I was on the treadmill at the gym the other night and ESPN was airing a story on softball player Sara Tucholsky, a senior at the University of Western Oregon. Sara had never hit a home run in her career at Western Oregon but that was about to change thanks to the integrity of a player from the opposing team, Mallory Holtman.

Sara Tucholsky, a 5′2 outfielder for Western Oregon, is at bat with 2 runners in scoring position. She hits the ball out of the park for her first career home run. The two runners ahead of her both cross home plate and turn around to wait for Sara to cross the plate….but no Sara. They look back at first base and see her laying in the dirt by the bag.

In all of her excitement and enthusiasm, she failed to touch first base and when she realized what had happened she went to turn back and her knee gave out. Torn ACL.

In college softball, if a teammate touches or assists in any way the runner is ruled out. If they put in a substitute runner, the home run would be taken away and ruled a double. Western Oregon coach, Pam Knox, was about to send in a substitute runner for Sara and get her off the field when all of a sudden a voice posed the question to the umpire and coaches, ”Excuse me, would it be OK if we carried her around and she touched each bag?” That voice was from Mallory Holtman, a senior from the opposing team with most home runs in her school’s team history.

The umpire confirmed that the home run would count and with that being said, Holtman and her teammate approached Sara and asked if they could pick her up and carry her around the bases. Sara was in disbelief that players from the opposing team would help carry her around the bases to record her first home run. Holtman simply told her “you hit the ball over the fence, you deserve it.”

Western Oregon went on to win the game 4-2. Sara Tucholsky’s season and softball career ended that day with the injury but what she witnessed that day was much more valuable lesson that will stay with her for the rest of her life. Mallory Holtman displayed integrity and character and reminded all of us what it means to do the right thing.

Click here to read more about this remarkable story on Espn.com

Lesley Woodworth is our guest blogger this week. Lesley is a medical and pharmaceutical sales recruiter for Tom Ruff Company and shares her top 3 tips for creative follow-up after your first interview…

Business card in hand, you stroll out of your first interview feeling great about how you answered questions in perfect STAR format, how you asked solid open ended questions and how you nailed your 3 part close. You send a quick email when you get home to thank your interviewer and await the next step.

Right… Wrong!

In today’s competitive marketplace, a quick follow up note is simply not enough. Below are 3 tips to help secure your second interview and ultimately help you land your dream job!

1) Top Ten Lists: Organize your list into bullet points and be catchy. We are not talking David Letterman style but instead strong adjectives and impactful reasons why the company should hire you. You can also list out why you want to work for X company and when you do so make sure this is a very specific list (market share numbers, company credo, etc). I recommend emailing this as an attachment with your thank you note.

2) Prepare a Business Plan: You can write a powerful business plan early on in the interview process without knowing all the details of the territory and the role. Focus on your big picture goals for the first 30, 60 and 90 days such as mastering the medical and drug terminology , territory management and knowledge of the marketplace . Email this to the manager and as you learn more about the role, refine and elaborate to make this a powerful and applicable plan.

3) Power Point Presentation: I love this one. Here is a chance to let your presentation skills shine!You can put together a number of different presentations including your top ten lists and/or business plan mentioned above. The manager will look at this as sneak preview into how you will conduct your business as a medical or pharmaceutical sales rep so make sure it is perfectly executed. Pay close attention to the organization and flow of ideas, grammar (of course!) and small details including personalized cover pages. So go for it! Stand out from the crowd and see how the three suggestions above help to set you apart in your next interview.

I’m a firm believer in the power of setting goals. When I look back on some of the most significant things I’ve accomplished in my lifetime, I realize that the majority of them began with clearly defined, written goals, structured around a specific timeline with benchmarks along the way. 

I set goals for everything I do, both personally and professionally. Doing so forces me to clarify what I want to accomplish and by when. The simple act of writing down your goals engages your subconscious, which goes to work for you even while you sleep.

At the same time I write down those goals, I decide how I will reward myself when I hit them. Some of the smaller rewards have included: taking an afternoon off and going to a movie, going out to a nice dinner, buying something that I’ve wanted for a long time or going to an amusement park. For some of the bigger or annual goals, I’ve taken trips to the British Virgin Islands, Fiji, France, Italy and Spain. It’s important to have some fun with this.

I also use visualization. I paste color photos of my reward all around my written goals, displaying them in my office. It’s nice to come into my office early in the morning and see my goals festooned with these enticing images. It provides a fun way to focus my energy, prioritize my time and accomplish what I want to, when I want to.

