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A monthly publication of Gilbert Resumes, featuring timely career
articles, career websites, and suggestions for today’s job seekers.

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1.  Transitioning to Medical Sales
2. Top 3 Ways to Find a Job in 2010
3. Executive Search Industry Expects 19% Increase in 2010

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A Brand New Way to Transition into Medical Sales

Just when they say there is nothing new under the sun. Well, actually everything changes so why wouldn’t the job search tactics used to get into a Medical Sales position? For those of you following this blog, you know I don’t rehash old stuff; we won’t be talking about networking in this article or the latest resume-scanning processes – we’ll be talking about something entirely new.

Here’s the scenario. You’re an older sales rep. You’re in pharma. Pharma is going, well… enough said. And you want to move into Medical Sales. But you’re worried – too many medical sales reps to compete with, no medical sales experience, etc. If we all thought about the hurdles we face each day none of us would get out of bed. So – something more than words of encouragement here; there is a new way for you to get hired by a medical device/equipment company and you “ain’t” heard it elsewhere.

The idea is a 6-month contract. You propose to the prospective employer you are willing to “prove yourself” to the employer over a period of 6-months. The T&C’s (terms and conditions for all of you non-contract folks) are laid out in this contract. Bear in mind the biggest challenge you face as an “older” sales pro making a change: ROI. The employer knows you are a performer – but they typically have to convince themselves (or their boss) that you are a safe bet as an ROI. So – instead of simply hiring you as a “permanent” employee (the term “permanent” is losing its meaning these days, isn’t it!) and hoping for the best the employer gets to “kick the tires before they buy”.

Here is what you need in your contract. And I am not a laymen here; my background is in F500 HR where I wrote and edited hundreds of employment contracts – and I do stay up on the labor laws.

a.) Have the employer state in writing the specific start date and stop date of the contract.

b.) Have the employer state in writing what sales-performance will be measured. Will it be % increase vs. last year? Will it be % increase of a given geographic market? (If so – define what the “market” consists of – X number of accounts – a geographic region?). Will it be a given $ figure? If so, what is that figure? Most sales reps are given a specific $ figure over a specific period of time – and they are to achieve a % of that $ figure; so what is that %? (100% or better?)

c.) Have the employer state in writing “how” the performance above will be measured. Who will be doing the measuring? When will they be doing the measuring (you might want status reports at quarterly progress points to assure you are on target). What specific tools or processes or reporting will be used to determine your performance? This is actually the most important question of all as it is easy for you to perform up to spec and not get credit for it! (I won’t mention the term PODS here as I know someone will strike me hard with a stick).

d.) You’ll want to list – with the employer’s agreement – what options are to be considered if you do perform “up to stec” I.e., what happens now? This is really a powerful position for you now because you will either have in writing what your compensation will look like (because you determined that up front in the contract – including car, expenses, salary, bonus), or you have now “proven yourself” and are in a very good – at least much better – position to demand what you want. Further icing on the cake: you built relationships with potential customers – so don’t sign a non-compete clause on this 6-month contract. And further icing on the icing on the cake: you bought time in your job search to consider other (now open) career opportunities.

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Top 3 Ways to Find a Job in 2010

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average job search as of November 2009 took 28.5 weeks — more than 7 months. That’s the longest since record keeping began in 1948.

But there is good news: People are still finding jobs, often faster than average.

How are they doing it?

From what I can see, talking to and counseling hundreds of people in 2009, successful job seekers do three things that can get you hired faster in 2010 …

1. Start with clarity

Here’s the best predictor of job-search duration: To the extent that you can clearly describe your target job title and a shortlist of 10-20 ideal employers, you will find work fast.

To the extent that you can’t, you won’t.

Think of it like this. If you walked into a bank and asked for a loan, they’d ask you a series of questions: How much do you need? What is it for? How will you pay it back?

If you can’t clearly tell the bank what you want, they can’t help you.

And if you can’t clearly tell networking contacts and potential employers what you want, they can’t help you, either.

2. Stop “networking” and start being helpful

Hands up — who loves networking? I thought so.

Like eating your broccoli, most people see networking as a necessary evil.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

You can make better connections that lead to better job leads — and have a good time doing it — by helping other people.

