Inquiring minds want to know, and no minds are more inquiring than those about to hire you. Rest assured, you will be investigated. As a rule of thumb, the better the job and the higher the pay, the tougher the screening process. If you are up for a good job at a visible company, your references and past employers will be checked in great detail. Your list of references is simply the beginning of the investigation a prospective employer will conduct.

When a prospective employer has completed the first round of interviews and you are among the top candidates, its next logical step is to check your references and interview those individuals to whom you reported. Are you certain these individuals will seal the deal for you, or will they blow it away? If you are like most people, you probably haven’t given your references much thought. Instead, you have focused on your resume, interviewing skills, networking, and what to wear to the interview. Now the focus shifts.
Your biggest concern should be the quality of your references and recommendations from past employers, because they can make or break your chances. About half of all references that get checked range from mediocre to poor, so it is very possible that the great job you lost out on at the last moment had nothing to do with your skill level. It could have had more to do with what a reference or past employer said about you. So, if you are concerned that someone, somewhere, might be giving you a bum rap, you are probably right. That’s a frightening scenario when your livelihood is at stake.

Here is a sampling of the damaging comments HR people and line managers hear when they check references:

• “Our company policy prohibits us saying anything. We can only verify dates of employment and title.” Then the reference goes on to say something like, “Check his references very, very carefully.”

•  “Are you certain he gave my name as a reference?”
•  “After we settle our lawsuit…”
•   “Let me see what the paperwork says I am able to give out regarding _______.”
•    “Is he still in this field?”

References and past employers won’t call and warn you that they are not going to be complimentary. The reference situation is ever changing and therefore very volatile because of shifting company policies (not that many employees choose to follow them anyway), new employees in HR departments, new laws governing references, and company liability for giving references.

You are well advised to take more control of your career momentum by finding out what every potential reference will say about you. If the odds hold, as they will, those references will range from stellar to negative; yet when you know what someone is going to say about you, you can pass on your best references with greater confidence. You will also have the opportunity to stop references from saying things that are not true or inaccurate.

Increasing Your Chances of a Good Reference. Here are some general rules of thumb to maximize the tone and accuracy of your references.

1. Make sure your records are correct. Occasionally an interviewee looks bad because his former HR department did not have the same job date and title information in his file as he did on his resume. Data entry or communications errors are not unusual, so check with your HR department to ensure that their records correspond to yours. Conflicting data will be perceived as a big negative to a prospective employer.

2. Maintain active and positive relationships with your references. Stay in touch over the phone or over coffee. Keep the reference up-to-date about your progress, and make sure you have the most up-to-date information about them. If the reference’s title (or name) has changed, or if they’ve left their position and you’ve provided old information to the prospective employer, it doesn’t look good.

3. Advise a reference about an important opportunity. To avoid burning out your references, you don’t need to call about every single job opportunity. However, if a particular position is very important to you, call the reference and give them details about what the company may be looking for.

4. Know reporting relationships. Even though you’ve given the senior vice president’s name as a reference, the prospective employer may resort to calling the director you reported to because she can’t reach the senior VP. Even though you have not given that person’s name as a reference, it is on the application that you probably filled out. You may want to advise your former boss about the potential for a reference check and explain what the company is looking for.

5. Know your company’s policy. Although federal law restricts reference information, some states now allow more extensive disclosure. Know which regulations and policies govern your company. In addition, be aware that some employees will break company policy. Make sure that works in your favor by checking with references to gain an understanding of what they might say.

6. Don’t rely on relatives or letters of recommendation. You are well advised not to let Uncle John regale a prospective employer about your antics as a youth. Also, although letters of recommendation can be helpful, information such as titles and even names can change over time. Make sure that the information on your letter of recommendation is correct by contacting the reference periodically.

7. Use a reference-checking service. If you want help in providing good references or if you find that you are losing too many opportunities after several interviews with an organization, you might want to commission a professional reference-checking service. Check to ensure that the service has the professional and legal personnel that can develop a strategic use of your references. Typical service fees range from $59 to $99 per reference checked, depending on level of job position being sought.

