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The Pharmaceutical Sales Resume and Pharmaceutical Sales Cover Letter is
obviously an important factor that will determine your chances of getting an interview. Do not
take a half hearted approach when writing a pharmaceutical sales resume and cover letter.
2 factors generally prevent candidates from having a professional resume.
1. It's cost prohibitive.
In the past we offered a pharmaceutical sales cover letter and resume evaluation service.
We discontinued this service because the new 2005 edition provides enough information on
this topic so you can write your own compelling pharmaceutical sales resume and cover
letter. We still get requests from time to time, so if don't believe you have good writing skills,
please e-mail us. Our prices vary but a 1 page resume WITH cover letter starts at $110.
Prices go up from there, but a 1 page for the resume and 1 page for the cover letter is most
effective anyway and that's what we recommend.
2. They have a cynical view towards professional resume and cover letter services.
Most professional resume writers are honest but I have had customers e-mail me their
pharmaceutical sales resumes that were professionally written that were total garbage and
sadly they usually pay around $200. Some services use resume generation software that
spits your resume out quickly and lacks that personal touch. These resumes are easy to
spot. They don't have the correct keywords and phrases and the format itself is awkward.
Pharmaceutical sales managers will throw these away immediately.
A pharmaceutical sales resume is written in much the same way as any other resume. The
key is to make your resume grab the reader's attention. To do this you need to write a
compelling objective and not the same old boring line everyone else is using like, "To work as
a pharmaceutical sales representative where my talents and sales experience will be utilized."
YUCK! You have to be more creative than this when writing a pharmaceutical sales resume.
Your resume will likely be one of hundreds so if you'll spend a little extra time on your
objective I guarantee you it will better than most!
How long should it be?
Less is more! A pharmaceutical sales resume should be 1 page. I've seen so many 2 page
resumes over the years that I'm convinced that people simply believe longer is better. Only
in rare cases should it exceed 1 page. Trust me, when you're looking at 100 resumes or
more per day it becomes very apparent when the intention is to make it long. It's not only
unnecessary but it's irritating.
Proofread!
Unfortunately misspelled words are common and when they are chances are it will be thrown
away. I suggest spell checking with your computer AND having another person proofread it.
What they really want to see in a pharmaceutical sales resume.
This is of course a sales job you are applying for and a competitive one in that. The qualities
you want to stress are those that prove you know how to sell. Be specific if you can. If you
have sales experience, highlight any sales awards you have received, how you rank
compared to your colleagues, creative ideas you have used to gain access, and obstacles
and objections you have overcome.
Keywords
I dedicate a chapter in my book about this. Pharmaceutical sales resumes are scanned
sometimes for certain keywords the employer or recruiter is looking for. It's hard to know
when your resume will be scanned or read by a human, so it's best to have all your bases
covered and incorporate some of these keywords. Here are just a few that are important:
(Don't overdo the keywords!)
Sales Representative
Pharmaceutical Sales
Outside Sales
Territory Manager
Medical Sales Representative
Pharmaceutical Sales Cover Letter
You want to be brief and to the point. Personalize the cover letter if possible instead of "To
whom it may concern." Also, don't fall into the same trap as everyone else and use a canned
cover letter you found on the web. Chances are the recruiter or employer has seen it before.
As with the pharmaceutical sales resume, you want to be creative in your cover letter but
don't simply repeat the same things you state in your resume.
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