Fred Stuck, from northern New Jersey, was hired last month for an IT position after networking effectively. Did he “work the room” at networking events or spring a “30-second elevator pitch” on friends and family?

No. He simply tried to be helpful.

“When a recruiter contacted me, I would say, ‘Send me the full job description,’ even if I wasn’t really interested in the job,” says Stuck.

He then offered to help the recruiter find candidates by forwarding the job description to friends and colleagues who looked like a good fit.

Stuck did more.

After being contacted by a recruiter, he asked to connect with them on LinkedIn, where many recruiters update their status with jobs they’re trying to fill. “I saw one update that said, ‘I’m looking for a Linux Systems Administrator.’ I knew someone and asked if they were in the job market. They said, ‘Yes,’ so I forwarded their LinkedIn profile to the recruiter. That person didn’t get the job, but they did get an interview.”

Meanwhile, Stuck was hired from a networking contact he made at a prior employer, in a job search that took only about half as long as the national average. He got what he wanted while helping others get what they wanted.

3. Go beyond email

Finally, let’s look at how most job seekers communicate with employers and networking contacts. It’s probably how you communicate, too.

It’s email.

And I submit that email is the root of most employment struggles.

Yes, email it convenient. But is it effective?

Put another way, if you had to get a message to someone across town by 5:00 tonight or face certain death, would you email it and then update your Facebook profile until dinner?

No. You might email that message, yes, but here’s what else you would do, in this order:

• pick up the phone, call, and ask if they got it;
• fax the message, call, and ask if they got it;
• get in your car and hand-deliver the message yourself.

So. If you wouldn’t trust your life to email, why trust your career … which provides the money you need to live your life?

If you make one resolution in 2010 make it this: Stop relying on email and online applications to find a job, and start doing whatever it takes to make personal contact at companies you want to work for.

To prove this non-email approach works, here are three mini-case studies from the Guerrilla Job Search files …

1)     Jeff Donaldson, former Chrysler program manager, hired in November 2009. He got his winning job lead from a letter he mailed to networking contacts. Time to hire: 45 days.

2)     Gail Neal, sales rep, hired in November 2009, after mailing her resume and cover letter in a thank-you note to an employer she learned of by meeting a LinkedIn contact offline. Time to hire: 52 days.

3)     Mary Berman, marketing executive assistant, also hired in November 2009, after mailing her resume and cover letter in a box, with a coffee cup, asking to meet the employer for coffee. Time to hire: 53 days.

Now. What do the three success traits in this article — clear goals, helping others, going beyond email — have in common?  Star Tribune

(My comment – While I think the article has great merit, emailing your resume to properly targeted recruiters and Venture Capital/Private Equity firms is still a valuable tool in finding a new position Many of my clients have found new positions in less than one month through resume emailing/distributing)

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Executive Search Industry Expects 19% Increase in 2010

Confidence in the Executive Employment Market — Next 6 Months

Executive recruiting firms now expect a 19 percent increase in management search assignments from corporate clients — the highest since early 2008 — and are adding staff in anticipation of the growth.

According to December’s survey of 153 executive recruiters, 54 percent are confident or very confident the executive employment market will improve during the next six months — up from 50 percent in November. In addition to forecasting a double-digit increase in assignment growth in the year ahead, 21 percent of all search firms are planning to add professional staff in the first quarter of 2010.

“All of this bodes well for executive job seekers and for those employed business leaders who may have deferred searching for new career opportunities in the last 12 to 18 months,” says Mark Anderson, president and chief economist of ExecuNet. “The anticipated increase in search activity shows companies have started to expand their workforces after a long period of cutbacks.”

Introduced in May 2003, the Recruiter Confidence Index is based on a monthly survey of executive search firms conducted by resumepro&userid=29750&extra=&&&2006&&&http://www.execunet.com" target="_blank">ExecuNet, a private network for business leaders. A leading indicator for the economy and the executive job market, a reading above 50 percent indicates recruiters expect the number of search assignments in the next six months will increase.

Gilbert Resumes remains in the forefront of providing cutting edge solutions for today’s challenging job market, including strategies to build your online presence and maximize your career opportunities.

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