Nurses - Looking For a Career Change? Think About a Transition Into a Medical Sales Career

If you are a nurse who is thinking about a careerthough you have an advantage because of your
change, you're not alone. There's a recent ANMbackground, you're not in the clear yet. You need to
Health Care survey that says over 40% of nursesdo some research on how to land a medical sales
are seeking a career change. Job satisfaction forjob, and make sure you can present yourself as a
nurses is low for a lot of reasons: the hours, the pay,strong job candidate. Here's a quick outline of steps
and a lack of respect from doctors are a few ofyou can take:
them. Or maybe you just need a change. That's not* Read sales books and get some sales training...there
unusual. Many people make several major careerare medical sales training programs, but they're only
changes over their lifetimes, just because theirone option.
current job no longer fits into the life they want.* Job shadow someone in the specific product area
But if you got into nursing because you like scienceyou're interested in. That way, you'll get a feel for a
and you love helping people by making a difference intypical day, and furnish yourself with a resource for
one of the most important areas of their lives andyour 30/60/90-day plan and your interview
you're not ready to make a 180-degree turn intoconversation.
show business or basket-weaving, what will you do?* Conduct informational interviews with medical sales
How can you transition the skills you've learned as areps and medical sales managers. It will give you
nurse into another career? What kinds of careers cantremendous insight into the job, and make you a
utilize your particular skill set? Medical sales. Medicalmore informed candidate.
sales reps often have high job satisfaction, generous* Establish a LinkedIn profile that will introduce you as
pay and benefits, and a more varied wardrobe (noa professional, and find sales-related groups to join so
more scrubs for you).that you can network-get your name out there, and
Nurses can often make a smooth, natural transitiongather industry information.
into medical sales jobs: medical device sales, hospital* Write a killer resume. Hire it out if you need to, and
equipment sales, imaging sales, pharma sales,include your job shadowing and sales training on it.
pathology sales, biotech sales, laboratory sales, or* Polish your interview skills. This is critical. Interviews
clinical diagnostics. Why?for sales candidates are difficult, so you must be
* You have a science background-a must for anyoneprepared.
getting into medical sales. You need to understand* Learn how to write a 30/60/90-day sales plan to
what you're selling and how it can meet the needs ofpresent to the hiring manager. It's a written outline of
your customers.what you'll do in the first 3 months on the job. A 30
* You probably have practical, on-the-job experience60/90-day plan shows the hiring manager that you
with the products you'd sell. What better way to beunderstand the job, and aren't going in cold. Plus, it
able to demonstrate how your customer can benefitspotlights your initiative, drive, and energy (all
from your product than by having been in theirdesirable qualities for a sales rep).
shoes?* Submit your resume to a medical sales recruiter.
* You already know how to deal with difficult* Consider getting custom coaching. A recruiter
doctors. (Enough said.)doesn't have time to really help you get the job, but
However, landing a job in medical sales can be difficulta career coach can show you what you need, role
because there's a lot of competition- it's a fantasticplay interview questions, fine-tune your resume, and
career. So what do you need to do to place yourselfguide you through all the details.
in the best possible position as a candidate? Even