See how this works for you as you seek out your dream job in medical or pharmaceutical sales.

Mountain climber, Dean Potter, shares this touching story of his first lesson in Zen taught to him by his father during a childhood fly fishing trip. This excerpt is from the amazing book, “Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Business Man” by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia.

Enjoy, Tom

 

Zen

Cold air from the valley drifts upward. It’s predawn, and I’ve been moving on the Nose of El Cap through the night, focused on the rock in front of me in the faint light of my headlamp. Suddenly, I think of how tired and exposed I am, also, ropeless, far past any point of retreat. A surge of panic courses through me. I try to think of the summit, but that thought too is dangerous.

An image floats into my mind. I’m following my father in the early morning through a pasture in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. He strides toward Moosebrook, his favorite fishing spot. I’m not even half his height, and the frosty grass brushes all the way up to my waist.

We reach the river. My dad skips from rock to rock, downstream to the first hole, and looks back for me. The water is freezing, and the rocks are covered in slime. I’m afraid to follow. I burrow painfully through the thickets of pricker bushes, swamp, and blackflies as my father calls for me. The bugs chase me back to the river’s edge, and I timidly wade in and try to catch up. Tense and anxious, I lose my footing and fall into the river. I gasp for breath in the icy water but manage to scramble onto a rock, where I bawl until my father comes back. “I don’t like fishing. I want to go home.”

My father shakes his head to me, and his eyes sparkle. “Dean, put everything aside. There’s nothing to be afraid of, except a little cold water. Just focus on the next step you are taking. I feel so happy running down the river, sun reflecting off the water, my body naturally going where it’s supposed to. I almost don’t think at all. I just respond to what’s in front of me.”

He stops talking and heads downstream again. We slowly pick our way across the rocks, catching rainbows and brook trout. The day passes quickly, and my confidence rises. Soon I’m playing and racing down the rapids with eyes wide and senses alert, not knowing I’ve just received my first lesson in Zen. The air drifts over my body. I grasp the immediate. I reach for the next hold.

- Dean Potter

 

This week we have a guest blogger, Shawn Graham author of “Courting your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job”. Shawn shares his perspective on pursuing a career in pharmaceutical sales. I hope you enjoy.

Courting a career in pharmaceutical sales

Great earnings potential, an opportunity to build your own business, autonomy–a few of the many factors that make a career in pharmaceutical sales highly desirable. And, with aging baby boomers and average life expectancy for people living in the U.S. continuing to climb, job seekers will continue to be drawn to the industry in droves. So how can you stand out from an ever increasing crowd of equally qualified candidates? Let’s take a look at five key tips that will help you do just that.

1. Know your type. A good friend of mine was attracted to pharmaceutical sales because of the autonomy, lack of structure, and chance to work out of a home office. But guess what? After a few short months, she realized she actually needed the supervision, structure, and interactions that come from working in a traditional office. Before you apply, do your homework–make sure you truly understand the role.

2. Play the field. You’re competing with hundreds of candidates for a limited number of positions. To increase your chances of success, reach out to friends of friends, alumni from your college or university, or others at the Pfizers, GlaxoSmithKlines, and Mercks of the world before you apply. Doing so will allow you to gather information about the company that you can reference during the interview in addition to sending a signal to the company that you “get it.”

3. Show genuine interest. It’s not enough to say you want to work for them because they’re a “top pharmaceutical company.” That’s like telling someone you’d like to ask out that they’re “hot.” It might be true, but so are thousands of other people. So what makes him or her special? Companies want to know that you “get them” and what makes them different from their competitors. If you want the job, let the interviewer know. Highlight the reasons why you’re interested in that particular position with that particular company and why you think you’re a great fit.

4. Exude subtle confidence. Often the most difficult to pull off without appearing overconfident, you want to approach the interview as though the job is yours for the taking. If you did your homework, that preparation will automatically build your confidence. Understand the industry and the job and come prepared to highlight examples from your previous work experience that relate to the opening.

5. Seal the deal. When interviewing for a pharmaceutical sales job, more so than most other functions, your ability to seal the deal could mean the difference between a call back and rejection. Don’t leave the interviewer wondering if you’re interested. Before you head for the door, ask for the job. And, if you’re not sure what to say, check out the sample closing script Tom included in his book, How to Break Into Pharmaceutical Sales.

When it comes to a career in pharmaceutical sales, it’s all about relationships. Your ability to establish connections and build rapport with people in the business will go a long way in determining your ultimate success.

Shawn Graham is author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job (www.courtingyourcareer.com).