For the past 14 years, JobReferences.com, an Allison & Taylor Reference Checking, Inc. company, has been assisting job seekers in determining the quality of their references. Founded by Heidi Allison, President of SOCRATES, this company has been featured in Glamour, New Woman, Worth, NBEW, Detroit News and St. Petersburg Times. Allison & Taylor is headquartered in Rochester, MI. We have a sound management team and an exceptionally well trained and motivated staff of loyal professionals committed to performing this service at the highest level. For additional information on this crucial service, call Heidi M. Allison, Managing Director, at 800 651 2460 or visit their comprehensive web site at www.jobreferences.com.

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In an ideal situation, you bring your 30-60-90-day plan to the interview and “wow” the hiring manager when you bring it out and present it during your conversation.  You ask the hiring manager for input during the interview, and in your follow-up thank you note, you should attach your sales plan with the changes that the hiring manager suggested. 

Less than ideal, but better than nothing:  you don’t get a chance to present your 30-60-90-day plan during the interview, but you realize that thank you notes can be second chances.  Either you attach your sales plan to your thank you note (which points out how the information you gained during the interview is included), or you put a shortened version of a 30-60-90-day plan in the body of the note if you think he might not open the attachment. 

What if you can’t even get the interview?

If you can’t even secure an interview, this might be a good time to e-mail your 30-60-90-day sales plan to the hiring manager with the subject heading of:

“This is how I can help your company”

Or

“Here’s my plan for increasing your sales”

You get the drift…

This is an attention-grabber.  It’s a way to entice the hiring manager into meeting with you.  You’ve probably already sent your resume, which hasn’t helped, so it’s another opportunity for contact with out seeming annoying.  Showing what you can do for the manager and the company from the first few days of employment is powerful, and has a decent chance of securing a meeting. 

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Follow up phone calls can only get you so far.  What you need are the right keywords on your resume.

The right keywords on your resume will flag you in a search.  So, if you are looking for a management position in a diagnostics sales force (and you aren’t currently in that position or your company has some wacky title system), you need to consider putting a list of keywords across the bottom of your resume that would show up when a recruiter runs a keyword search on their ATS (Applicant Tracking System).  For example:  “regional sales manager,” “clinical diagnostics”, “sales”, “management”, etc. would be a good place to start.

If you’re interested in going into Surgical Sales (and aren’t there now), you may want to add “OR”, “operating room”, “surgical”, “surgeon”, “physician”, and so on.  Get the idea?  You might ask how a recruiter would view this addition to your resume…I can tell you that I appreciate innovative ways that candidates separate themselves from the pack!

For more extensive resume help, as well as an experienced recruiter’s advice on cover letters, references, brag books, technology sheets, and 30/60/90-day sales plans, click here.

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Aaron Stahl e-mailed me recently to bring my attention to his website (www.e-shadow.com) that prints interviews with people who work in particular fields.  He’s got one with a medical device sales rep and one with a pharmaceutical sales rep.  There’s some very candid, what’s-a-typical-day-like information, as well as advice on what steps you can take to enter this field…like taking a few classes in anatomy and physiology or medical terminology if your background is not in science.  They also point out how hard it is to get your foot in the door…the pharmaceutical sales rep says that it took him over a year to get hired because of the heavy competition.  All the more reason to have The Medical Sales Recruiter on your side!  (if I could do Superman music here, I would)

Want more help from the Medical Sales Recruiter?  Try audio coaching–this product covers every aspect of your bid to get a great job in medical sales, from how to build your resume with the proper keywords, to which documents to bring to the interview (like a brag book, a technology sheet, and a 30/60/90-day sales plan).

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(Want to find out more about how to successfully transfer to medical sales?  See How to Get Into Medical Sales – Volume I:  The Documents.  Audio coaching from Peggy McKee will help you understand why medical sales is a great place to be, and how to use the samples and templates provided for resumes and cover letters, technology sheets, brag books, and 30/60/90-day plans.  These are the things that will help you “wow” interviewers.)

