to the employees. We will not be able to be "one of the best places to work, for working mothers" Then turn around and pay women .70 on the dollar.

good companies will be rewarded by attracting the best talent, bad companies will be exposed. I think its a good thing! It shift the power just a little.

from beck
 






Anonymous said:
You have a point berry. However, welcome to the world of social media. This format is not going away. In the coming years as facebook, twitter and bulletin boards grow, you will be able to get real time information on the workings of a company. Probably down to the department level. The younger employee's post everything about themselves.

A Company will no longer be able to present themselves one way to wall street and another way to the employees. We will not be able to be "one of the best places to work, for working mothers" Then turn around and pay women .70 on the dollar.

good companies will be rewarded by attracting the best talent, bad companies will be exposed. I think its a good thing! It shift the power just a little.

from beck
Click to expand...

Bingo
 






I think if you look at every other company board you will see similar things especially if the company is about to have a layoff.
Novartis does have some good people but they also have alot of shady ones as well

I have been here many years as well and can honestly say I am very dissappointed as to what has become of the company. All the drugs that could have been and weren't and all the ones that were and are no longer. Someone needs to step up and be accountable for the mess we are in and please don't blame anyone in governement because if Novartis were really the place to be we all would not be in the mess we are in
 






Hi ,
I am a prospective employer & gee what I will do if I get a novartis resume
is sift through tens of thousands of posts from a company with 100,000 employees
cross check them with another 50,000 posts from other companies & see it I can't narrow it down & pin it on my candidate .

Good Gried get a clue

What a RETARDED thought
 






Anonymous said:
You have a point berry. However, welcome to the world of social media. This format is not going away. In the coming years as facebook, twitter and bulletin boards grow, you will be able to get real time information on the workings of a company. Probably down to the department level. The younger employee's post everything about themselves.

A Company will no longer be able to present themselves one way to wall street and another way to the employees. We will not be able to be "one of the best places to work, for working mothers" Then turn around and pay women .70 on the dollar.

good companies will be rewarded by attracting the best talent, bad companies will be exposed. I think its a good thing! It shift the power just a little.

from beck
Click to expand...

I agree with this post. You cannot sugar coat the truth so people can be more marketable on the job market or the company can look better to wall street investors and analyst's. The truth is the truth. For example: The truth is their are malicious pod mates who have gone out of their way to gossip and report people for minor infractions when they do more egregious things themselves. It is the hypocrisy that is absolutely awful. I have seen good,talented people hurt because of this and it only takes 1 awful pod mate to make it happen.

I have been fortunate in that I have not had a bad or unfair manager at Novartis. My experience with every manager I have had has been a good one and most other sales people are decent yet I have seen horrible, insecure pod mates do destructive things to others attempting to hurt their career.

The truth is to survive in this job, to meet the unrealistic metrics "Everyone" and I do mean "Everyone" has to lie and if they say they have never lied they are lying. This is the biggest problem with this dumbed down sales job. One example: While waiting in a doctors office I checked every call ever made on top targets in the entire system going back as far as the computer would let me and not one call showed a sample drop without a product detail. Why? I take that back I saw 1 yet then another call was entered right after showing a "detail only" for 2 products. So Why is this? because then the rep would not get credit for the call if products are not detailed. When metrics are off their job would be in jeopardy for low metrics. So that means their are many harmless lies to keep this ridiculous measurement going. That also means everyone's job is always on the line and if the finger is pointed no one would stand up to scrutiny.

This is no way to live. We won't even go into the order of the call or 2 product call entries when only 1 product was detailed the result, lies, harmless lies yet lies nonetheless. There are so many variations of examples too numerous to mention here yet this is the truth. You cannot sugar coat it.

For those who have gone out of their way to hurt people the hurt is all yours. I have seen people who have been affected go on to much better situations. The biggest and best payoff is at least they don't have to pretend to be nice to someone they know is a snake.

The good news is there is more nice people at Novartis than awful people yet I as I said it doesn't take a lot of people to create a bad situation. Here's hoping everyone finds what is right for them when this round of cuts is over.

So Barry while appreciate your call for pleasant chatter and I agree vulgar descriptions are not necessary, the truth is the truth and unfortunately it isn't always pleasant.
 






Anonymous said:
Barry, its a little naive to think that everything posted on here is from Novartis employees. I know our competitors and previously laid off reps with an axe to grind are posting a lot of it. I know one rep let go in Dec 2010 who is on Novartis board more than anyone. He posts all kinds of crazy stuff to get people fired up and then tells me about it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that dude needs to get a hobby. He's gotta be the one doing all those posts that talk about karma and backstabbers and vermin... Let me ask you, if it's the same guy, is he really that dumb or self important to think anyone with half a brain really takes him serious?
 






Anonymous said:
Yeah, that dude needs to get a hobby. He's gotta be the one doing all those posts that talk about karma and backstabbers and vermin... Let me ask you, if it's the same guy, is he really that dumb or self important to think anyone with half a brain really takes him serious?
Click to expand...

