Although I had three years of sales experience in another industry, I couldn't even get started in the pharmaceutical sales industry because the information you need to know is so specific. I made the mistake of purchasing a few other books before I purchased this one. They all concentrated on research and not on gaining interviews and answering interview questions. This book has 150 specific interview questions and answers and I feel like I answered most of them during my FIVE interviews with my present employer! The entire book is written with very specific pharmaceutical information and does not contain the "filler" or general type of information that I found in the others. Jane gives pharmaceutical company profiles that tell you exactly how much information you need to know about the company you interview with and she teaches you how to get the latest information about the company. You're even taught how to think like a pharmaceutical sales representative and interpret the body language of your pharmaceutical sales interviewer! This was so helpful during the interviews. Additionally, the career comparison guide example and instructions made it easy to prepare this very essential interviewing tool. This made the difference in my interview outcome! That document moved me ahead of the other finalist and I got the job!

To all pharmaceutical sales hopefuls...it is possible!

11 of 11 found the following review helpful:


Great resource for interview preparation  Dec 12, 2002
I used this book along with "Be Brief, Be Bright, Be Gone" book by David Frost as my guides to gaining employment as a Pharm Sales Rep. By following the suggestions for finding available jobs, plus studying all the 100+ likely interview questions, I was able to land a job with my number one company choice, a Fortune 25 company!!!

This is a great resource for preparing your resume, finding the right companies, and handling the interview process. I was called back a few days later after my interviews with a job offer!!!

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:


A must resource for entering the Pharma field  Nov 12, 2003 By Oliver D. Corbin
Simply put, this book provides great information on the pharmaceutical industry and what to expect if you become a sales rep but I found the "Interview Questions" section to be invaluable. I just received the coveted 3rd interview with Abbott Labs with the help of this book. I have zero sales experience but I reviewed the possible questions in the book and wasn't surprised by any questions asked of me in the 1st interview. Some were almost ver betam! These interviews are difficult because you must answer correctly and promptly and the only way to do this is to be prepared. That's what this book can do for you. It did it for me.

19 of 22 found the following review helpful:


Could have been better and word of caution  Aug 09, 2002 By Chris S
You can read this book in one night. It is very general and the company profiles were simply information taken from the web sites of the companies covered. I was expecting more in depth reviews of the firms which would touch on compensation structures, reputations, and an "insider's view" of the companies. On the positive side, it did contain many interview questions w/sample answers.

Overall if you are very new to the field....buy it. However, if you have been doing your homework on the industry and positions available, I do not see the need to purchase this "guide".

...

10 of 11 found the following review helpful:


Jane Williams has accomplished the impossible!  Apr 12, 2002
I posted the following message on Amazon shortly after receiving my job offer. I have reviewed the new 6th Edition of the Insider's Guide... and have found that Jane Williams has accomplished the impossible. She has improved a book that already had fantastic information. The new book contains 150 pharmaceutical sales questions and answers! As a current pharmaceutical sales representative, I feel that this is the absolute best book on the market for anyone wanting to gain a pharmaceutical sales position.

Wow! What a great book! I have landed a fantastic pharmaceutical sales job with one of the top five companies thanks to the Insider's Guide and the coaching I received from Jane and staff at Principle Publications.

I couldn't have made it through the tough interviews without the guide. All of the questions and answers about how to handle the physicians who turn you down during a sales call, to why they should hire you over someone with sales experience, to how to "sell the product", etc. were all covered in detail in the book with examples! This "saved" me during my interviews, especially during the last and most difficult interview. I feel like I was asked most of the 78 questions and answers covered by the book during my five interviews.

Without my career comparison document and sales binder that I prepared by using the Insider's Guide I am certain that I could not have passed the interviews. Jane deserves a medal for this writing this book! I choose this book because it is the #1 selling book in its class on Amazon.com. There's a reason why it's #1...it's the best book on the market!...

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