Jobs in medical sales still going strong

There are some industries where success has little to do with the state ofthe economy: Medical salesjobs and healthcaresales jobs are definitely among them.

1. The industry

The UK healthcare industry as a whole is worth billions of pounds andemploys around 2 million people.

The National Health Service (NHS) is the largest employer, with a workforceof 1.3 million. A further 21% work in the private sector, 1.9% in the voluntarysector and the remainder in local authorities and other organisations.

The pharmaceutical industry employs around 70,000 people. It develops andproduces drugs, equipment and products, and is a major provider of medical repjobs and healthcare sales jobs.

Medical rep jobs play a crucial role in the industry, closing the gapbetween pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals. They ensureclients are aware of, buy and use their company’s pharmaceutical and medicalproducts – whether in general practices, primary care trusts or hospitals.

In terms of jobs inmedical sales, the top five leading international pharmaceutical companiesin 2007 were Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis, AstraZeneca and Novartis(Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry).

2. The current climate

While more people are now seeking new work, there is a string of industrieswhere success has little to do with the state of the economy. Drugs companiesin particular are where investors pile their money to wait out a recession.

Why? Because people need dentists, doctors and other healthcareprofessionals regardless of the state of the economy – just as they need theright drugs and equipment to make people better. Because when things go wrongthey have to be fixed; it’s not discretionary spending. Medical sales jobs andhealthcare sales jobs are an integral and invaluable part of this process.

What’s more, skill shortages in the public services sector will always fueldemand for high-calibre professionals – particularly in the drive to find new,more effective drugs to fight disease and in caring for an olderpopulation.

3. What medical sales jobs are out there?

The healthcare jobs market is awash with a wide variety of titles andterminology. Some of the most common are healthcare sales jobs, medical salesjobs, medical rep jobs, medical equipment sales, wound care sales jobs,laboratory sales jobs and theatre sales jobs.

While medical rep jobs mostly involve promoting prescription products,successful candidates could find themselves selling anything – from wound careproducts, surgical tools, implants or large medical devices into large NHStrusts, private hospitals, dentists or even veterinary surgeons.

Opportunities may also occur in related medical sales jobs fields, such asmedical disposables and equipment. Additionally, some experienced healthcaresales jobs lead on to working as field trainers – training and developingjuniors in healthcare jobs.

Since at least one-third of the pharmaceuticals produced in the UK areexported, there are also international medical sales jobs opportunities.

4. What do recruiters look for?

There are many jobs in medical sales to be found, across a very wide rangeof specialist areas and geographical locations. Competition for jobs in medicalsales can be high, particularly with company mergers and the tightening offinances within the NHS. However, there are lots of ways to stand out from thecrowd. Certain attributes that employers look for include:

Individuals who can successfully work as part of a team (medical sales jobswill often involve sharing territory) Graduates or trainees, or individualswith nursing, marketing or ethical sales experience Candidates with a sciencedegree (approximately 50% of the 9,000 medical sales reps in the UK have one;the other 50% are mainly graduates from other academic disciplines) Experiencein selling to the medical market, or a medical background

At SalesTarget.co.uk, there are a huge range of healthcare jobs and medicalsales jobs for you to explore, spanning all skills and sectors.