Do you keep getting to the final round of your biotech sales interview only to hear the hiring manager went with a different person? It hurts but it is very common especially for people who do not have sales experience and are coming straight out of the lab. You might say to yourself, 'how do I get sales experience if no one is willing to give me a chance?' or 'I have so much experience in the lab, how could the hiring manager not want to hire me?'. I had the same exact thoughts and feelings when I applied to my first biotech and pharmaceutical sales roles. The feedback was the same, "we like you but went with another candidate". Getting rejected stinks but it presents an opportunity to ask the recruiter/hiring manager for feedback. Ask them what your gaps might be so you can find ways to improve and develop the skills they thought you might be lacking to be successful in the role. This question around skill set gaps is crucial because it gives you a window into how the hiring manger makes hiring decisions. Once you know what the hiring manger is looking for then you can go out and find a company and person that is willing to invest in you.
I will quickly share my experience hoping it adds value and resonates with you. My biggest take away from all my sales interviews was that I had a great science background but I did not have sales experience so I was left trying to figure out how to get actually get sales experience so this objection would not longer be a concern to the hiring manager. This is where your network of people and friends can come in handy. By leveraging your network, you can open doors that otherwise would always be closed, especially in other industries. After taking in all the feedback from the recruiters and hiring managers, my goal was clear: find sales experience somewhere no matter the industry. I was lucky enough to navigate through my network of family and friends and I found a company and person willing to invest in me. I was offered my first sales role at HubSpot and decided to go into a completely new industry selling Marketing and Customer Relationship Management software. It was one of the best decisions I had ever made but I would of never imagined myself doing this while I was still in the lab.
So here are 3 things you can do if you are struggling to land your first biotech sales role without sales experience.
- Don't be discouraged if you didn't get an offer. Try your best to turn a negative experience into a positive one by asking the recruiter and hiring manager about your skill gaps and why you were not their first choice
- Leverage your network of people. Don't be afraid to ask for help especially when you don't have all the skills necessary to be a top candidate.
- Once you understand how biotech, pharmaceutical, and/or medical sales managers make hiring decisions then it is up to you to figure out a way to fill the gaps with new skills and experience. Take my story as an example, if you keep getting the same feedback around not having sales experience, well, find a way to get sales experience. Take a leap of faith and expand your industry search in your quest to obtain sales experience and close your skill set gap.
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