And why do I think that almost any area of medical sales (imaging sales, pathology sales, clinical diagnostics sales, research lab sales, medical device sales) is better than pharma sales?  The one area of medical sales that does tend to be tied to the economy is pharmaceutical sales.  Fortune magazine had an article recently on layoffs in pharma sales.  Also, there are perception issues with pharma reps that don’t affect, say, research or clinical sales reps (which I also discuss in the podcast).  Medical schools even have a few issues with pharma reps.

Gabcast! Peggy McKee – the medical sales recruiter… #2 – Why Healthcare, medical or laboratory sales? Why not pharma?

Hear more on these issues in today’s podcast and other nuggets of medical sales wisdom in podcasts with Peggy! 

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Want another advantage?

Create a 30/60/90-day plan for the job you want.

What is a 30-60-90 day plan?  And how do you use it to get a job in sales?  Why does it help?

A 30-60-90-day plan is an outline for what you will do when you start the job.  Essentially, you spell out for your future employer, in as little or as much detail as necessary, how you will spend your time.  To do that, you have to do some research on the company so that you know what you’re talking about…a search on Google, LinkedIn, or the company’s own website can provide you with the information you need.  (It’s always impressive to a hiring manager if you can show that you’ve done your homework before the interview, remember?)

The basics:

The first 30 days of your plan is usually focused on training–learning the company systems, products, and customers.  So, most of the items in your 30-day plan should be along the lines of attending training, mastering product knowledge, learning specific corporate systems, traveling to learn your territory (if you’re in sales), meeting other members of the team, or reviewing accounts.

The next 30 days (the 60-day part) are focused on more field time, less training, more customer introductions, reviews of customer satisfaction, and getting feedback from your manager.

The last 30 days (the 90-day part) are the “getting settled” part.  You’ve had the training, you’ve met the customers, and now you can focus on sales!  It should include things that take more initiative on your part: landing your own accounts, scheduling programs, or coming up with new ways to get prospects’ attention (again, if you’re in sales), as well as continuing to get performance feedback and fine-tuning your schedule.

The more specific you can be in the details, the better off you are—by that I mean specifying the name of the training you’ll need, rather than just indicating that you’ll “get training,” for instance.  That’s why you research the company, not just the position! 

This kind of analysis of the position not only sets you apart from other job seekers… it also makes you a better performer on the job.  It means you’ve put some thought into what it takes to be successful, and once you’ve written down your goals, they become much easier to attain.

Using a 30-60-90-day plan to show that you’ve done your homework, analyzed the position, and thoughtfully considered how you can best serve this particular company in this particular capacity is very impressive to a hiring manager.  This kind of effort is the advantage you need that will set you apart from other candidates and get you hired.

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when to introduce your 30/60/90-day sales plan in your job interview

Creating a  30/60/90-day plan for your sales job interview is one of the most effective things you can do to impress a hiring manager and win a job offer.  It shows knowledge of the position, initiative, energy, enthusiasm, the ability to focus, written communication skills—all of which you definitely want to demonstrate to your interviewer and potential new boss.  But when do you bring it up?

The interview model that most people envision is that of a job seeker passively answering the questions put to him, focusing on delivering the “right” answers to interview questions.  Not a bad model, but you want to do a little better than that—you want to stand out.  You want to be exceptional.  And the chances of your interviewer asking about your 30/60/90-day plan so that you can answer are pretty slim.  This is “above and beyond” stuff…not expected, and so not asked about. 

So what do you do?

·         The ideal time to introduce your 30/60/90-day plan is when your interviewer asks something like, “How do you see yourself in this job?”  With a softball like that, you’re set.

·         If you don’t get an obvious lead-in, you can segue from talking about your relevant job experience to how that’s enabled you to create your 30/60/90-day plan for this one.  You know what you’re talking about, and you know how you’ll transition into this position with efficiency and effectiveness.

·         If your experience is a little light, and your skills are what got you the interview, focus on finding an appropriate time to point out that you researched this position extensively, and your 30/60/90-day plan is how you see yourself spending your time in the first 90 days of employment to bring yourself up to speed.  This is an especially good way to alleviate any doubts a hiring manager might have—you’ve already answered the question of how you’ll transfer your skills into this job, and shown how you’ll take ownership.

