Entry Level Medical Device Sales Representative Jobs For Graduates With No Experience

A medical device sales representative is expected to be an expert on new pharmaceutical products and equipment that can benefit patients, surgeons, physicians and hospital administrators etc. It is a very demanding job for new graduates without working experience seeking entry level positions because of the vast amount of medical and scientific knowledge required as well as high level selling skills where each deal is in excess of millions of dollars.

Getting an entry level medical device sales job means beating some tough competition among job seekers because with the rise of the health care industry, medical equipment sales means a lot of money to be made. You need to prepare yourself adequately in order to impress the medical sales recruiter, especially when you do not have any prior sales experience or relevant background in medical devices.

If you are serious about starting your career in medical device sales, you should at least have an overview about the entire medical sales process - how hospitals and doctors buy and upgrade to the latest medical technologies, understanding the product advantages and disadvantage with regard to competing products from other manufacturers, how to present and sell your medical devices to doctors and sale decision makers, and how government policies and the current health care reform will affect the entire industry.

You should get familiar with the world largest pharmaceutical and medical equipment research companies, such as Johnson and Johnson, GE Healthcare, Baxter International, Tyco Healthcare, Siemens Medical Solutions, Philips Medical Systems etc. If you are targeting a specific medical field you like to work with, such as cardiac equipment, defibrillators, medical imaging etc, you should understand the top players with the best medical devices in that area.

You can get a list of typical interview questions that will be asked during medical device sales recruiters in advance and prepare yourself to answer these questions in a way that demonstrates you are well prepared and suitable for the position. It is alright to have no experience when you are applying for entry level medical equipment sales positions, and that should not undermine your self confidence because sales jobs require a lot of that to succeed.

If you are considering a mid career switch to the medical device sales line, start by examining whether you have any knowledge or skills that are applicable for the transition to the pharmaceutical industry. For example, if you used to be in scientific research, it will be easier for you to understand all the product technical specification and speak the same language as doctors. All you need is more medical device sales training that can be provider by your future employer or on your own. If you have been doing technical sales for several years, it will be even easier as you already have demonstrated ability to make presentations on sophisticated and state of the art technologies and sell effectively.

To make a significant difference in your chances of getting an entry level medical sales job for graduates with no experience, consider getting a career coach to help you refine your interviewing skills. This can save you a lot of time and energy, and the presentation skills you picked up can also help you in selling products to the hospitals. The money spent on an experienced medical sales career coach can return multiple fold within the first year with the commissions you can earn from higher medical equipment sales.

For college students, it is possible to get an internship with larger medical device companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Philips Healthcare, Medtronic etc. You will be able to get medical sales training with a mentor by following along sales presentations to enhance your knowledge and working as their assistants. Many interns are offered entry level medical sales rep positions after they graduate from their degree programs.

Medical device sales representatives must travel frequently to client sites and regularly attend conferences and seminars. The average salary for an entry level medical device sales rep with no experience range between $40,000 to $90,000 a year. This wide difference is due to the high commission pay component and a small base salary. How much you can earn as a new medical device sales rep depends almost entirely on your performance.

Most pharmaceutical and medical device companies will prefer job seekers to have a four year bachelor's degree in pharmaceutical, health care or science-related discipline, but new graduates with a major in other fields can also try. You can also consider getting certifications in pharmaceutical and health care device sales from technical training companies such as the American Institute of Medical Sales, National Association of Pharmaceutical Representatives, Center for Professional Advancement etc. These training will help you secure an entry level medical device sales representative job for graduates with little experience.