I’m asked on a weekly basis how to break into the medical device industry as a sales person. Its a legitimate question and can appear daunting for an outsider. There are a number of entry paths into the sales team of a top medical company – I’ve tried to outline the four most common below:
- Pharma/healthcare services sales route. This one is the most straightforward. If you are a pharma rep or work in a BD role for a private sector health company then look for transferable contacts. If you know all the GP’s on your patch then leverage that and get yourself a primary care role as a step into the industry – GP’s need equipment just like everyone else. Primary care may be seen as less “sexy” that surgical sales but there is good money to be made.
- Clinical entry point. If you are a nurse or ODP you come with a unique insight that makes you valuable to manufacturers. You know many clinical professionals personally and understand what their priorities are. If you’ve been in theatres even better – consider a clinical specialist role, the hybrid clinical/commercial nature of this may well appeal.
- General sales entry point. The most challenging entry point for experienced professionals. You will need to be realistic and target an entry level role UNLESS you have a public sector network and can get into a market which is led by council spending, but these are few and far between.
- Graduate entry. Competition is incredibly fierce for these comparatively well paid graduate roles. Boost your chances by shadowing a rep for a day or a week and write a report. Your degree matters here. Life sciences are great, business subjects are acceptable, sports science is great for certain disciplines. Grades are not the be all and end all but they matter. If you achieved less than a 2.1 be prepared to explain why and don’t be offended at being asked. Chances are the hiring manager has dozens of applicants with top grades and wants to know what sets you apart.
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