Looking to break in am I making a mistake?

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Anonymous said:
I've been in real estate for the last 7 years; I have a brag book documenting my success, last 6 years of W-2's showing well over 100k in earnings per year, I should have my Napsrx cert done within a month and I'm only 20 units away from graduation with an overall GPA of 3.67. I'm in my early 30's, is it a mistake trying to break into Pharma sales?
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Please do not go into pharma sales. It is mind numbing.
 




There are alot of companies that are out there hiring. Yea, they did go through alot of restructuring based on changes in regulation, but pharma repping is still pretty lucrative. Just gotta get the right training to be successful. I found a pretty good job board at www.napsronline.org if that helps.
 




I agree. I took the CNPR Ceritification and it was definately a help in finding a position. Kinda sucks that NAPRx doesnt do placement (not sure why) but I did find the actual position I was hired in on the NAPRx job board. Always good to be employed!
 








The CNPR will just make you qualified for a pharmaceutical sales career. Most companies do look for the CNPR Certification from applicants but you must still interview well to get a job offer. It really does not matter if you take the CNPR at a college or not. The pharma companies will just ask for you CNPR # and they do verify it. Most colleges do offer the CNPR but some still do it online as well. I have heard that you can substitute a CphT if you have that.
 




I am studying the CNPR coursework now. I also ran into someone else on my campus that had the textbook etc....got me thinking sooo... my question is, how many reps are there per company AND per territory, and can anyone weigh in on how much they make in year 1?
 




Right now there are over 85,000 pharmaceutical sales reps in the U.S. Certainly companies will hire new sales reps when a new drug is being launched or if a patent is expiring and they try to promote the pharmacology value over a generic substitute. As per other healthcare fields the pharmaceutical industry continues to remain strong with stable hiring. Pharmaceutical sales reps also are one of the highest paid of all sales industries. Most reps will make over $100k annually.

It is recommended by pharmaceutical companies to gain industry knowledge before applying. Some of the posts above are not correct as industry knowledge and training is helpful and a pre-requisite for most companies. It does not make sense that industry vocational training would ever be viewed in negative way. The basic 2 attributes that company seek from applicants is sales ability and pharmacology industry knowledge. Certification to break into the field is available but make sure that the program you take is also available at colleges or universities. Looking to enter a career in the pharmaceutical industry is certainly a wise choice. Best of luck.
 








Anonymous said:
Right now there are over 85,000 pharmaceutical sales reps in the U.S. Certainly companies will hire new sales reps when a new drug is being launched or if a patent is expiring and they try to promote the pharmacology value over a generic substitute. As per other healthcare fields the pharmaceutical industry continues to remain strong with stable hiring. Pharmaceutical sales reps also are one of the highest paid of all sales industries. Most reps will make over $100k annually.

It is recommended by pharmaceutical companies to gain industry knowledge before applying. Some of the posts above are not correct as industry knowledge and training is helpful and a pre-requisite for most companies. It does not make sense that industry vocational training would ever be viewed in negative way. The basic 2 attributes that company seek from applicants is sales ability and pharmacology industry knowledge. Certification to break into the field is available but make sure that the program you take is also available at colleges or universities. Looking to enter a career in the pharmaceutical industry is certainly a wise choice. Best of luck.
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Disagree. As a rep who has been through several major companies in the last 10 years I will say it is a harardous road and especially now. Massive layoffs continue as major firms layoff highly educated and trained people in favor of the low paid contract work reps...Contractors are much lower trained and much lower paid and do not have the benefits in line with the major firms....It is a trend and will continue. Right now patents are expiring and new approvals are hard to get so less products are coming out......a good sales area people are turning to is IT that's technology and computer related hadware and software sales........many thousands of highly qualified pharma reps with the track record advanced degrees and and sales data to support their achievements are looking for jobs...and less and less new opportunities exist.........IT is one area many are looking into...pharma is not what it was 5 years ago....ps forget the "certification" I have never met anyone who had that in any job....and the 100K was possible after about a decade to 15 years of pharma experience, never early on......
 








If you get any kind of industry training it will only help you. Education or training is never perceived in a negative manner. If you are lacking pharmacology knowlege you should definetly get it whether it is CNPR, CphT, or AMS. As a pharmaceutical sales rep you job is to educate and detail the physician on the pharmacology behind the products. You will present pharmaeutical terminiology with the clinical research. Certifications will only qualify you for interviews and the rest is up to you as you must interview successfully to receive job offers.
 




I did go through the CNPR certification program. I do wish I paid less and took it online as opposed to taking it through UCF. YES it is a worthwhile program and YES you will learn the industry, but NO it does not guarantee you a job. As a matter fact, they told me that. Most people think that because they get a degree or certification or whatever means someone has to kiss your ass and give you a job. GET REAL AMERICA. Its education, not a gold ticket.
 




Been in eleven years in several big markets and don't know anyone nor have any of the thirty or forty partners I have had who got "vocational" training. Honestly, I'd be embarrassed to say I went that route. Take that time, effort, and resourcefulness to network, research, and bust your butt.
Is breaking in a mistake? Maybe, do your research and decide for yourself. This isn't the FBI, you can find out whatever information you seek.
 












I agree with the above posts. I read some of these blogs a while ago but went ahead and got CNPR certified. I am now getting somes interviews and my last interviewer said they were looking for CNPR certified sales professionals so it was one of the reasons they met with me.
 








Ok med reps I need your help...I just found this new interest in this perfession so I'm in need of feedback from current reps, and those who have taking the test but have not broke into the industry as yet! I don't have my bachelors degree as yet but I will in 4 month. I don't have a Cnpr certificate but I do have 14 years in the sales industry both b2b, c2b, and door to door. Ive applied for several jobs and I always receive calls back but as soon as they email me they ask for Cnpr or Cpht training #s. is it required? Is it pretty simple to take the test online through naprx? What is the interview process like if any different from a regular position? Are the leads generated or is it just face to face from hospital to dr. Office? What are the hours like? Can you maintain a good balance for your family life? Is the turn over really high? Average pay rate for 1styear reps? Is your credit score essential to obtaining a position? All your feedback is appreciated both negative and positives.
 




The CNPR or CphT are both industry recognized. I can tell you that they will provide candidates with the industry knowledge that pharmaceutical employers look for. They are certifications and not licenses. So you must understand that they will qualify you for pharmaceutical sales positions but not required by a State or Federal government. Typically, they are listed as a pre-requisite by pharmaceutical companies.

I hear mostly good things about these certifications. The negative comments come from people who think that these certifications will guarantee them a job. They can only help qualify them for a career in the business. They are meant to help those with limited background in pharmacology looking to enter a career in pharmaceutical sales. Having product and industry knowledge is essential when applying for pharmaceutical sales jobs.
 




I can tell you that the negative quotes of this blog have come from Clint Cora who has a competing service for pharma candidates. From my research, is he lives in Canada and provides career services for pharma reps but has gone out of business. Guess he did not know very much.

Really sad but most (over 80%) of the vulgar negative comments on blogs come from competitors according to the Internet leading website of reputation . com

I am sure that this certification that has been around for over 9 years, is available at over 300 universities and is recognized by many pharmaceutical companies is not a waste of time. It is a certification and not a license, this is where people may not understand. It is preferred by the industry but not a state or federal requirement.
 




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