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Clifton White, senior marketing student from Wade, meets with a pharmaceuticals sales representative with Forest Therapeutics.

Drug Companies Recruit Marketing Majors at Job Fair

HATTIESBURG–A median salary of more than $50,000, no boss breathing down your neck and the ability to set your own schedule... who wouldn't want a job like that? Maybe that's why jobs as pharmaceutical sales representatives are in such demand.

Dozens of job-seekers attended a career fair at the University of Southern Mississippi on Oct. 22. Representatives from Forest Pharmaceuticals, Pamlab LLC, Eli Lilly and Company, Sanofi Aventis and others set up booths in the lobby of the Joseph Greene Hall to recruit students and local residents interested in pharmaceutical and health care sales careers.

"The message that we are getting from companies in the industry is that the sales model is changing and, now more than ever, companies are looking for students that have a strong work ethic, a high level of integrity, an ability to build business relationships and the aptitude to learn new concepts and material," said Mike Wittmann, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, and organizer of the job fair.

The Southern Miss College of Business offers a marketing major with an emphasis in pharmaceutical sales. In addition to the regular marketing and business courses, such as Creative Marketing and Consumer Behavior, majors must take some basic nursing, chemistry, anatomy and physiology classes that will give them a good background in science and health.

Senior Clifton White, 22, was one of the students who attended the third annual Health Care Marketing Industry Day.

"I participated in it before and it's a great way to network. You learn which companies provide which drugs, which companies are hiring," White said, adding that networking is what it's all about if you want to land a job as a pharmaceutical sales representative.

"The reps we had last year are some of the same ones who participated this year," he said. "They took our resumes and I had one interview me on the spot. He asked questions you might not be expecting, like a real interview."

Representatives from the drug companies declined to be interviewed.

Pharmaceutical reps must be self-starters who are good at follow-up and know where to focus their time and efforts. In a typical day, a rep makes calls to hospitals, HMOs, doctors' offices and pharmacies.

According to Salary Wizard and Monster.com, the national median salary for a pharmaceutical sales rep is about $56,000, not including bonuses.

White said his father is employed in electrical sales, so he grew up knowing what it took to be a sales rep. He is interested in science, but decided he did not want to be a doctor, so pharmaceutical sales or medical device sales appeals to him. He is particularly drawn to the independence aspect of the job.

"You can work on your own schedule, as long as you're being productive," White said.

And although some pharmaceutical companies are downsizing, he said he is not worried about landing a job in this economy.

"As long as there are people in the world, they're going to need drugs," White said. "I think that (downsizing) scares a lot of people but for a rep, you don't have people looking over your shoulder at the smaller companies."

Hattiesburg is a major medical center, and although White, a Jackson County native who now lives in Hattiesburg, likes the Hub City, he is willing to move for career opportunities.

"I wouldn't mind staying in Hattiesburg, but having the option to move will make getting a job easier," he said, adding that Birmingham, Ala., where his parents now live, is an option.

Feedback from the pharmaceutical company representatives who participated in the Health Care Marketing Industry Day was positive, Wittmann said.

"They thought that the Healthcare Marketing students presented themselves professionally and that they are better prepared for jobs in the industry based on the courses that they've taken at USM," Wittmann said.

"Furthermore, many of the students are seeking ways to get a better idea of what a sales representative's job entails, and the company reps are going to see what they can do to create opportunities for students to do ride-alongs or have greater involvement with the companies. The students were very pleased with the event and appreciated the 'real-world' point of view from the company reps."

Wittmann said the fourth annual Health Care Marketing Industry Day will probably be held in March.

"We are fortunate to have a program that provides our students with a strong foundation in the sciences, business, marketing, sales and health care," he said. "In other words, our students are better equipped to create value for their companies and customers in a shorter period of time. Therefore, as our program grows, I expect Industry Day will grow as well. Southern Miss has a long history of placing students in the health care industry and we plan to continue that tradition well into the future."

Tags:

Clifton White, Eli Lilly and Company, Forest Pharmaceuticals, Mike Wittmann, Pamlab LLC, Sanofi Aventis, University of Southern Mississippi

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