Not Just for Students: How Job Shadowing Can Help You Career Transition

What do you need to do to break into medical sales, laboratory sales, clinical diagnostic sales, surgical product sales, pathology sales, imaging sales, medical device sales, pharmaceutical sales, biotech sales, or cellular/molecular product sales? ? As a medical sales recruiter, one of the most important pieces of advice I can give you is this: go for a ride with someone in the field to ask questions and see what a typical day is like.

Job shadowing is something we usually associate with high school or college students, but it can be tremendously beneficial for anyone changing careers in almost any field, not just medical sales. It is valuable hands-on experience before committing to change.

A walk is exactly what it sounds like: Spend a day with a sales rep who’s in the field you’re thinking you’d like to sell in, and see how a typical day goes. A walk may be one of your best opportunities to set yourself apart from another candidate. He sets you apart as an entrepreneur. He provides you with critical job information that helps you in your job search. Among other things, he helps you answer the question “How do you see yourself in this job?”

How do you get one?

Step 1: Ask for contacts.

If you want a pharmaceutical sales job, for example, call your family doctor and ask him for a favor: ask for the contact information for a couple of sales reps who call you. If you want a medical device job, ask the doctor for those kinds of reps. If you want a lab sales job, go check out a small lab and ask for a couple of contacts (people who sell to them).

Get the idea?

Step 2 – Call the sales representative and ask them for a favor:

Will they let you accompany them for a day or half a day to see what their life is like? When you contact them, reassure them that you are not looking for their job, but information about the field… pros and cons, a typical day, etc. This will help you narrow down the field of healthcare sales you want to break into, and when you land the interview, your prep work will show up and give you an edge over other candidates.

That’s all about it. When you take the trip, ask lots of questions: what do they like about the job, what do they hate, what skills are they absolutely necessary, how did they get the job, etc. You will think of more throughout the day. Take note. Once you have done this, add the experience to your resume as a preceptor.

Completing a ride communicates that:

(1) is willing to go one step further,

(2) you know how to network and

(3) you know what you’re getting into.

Help the hiring manager see you at work and that It’s what gets you a job offer.