I have several hobbies that keep me occupied away from any stress related to work.

Regarding past posts....I have posted what I think most would find helpful, some posts about the details of "short term" disability which I had to use on 6 separate occasions as I was undergoing treatment and recovery from cancer. (I worked for the bulk of the 5 month period I was in chemotherapy. I had no choice, convert over to long term disability and you are separated from the company. I bet some of you did not know that.) I have also posted about the lease company owning company cars, not Novartis. This was in response to rumors that reps would be given cars upon separation. I have also posted a reminder to terminate your satellite radio contract if you are in a layoff group as Sirius/XM will give you a prorated refund. (I, unfortunately did not think to terminate my contract and I only found out about this when Sirius/XM tried to charge a credit card I no longer had, and they contacted me seven months after I was gone.)

Posts about karma, backstabbers and vermin; sorry not me. I have only posted when I thought something I had to say would be helpful. I wasn't raised to cast innuendo and to hide behind a mask.

The most important thing facing many of you today will be the challenge of finding not only a new job, but a new career. That should be the primary goal here. Sure, post helpful information regarding metrics, what is happening in a certain area and solid information about the "overtime lawsuit" payouts; some of the other stuff belongs in a prison yard.

Barry Simon
 






Anonymous said:
I have several hobbies that keep me occupied away from any stress related to work.

Regarding past posts....I have posted what I think most would find helpful, some posts about the details of "short term" disability which I had to use on 6 separate occasions as I was undergoing treatment and recovery from cancer. (I worked for the bulk of the 5 month period I was in chemotherapy. I had no choice, convert over to long term disability and you are separated from the company. I bet some of you did not know that.) I have also posted about the lease company owning company cars, not Novartis. This was in response to rumors that reps would be given cars upon separation. I have also posted a reminder to terminate your satellite radio contract if you are in a layoff group as Sirius/XM will give you a prorated refund. (I, unfortunately did not think to terminate my contract and I only found out about this when Sirius/XM tried to charge a credit card I no longer had, and they contacted me seven months after I was gone.)

Posts about karma, backstabbers and vermin; sorry not me. I have only posted when I thought something I had to say would be helpful. I wasn't raised to cast innuendo and to hide behind a mask.

The most important thing facing many of you today will be the challenge of finding not only a new job, but a new career. That should be the primary goal here. Sure, post helpful information regarding metrics, what is happening in a certain area and solid information about the "overtime lawsuit" payouts; some of the other stuff belongs in a prison yard.

Barry Simon
Click to expand...


This is cruel and sick, my Barry past away July 14 2010. I don't appreciate you using his name to prove a point. Disgusting.
 


















Anonymous said:
Some Barry Simon passed away on that date...not sure if it's the same...you can't tell whats true on this board.
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Yesterday afternoon I decided to change my user name from "Anonymous" to my real name. While I have done my part the process is still in the Moderation Que awaiting approval. I guess they just don't get that many people who want to give their real identity. I wanted to wait until that happened before I responded to the past several posts, but I can wait no longer for the Moderation Approval to run it's course, so here is my response -

Unfortunately several responses to my initial post that started this thread just confirm my (and others') feelings about some posters and responders to posts here on CafePharma. In short, you are doing no one any favors and your posts are not constructive at all. Essentially no one knows what to believe because of all the lies and falsehoods generated here. CafePharma should take heed and make anyone who wants to participate, participate using their real identity.

For those who know me, let me assure you that I am alive and well. I did not die in 2010 and the person who started that story pretending to be a widow is a real sick puppy. I will elaborate a bit more proving to all who know me, manager and rep alike who I am. For those who know me, feel free to call. Yes, I had a very serious bout with cancer and I have had surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. I have weathered the storm and I am in complete remission. I look well and I feel well.

I have had a 37 year career in a medically related field including almost 29 years in pharmaceuticals. I started with the "Novartis family" in late 1995 as part of the Innovex team that launched Lamisil. We worked under Sandoz management and most of us were rolled into Novartis when it came into formal existence on 1/1/97. I was a hospital rep for Novartis from 9/1/97 thru the layoff in late 2010, and was finally separated from the company on 2/7/11 (end of WARN Act period). In 2002 when the hospital division was shut down, I was a neuroscience specialist for 5 months and then a VA specialist for the next 1.5 years until the Hospital Division was brought back on 1/1/04.

Over the years my managers were (in order) - Matt Stillwell, Bill Stewart, Steve Griffith, Mark Joines, Charles Simmons, Bill Naro, Bill Hix, Barbara Rohde, Kurt Stuessi, Ron Pierson and Emilio Suster. All were good people and truly cared about their reps.

Now if someone here, for any reason, wants to throw more stones, knock yourself out, have at it! Don't know what purpose it may serve. I challenge you though - ask your spouse, ask your mom or dad, or your children to look over what you want to say before you hit "Post". See if they think it is a good idea. Have a nice day.

Barry Simon
Novartis alumni
New Orleans, LA
 






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