Oscar Wilde
- THE INTERVIEW PROCESS
The interview process usually consists of several steps. The initial step may be a phone interview, which provides both you and the employer the opportunity to screen each other for basic requirements. The second step is an initial interview where both parties have a chance to describe in detail what each is looking for and how one might fill the needs of the other. During this time, the employer may also ask the candidate to submit a formal employment application and fill out additional forms describing previous job experiences and duties. The third step is usually an interview with another individual from the company in order to give the manager a second opinion. This person may be another sales representative or it could be another manager. This step will sometimes include spending a day with an experienced rep in order to give the candidate an opportunity to see what the job is like on a day-to-day basis. It also gives the company a chance to see the candidate interact with customers.
A fourth step in the process is an additional interview with the person who would be your immediate supervisor. The purpose of this interview is to clarify any concerns that either of you may have or to probe into anything that the employer may perceive as a problem area. After this, the next step is usually a trip to the corporate office to meet various members of the sales and marketing team. When you make it this far, it usually means that the manager has made a preliminary decision to extend an offer to you but simply needs the final approval. The office visit is crucial because it not only serves as an opportunity for senior management to give their stamp of approval, but it also sets the tone for all future communication you will have with them if and when you do get the job.
The final step in the interview process is the offer itself. The offer should include base pay, the commission plan, the benefits package, and any additional incentive programs the company may have. Reserve any negotiation for this phase and ask that all promises and conditions be put in writing. Make sure that you have a clear understanding of how the company's sales commission program operates, and also ask about the qualifications for any additional incentive programs, such as bonus gift and/or trip packages that the company may offer.
Planning for the interview is critical to successful interviewing. Since an interview is a sales call, use the same type of preparation you would for calling on a potential customer. Map your travel to the interview site, study the employer's needs, develop a theme for your presentation, and ask others what they know about the customer and so on. The preparation you do for the interview is an indicator of the preparation you would go through before calling on all of your customers. Planning for the presenting you will do in the interview consists of two basic exercises:
- Documenting your previous performance
- Preparing answers to employer questions
- letters of commendation from previous employers
- sales performance reports from other sales jobs
- previous performance reviews
- photocopies of external degrees and training programs
- photocopies of prior awards (yes, even plaques and trophies)
- photocopies of previous W-2s
- updated resume
- college transcript
The second area is preparing to answer questions you will be asked during the interview. There will always be a surprise question or two, but the more you practice answering the questions you are likely to get, the more you will come across as thoughtful and well spoken. The remainder of this chapter is dedicated to examining some of the questions you will encounter. These questions are taken from a study that asked interviewers to respond to the question, "What are the ten most frequent questions you ask job candidates?" Questions asked of salespeople generally fall into the following categories:
- personal/career objectives
- goal setting and achievement
- problem solving and priority setting
- influencing others
- INTERVIEW QUESTIONS BY CATEGORY
- What are your long-term career objectives? What are your short-term career objectives? Why do you want to go into medical sales? Are you willing to relocate? What has led to your interest in medical sales? Do you have any desire to move into management? Why or why not?
- Why do you think that Medical Sales is a good career for you?
- What are your impressions of our company and our industry?
- How would you describe our company?
- Why are you interested in our company?
- How and why do you think that you would fit in with our company?
- What do you think about our competition?
- Why are you interested in leaving your current field and company?
- What questions do you have about our company?
- What are your plans for continued development and education?
- What are your salary requirements?
- Please relate your background to this position.
- List three words that best describe you.
- What portion of your job is the most rewarding to you and why?
- Describe your dream job.
- What work activities do you like? Dislike?
- Goal Setting and Achievement
- How do you define success? What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort? Give an example of a time when you set a goal for yourself and explain how you met that goal.
- How do you feel about someone else setting your goals for you? How did you go about getting your last job? Explain some personal goal you have had and why you wanted to accomplish that goal. What are your strengths? Weaknesses? Tell me about your last performance evaluation. What motivates you? What discourages you? How do you react when an unrealistic goal has been set for you? What is the most difficult thing you have ever had to do?
- Explain how you were able to do it. Describe a situation where you assumed responsibility for some task only because you knew it had to be done. What is your biggest distraction from work?
- Explain your priorities in life.
- Give an example of a situation where you have had to prioritize several activities and explain how you went about it.
- Describe the follow-up you think customers in our business would expect.
