Answering pharmaceutical sales interview questions fluently and with confidence is key to success in getting the pharmaceutical representative job you want. Effective communication skills and enthusiasm are essential in a pharmaceutical sales or medical sales job.
Preparing good answers to frequently asked pharmaceutical sales rep interview questions will set you up as a winning candidate who any company would want on their sales team.
Common interview questions for this type of sales job include the following:
1. What do you consider to be the most important requirements for this job?
Expect interview questions that explore your knowledge and understanding of this specific job opportunity. Do your homework on the company and the position to make sure you can answer this question properly.
2. What do you consider the most challenging aspect of a pharmaceutical sales job?
Be candid about what you have found to be the most difficult aspect of pharmaceutical sales and then clearly describe how you have successfully managed this challenge.
3. How do you research a product?
This question is exploring your ability and motivation to be fully informed about your products.
Technical knowledge is important in pharmaceutical sales so make sure you know about the products you'll be selling before your interview. You can research the company's website and check online reviews of the products. Displaying a good understanding of the company's products is a sure way to impress in your interview.
There are specific core competencies identified for success in pharmaceutical or medical sales. Expect behavioral questions that explore these competencies or behaviors.
Use the behavioral interview guide to familiarize yourself with this type of interview before preparing specific answers to these questions.
1. Give me an example of when you managed to get a physician to switch to your product.
Expect questions that investigate your sales ability and persuasiveness. Highlight:
2. How have you planned your call schedule for your current territory?
You need to be able to plan and organize your activities to meet specific goals. This comes down to the old 80/20 rule. Highlight:
3. Tell me about a time you lost the business. How did you handle the situation?
This question is about your ability to learn from a situation and move constructively on after a set back. These pharmaceutical sales interview questions look at your ability:
Include other examples of your persistence and determination in finding solutions to difficult challenges.
4. Tell me about a situation where you had to adjust your approach to meet new circumstances.
This job requires interaction with a wide range of people. Your ability to adjust your approach to the situation and individual is key to success.
Focus on the different approaches you take to meet changing demands and needs. Highlight your adaptability.
Sample behavioral interview questions and answers that explore the competencies of problem-solving, initiative and judgment.
Prepare for interview questions that explore your motivation for the pharmaceutical sales job.
This interview question is most often asked so be well prepared for it. Common reasons for people choosing this career include:
You need a good understanding of the pharmaceutical sales role to answer this question. Use the Pharmaceutical Sales Job Description to help you with this.
Be ready for standard job interview questions.
Prepare for these general pharmaceutical sales interview questions with sample answers.
All sales interview questions.