Finding out about an organization’s culture is an important step in the interview process.  The culture of an organization is made up of the values, beliefs and the attitudes of its members.  Written mission statements give the potential employee an idea of the values held by management.  However, a true view of an organization comes from direct communication with its members.

When interviewing, it is important for potential employees to spend a few minutes asking the hiring manager or interviewer what they like about the organization and why they decided to work there.  Most managers are open to this question and will gladly spend a few minutes telling you about the organization and what they feel are the major benefits for employees.

Keep in mind that the benefits of an organization can be more than vacations, 401k’s and salary.  Finding a company that values its employees and their input may be worth more to your career in the long run.

There you have it! These two areas are critical in finding your next job. A well written resume offers a potential employer a peek at your organizational abilities. Don’t lose out on potential opportunities by not highlighting accomplishments throughout your resume. Within a few seconds, the potential employer should be able to read quickly your top achievements.

The second critical area concerns your relationships. Companies today are seeking people with contacts within the industry. So wherever your contacts lie, utilize these relationships to make your next career move. Contacts with specialty physicians, purchasing or other hospital department managers can all become very important when you are interviewing for a new position. Leveraging information on “who you know” is critical in sales. Find a way to add this information to your resume. By doing so, you will increase your chances of getting an interview.

As a medical sales recruiter, we often times receive feedback concerning the performance of a candidate in the interview process.  Sometimes the feedback is quite specific, but generally we are provided a broad perspective of how the candidate performed. 

Frequently, an interviewer will be truly impressed by a candidate and wish to hire them, but simply cannot due to a lack of experience or a missing skill set.  Many times these candidates are just getting started in their sales career and are truly on the right track by exhibiting the passion and energy for the position, particularly in the interview.   (continue reading…)

A functional resume identifies a candidate’ s key skills and abilities.  It highlights the candidate’s background specifically in areas of interest to the employer. 

A chronological resume typically provides education, job experiences and accomplishments in a chronological dated format.  Typically chronological resumes are written listing the most recent job experiences first.

While the purpose of a functional resume is to showcase specific skills, it often does not accomplish its set task.  With the present economy, your resume must catch the eye of the reader within 30 seconds to be noticed.  Functional resumes are often complicated to read.  It is often hard to know what the employer is seeking based off of a help-wanted advertisement.  Functional resumes assume too much.  However, functional resumes also have a place.  It would be more appropriate to use a functional resume when applying  for an executive or marketing position.

When it comes to sales, I would use a chronological resume adding a feature statement about your skills and bullets to draw the reader’s attention to your accomplishments.

In this competitive job market, it is more important than ever to remember to send a thank you note following a job interview. It is now acceptable to email your thank you note. In fact, most managers prefer this method, as it provides them with immediate feedback regarding your interest level in the position. Thank you notes are viewed by hiring managers as follow-up. Sending an well-written thank you note expressing your interest in the position will not only confirm your interest level, it will also show the hiring manager you will most likely follow-up well with customers.