 If no opportunity falls in your lap, be assertive and make one.  At least bring up your 30/60/90-day plan before you go.  Your job search is too important for you to be so passive that you miss a chance to show such a great document.  Taking some (polite) control over your interview conversation is another sign to the hiring manager for how you’ll interact with customers and clients.  They want to see someone who knows how to lead.

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Behavioral interviews focus on past job behavior and performance (what did you do in a given situation) with the idea that this information will predict your future behavior and performance.  Behavioral interviews are really much more informative for employers than a “what do you know how to do?” interview, and more and more hiring managers are using some version of it.  (Here’s a previous post on STAR Interviews.)

What do you need to know? 

1)  Have stories or examples ready that explain your skills/performance in many different situations.  What happened when you had an unhappy customer?  How have you increased sales?  How did you deal with _____________?  Here’s a link to sample behavioral interview questions. 

2)  Quantify your examples whenever possible.  You increased sales by how much?  You were responsible for bringing in _______ dollars in revenue.  You saved the company _______ dollars by doing/changing/introducing _________________.   Salespeople (in all areas of medical sales, pharmaceutical sales, laboratory sales, clinical diagnostics sales, DNA products sales, biotechnology sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, or medical supplies and equipment sales) are good at having these numbers at hand, but people in marketing, tech support or service areas in healthcare will need to work harder.

Behavioral interviews are excellent opportunities for those job seekers with a brag book.  Brag books are collections of examples that illustrate your stories:  letters from happy customers or managers, awards, sales training certificates, projects you’ve completed, etc.  How to Get Into Medical Sales – Volume I:  The Documents explains brag books in more detail, and also teaches you about other critical aspects of your job search and interview process (like resumes and cover letters, technology sheets, and 30/60/90-day sales plans) so that all your work results in the job offer you want.

This video will explain all of this in more detail.  I hope it helps you have a successful job interview.

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It not always necessary to have some background in the sciences to get a job in medical sales, laboratory sales, medical supplies sales, hospital equipment sales, clinical diagnostics sales, pharmaceutical sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, cellular and molecular sales, and biotechnology sales.  But if you’ve got it, it helps.

For more information about technology sheets and other secrets to success in getting a medical sales job, see How to Get Into Medical Sales – Volume I:  The Documents.  It’s full of samples and templates of resumes, cover letters, technology sheets, brag books, 30/60/90-day sales plans, thank you notes, and more–it also includes over an hour of audio coaching from the Sales Recruiter to show you how to use these documents to your greatest advantage in your job search and interviews!

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medical sales laboratory hiring personal brand

 

In the grocery store of life, you have to figure out why someone would pick you up off the shelf,” says Andrea Nierenberg, president of the Nierenberg Group, a business communication-consulting firm in New York. “Are you new and improved? Are you repackaged? What are you doing to get that competitive edge? What you want to do is position yourself as you would a product.”

I LOVE this.  If each of us spent as much time thinking about our career as much as the major food manufacturers think about product placement on a shelf, what could be the consequences?  (Do you even realize how much thought and energy goes into exactly where that box of cereal should be in your line of vision?  It’s mind-boggling.) 

Personal branding works the same way.  What’s the first impression people have of you?  Why should a hiring manager choose you over the other brand?  How can you market yourself in your industry so that others know who you are?  Personal Branding Basics is a great place to start thinking about how to make this work for you.

In all areas of medical sales, laboratory sales, biotech sales, clinical diagnostics sales, medical software sales, medical equipment sales, medical device sales, hospital equipment sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, DNA products sales, and pharmaceutical sales, you need to think about where you are (and where you want to be) in the market. 

To package all this up for maximum impact on a hiring manager, see How to Get Into Medical Sales – Volume I:  The Documents.  Get over an hour of audio coaching plus templates and samples for resumes, cover letters, technology sheets, brag books, 30/60/90-day sales plans, thank you notes, and advice on references. 

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