Use Job Shadowing to Get Resume Keywords

Job shadowing is just what it sounds like:  you be someone’s “shadow” for the day, to learn what a typical day is like in their position.  It’s also known as a field preceptorship, or a ride-along (especially accurate for going with sales reps on their routes).  It’s a “tryout” for you with no pressure.  It gives you a chance to see if you like that work environment, and see what it takes to be successful in it.  If you work it right, you can ask questions throughout the day that will give you better insight into the work.

A major benefit of position shadowing for you is that you can gather keywords for your resume you might not otherwise have, especially if you’re just learning how to get into pharmaceutical sales.   You put the job shadowing experience on your CV and you write about which doctors you called on, what the products involved were, and what kind of clinical sales accounts they are.  The words you’ll use are the kinds of keywords that will get your resume noticed by computerized tracking systems, and then read by recruiters and hiring managers.

So now that you know why career opportunity shadowing can be so important to someone transitioning into clinical sales, how do you go about getting that experience?

First, find a sales rep.  If you’re interested in pharma revenue or clinical device sales, you can ask your doctor or clinical specialist for the names of people who sell to ‘em and their offices.  If you’re interested in lab sales, find a diminutive pathology and ask for the names of the revenue reps who call on Them.  Then, ask the revenue rep if you can ride along for a day or half a day, to see what that position is like.  It will be a precious touch if you offer to buy lunch, or maybe give them a small gift afterwards (maybe a LinkedIn Profile Tutorial or new sales book).  Add that experience to your resume, and you’ve made a giant positive step toward landing a clinical sales career opportunity.

If you need help with this, contact a career coach who can guide you through the process of how to break into lab sales.

Article courtesy of  Peggy McKee - Owner / Senior Recruiter at the nationally
recognized pharmaceutical and laboratory sales recruiting team of PHC Consulting.
© Copyright 2008 PHC Consulting | All rights reserved

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Use Job Shadowing to Get Resume Keywords