Recruiting Bloggers.com

What Is LinkedIn? And Why Should I Care?

By Peggy McKee

With over 50 million members and still growing, LinkedIn is the biggest professional network in the entire world. It connects an individual with numerous contacts. But, there is more to LinkedIn than just connections….after all, recent developments in networking technology should provide more than just size.

LinkedIn is able to facilitate the exchange of ideas on a larger scale. In other words, the network does not just exist – it exists for a specific purpose, which is to increase professional and business opportunities for users. One of the ways that LinkedIn accomplishes this is by providing a means to update profiles as often as it is needed. This gives business contacts the chance to see your most recent projects and contact information.

Find a Mentor for Your Medical Sales Career

By Peggy McKee

I found a great article on Employmentdigest.net that points out how helpful a mentor can be to your career, and gives you some ideas about what to look for in a mentor as well as how to find one–like at your company, in a professional organization, or a friend who’s farther along in their career path than you are.   A mentor can be a tremendous asset to you in your career.  Someone who’s been where you are, who knows the obstacles you face and can help steer you around them, can make your climb up the corporate ladder smoother and faster.

Medical Device/Surgical Sales Manager tells all…..

By Peggy McKee

I have known David Allen for a long time. I tried to recruit him back about 9 years ago. Failed. But did win him as a client – so all was not lost. He is a super manager with experience in Quest Diagnostics (laboratory services), Oncura (oncology therapy) and Urologix (oncology therapy). So I begged him to chat with me about his hiring philosophy and experiences. You can listen to it here:

I hope you enjoyed this (and maybe learned something). Is there any topic, type of person, etc. that you would like to see/hear here? Put it in comments or email me.

11 Phrases That Kill Your Job Interview

By:  Peggy McKee

Think about the kind of impression you want to convey to your interviewer or hiring manager:  experience, ability, and confidence.  If you’ve been paying attention to me, you’ve got the experience and ability portions down:  a winning resume, a brag book, a 30/60/90-day plan, and high-quality references.  Your confidence comes out in your physical presentation, your body language, and what you say and how you say it.

Good communication skills are essential.  Sounding even remotely uncertain of your ability to do the job you’re interviewing for (and do it well) is an interview killer.  No employer is going to hire someone who isn’t even sure himself if he is capable, or who promises to bring inferior communication skills to the job–especially in medical sales.  What phrases convey uncertainty?

Sales Manager Gives (Audio) Insider Perspective on Hiring (GE/Bayer/Abbott background)

Written by  Peggy McKee

I met Chris Norris 12 + years ago when I was hired as the bDNA business manager for Chiron Diagnostics. He was a sales trainer then (taught sales skills and product curriculum). When I walked into the training room, he said to me: Oh – I know you – I saw your resume – chemistry degree, MBA?

What a fantastic way to start a relationship! From there I worked with Chris (he and I were both regional sales manager for Chiron after that) and then when I started my own recruiting firm, Chris was one of my first customers! I have watched Chris work his magic at several organizations, increasing sales everywhere he goes (or as he puts it increasing shareholder wealth). I decided to interview a number of prominent sales managers with deep hiring skills and successes and record those interviews so I could share them with YOU. Naturally, I thought Chris should be one of my first interviews.

I wish I could have heard these different perspectives when I was just starting out as a rep (and interviewing) and then again when I was hiring my own team. This is just first in a series of these types of interviews. Listen and see if there is something that you can learn that will make the difference for you.

Here is the audio:

Please, forward this blog topic to others that would benefit and tell me what you think about these interviews in the comments below.

Job Interview Skills Tip: How to Use Your Brag Book

By:  Peggy McKee

Brag books can be very persuasive in an interview process (if you use them right).  The fact that you’ve taken the time to put one together is an attention-getter, and the things you highlight in it are the ”proof” that you are someone they want to hire, but how you present it is another way to showcase the skills that will make you successful in -- medical sales, clinical diagnostics sales, laboratory sales, DNA/cellular/molecular products sales, pharmaceutical sales, imaging sales, medical supplies sales, or hospital equipment sales.

What is a brag book and how can it help your interview success?

By:  Peggy McKee

A brag book is a folder/ binder that you can use during your interview process to clarify your skill sets and set you apart from the competition so that you can get a job offer in medical sales, laboratory sales, pharmaceutical sales, clinical diagnostics sales, DNA products sales, cellular sales, molecular sales, medical equipment sales, medical device sales, hospital equipment sales, surgical supplies sales, or any healthcare sales.

Should college students pay for internships to get into medical sales?

By Peggy McKee, the Medical Sales Recruiter:

 
Internships can be tremendously valuable to college students looking for that resume experience, but I recently came across an article about how some college students are paying for the privilege.  Bad idea.  There are better ways to spend your money…like custom consulting from a recruiter in the industry you’re heading for.  You can learn what specific actions you can take that will provide immediate as well as long-term benefits, and you can learn about how to position yourself for long-term success in medical sales, laboratory sales, clinical diagnostics sales, biotechnology sales, medical device sales, hospital equipment sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, DNA products sales, and healthcare sales, management, and marketing.

Click here for custom consulting options from a leading national recruiter in medical sales…PHC Consulting.

Job Interview Tip: How to Handle Behavioral Interviews

By Peggy McKee, the Medical Sales Recruiter

It’s likely you’re going to find yourself in a behavioral job interview sometime in your job search.  Do you know how to handle it? 

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?

Tips for Closing the Job Interview and Getting a Job Offer

By:  Peggy McKee, the Medical Sales Recruiter

Jobs in medical sales, healthcare sales, biotechnology sales, lab sales, clinical diagnostics sales, DNA/genetics sales, medical supplies sales, medical equipment sales, and pharmaceutical sales are challenging, lucrative, and therefore….competitive. 

If you want an edge in your sales interview, here it is:  today’s video covers closing the interview.  When to close, what to say, and how to deal with objections or non-answers.