There are many articles on how to prepare for the interview, but knowing what not to do is often as important as knowing what to do.
Our team of medical recruiters see these 7 mistakes over and over again. Make sure you don’t make any of these mistakes during your next medical sales interview.
1. Not dressing for work
2. Do not bring copies of your resume
3. Send text messages or answer a phone on a trip
4. Not having good questions for the hiring manager.
5. Talk about salary / commission before the interviewer brings it up
6. Talk negatively about your old company / boss
7. Don’t ask for the job
1. Talk about salary / commission before the interviewer brings it up. We all know that medical sales reps need to be motivated by money and commissions, but don’t make the mistake of simply talking about money and how much commission you can earn. Never mention money before the interviewer does. Sales managers want someone who drives sales and wants to make big money, but more importantly, they want someone who has a proven track record of success, knows the products, the territory, the culture of the company, and can work in team. Let the hiring manager find out about you and lead the conversation about money.
2. Not having good questions for the hiring manager. Have you ever been in an interview and they ask you “Do you have any questions?” Make no mistake here and say no. If you’ve read our article Top 7 Interview Questions When Applying for a Medical Sales Job and Why They’re Asked, you know to make sure you have good hiring manager questions. Asking thoughtful insightful questions shows you are a smart and prepared candidate.
3. Send text messages or pick up the phone during a trip. I include a walk as an interview because it is an important part of the process. Unfortunately, many sales reps are not taking this step seriously and wasting their chances of landing the job. A common mistake medical sales representatives make is texting or picking up the phone while traveling with a sales representative from the hiring company. The sales representative you are traveling with is part of the interview process and will provide input to the hiring manager. Be professional on the trip, treat it like an interview. We have seen many people knocked out at this point for being too casual.
4. Do not bring copies of your resume. A few years ago when people applied for a position, they mailed a good copy of their resume to the hiring manager. Today, the most common way to apply for a position is to upload your resume to a job board or email it to a recruiter. For that reason, candidates often overlook the need to print their resume on good paper and bring a few copies to the interview. This may be a mistake. When you first sit down to interview, one of your first questions should be: Do you need a copy of my resume? The second impression of you as a candidate after your attractiveness is the presentation of your resume. Make sure you have your resume printed on high-quality paper. Also bring some copies, in case someone else unexpectedly joins the interview.
5. Not dressing for work. This is common sense, but for some reason many people don’t dress to impress. What you wear for the interview does matter and is the first impression a human resources manager has. While many go for a business casual style, it is not okay to be casual in an interview. Men should wear a neutral-colored suite, always wear a tie, and shine their shoes. Women should wear a neutral-colored suite or business-style dress.
6. Talk negatively about your old company / boss. Another question that always comes up in an interview is “Tell me why are you watching.” At this point, don’t make a mistake and say something negative about your current company or boss, even if that’s exactly what you’re looking for. Managers will mistrust you and think that you don’t get along with others and may even be worried that you will speak ill of them in the future.
7. Don’t ask for the job. Sales 101, always close the interview. Sales managers will think that you will not apply for the business if you cannot apply for the job. Always close the interview by letting the hiring manager know that you are interested. More candidates are left out of the interview process for this mistake.
Now that you’ve read our top 7 medical sales interview mistakes, you’ll make sure you don’t make them in your next interview and you’re well on your way to your dream medical sales job.