- Describe a normal workday.
- Describe what you do on a day off. Are you involved in any community or civic activities?
- What are they and why are you committed? Explain your choices of a college, a major field of study, and extracurricular studies.
- What accomplishments in life are you most proud of and why? If I were to invite two people back for a second interview, why should I choose you? How would your previous employers describe your work habits? What makes you stand out from the crowd?
- Problem Solving and Priority Setting
- How do you organize your day?
- How do you approach solving a problem?
- How do you react to quick-tempered individuals?
- Describe a situation where someone else faced a problem and you helped find a solution.
- Describe a situation where you have had to do lots of follow-up in order to solve some problem.
- How would you rate your writing and analytical abilities? What do you do when a customer has a problem with one of your products? Give an example of a customer problem that you helped overcome. Sometimes everyone has to break the rules.
- Tell me about the time when you had to break the rules. What would you do if someone accused you of something that you did not do? Tell me about a situation that caused you the most pressure recently and how you worked it out.
- What problems did you face in college?
- What were the biggest challenges in your last job?
- Describe any major "life" obstacles that you have had to find solutions for. Explain your philosophy on how to handle difficult people. What do you do when you are asked to do something you have never done before? What will your attitude be if you do not progress in this job as you think you should? How would you describe the ideal boss? Tell me about the toughest decision you have had to make in the last year. What things have you been asked to do at your current job that you find frustrating? Give an example that indicates that you are a self-starter. What in your background would make you successful in coping with continuing pressure and constantly changing practices?
- Influencing Others
- Describe how you have persuaded someone to take an action you wanted them to take. Who is the most difficult person you ever had to persuade to your point of view? Describe your ability to meet and deal with people of diverse backgrounds. How would you rate your writing and analytical abilities?
- What do you do when your ideas are opposed by someone who controls your success?
- What leadership activities have you been involved in outside of work?
- Explain how you would approach a doctor to look at a product that competes with the one he or she has been using successfully for fifteen years.
- What do you think makes a good sales rep?
- Explain a situation where you faced open opposition to your ideas, and yet you were able to obtain what you wanted.
- Describe what methods you use to persuade others to your point of view.
- Site some specific examples of leadership and communication skills.
- What do you think is the most effective way to approach someone who does not want to be approached?
- What is it about you that allow you to persuade others?
- Describe the best salesperson you have ever met.
- Why do you want to go into medical sales?
- Give an example of having to persuade a group of people to your point of view.
- Sell me on you.
The two basic requirements for effective answering of interview questions in the medical field may be no different than any other field, but they are vital to both the interview and the job. Effective answers must be based on honesty and accuracy. These two are distinct yet inseparable qualities for a successful career in medical sales.
An individual may be able to get a job by being dishonest about qualifications or previous job experience, but in the long run, dishonesty disqualifies one for a medical sales position because inaccurate information can have longstanding legal ramifications. If a representative tells a doctor that a drug can perform in a certain way or does not have some known side effect in order to close the sale, the representative (and company represented) is liable for the faulty information.
Dishonesty in the interview setting only prolongs the inevitable, and if you think it is necessary to shade reality in an interview in order to give the answer that you think the interviewer wants, you probably would not be happy in the job anyway. Answer all the questions with the intention of a truthful meeting of the minds, and do not worry about what you think the interviewer wants to hear. It is possible to overanalyze a question. For example, whenever a manager asks, "What are your career goals?" most answer with, "I want to go into management," thinking that this surely must be the answer the manager is looking for. In reality, the manager may be able to promote only one rep over a two-year period and the other seven reps still under the manager's direction must continue in their sales positions. If all eight reps want to become managers, seven of them will be very unhappy. Consequently, a manager may want to fill an open territory with an individual who wants to remain a career representative. If, however, you mention that you desire management (when you really just wanted a career position), you eliminate yourself from the manager's candidate list.
Answer all questions with honesty and accuracy. Interviewers are very skilled at finding empty periods of employment or spotting negative performance from previous jobs and they will ask about those situations. Accuracy in the job is essential and they want to see it during the interview as well. Your accurate assessment of why you had six months of unemployment will be more impressive than an answer filled with inaccurate excuses and finger pointing toward a previous employer. Accuracy in every answer demonstrates that you will precisely report expenses, forecast sales, and manage account information.
- DECIDING ON A JOB
