Employers know that finding the most-qualified candidates is crucial to the success of their companies. Likewise, medical sales recruiters understand that their reputations, future opportunities, and even their jobs are dependent upon their ability to deliver the best of the best.
Job postings in and of themselves may not be the most glamorous aspect of finding the right candidates, but they certainly play a sizeable role in separating applicants with a chance and those without.
Smart job candidates know that they have to do whatever they can to stand out from the crowd and advertise why they are the best choice. As a job poster or recruiter, ask yourself a question: what if the roles were reversed? What if you had to make a job appear as attractive as possible just as a job candidate must make himself appear the most attractive and qualified for a job?
Keeping Up Appearances
Imagine your job posting on the other side of the interview table. Like a candidate, a job posting must look the part; it should be dressed accordingly, have a pleasant disposition, and have detailed information readily available when requested.
Bringing attention to your job posting while attracting the top candidates is very important. Below are a few ideas to keep in mind when constructing your job posting to keep it looking good:
* Title the job correctly
Be precise and descriptive at the same time. This includes using relevant keywords to optimize the job title. For example, “Pharmaceutical Sales Representative” is more attractive and more effective than “Sales Representative.” Also, if the job is area-specific, add that location to the title. This can help qualify most true candidates.
* Make the headline intriguing
Not the job title itself, but the headline. How is it different from the thousands of other sales jobs out there?
* Use specific keywords
Be sure to use the exact keywords that job seekers are looking for in your job posting. You may be advertising for a pharma rep, but if your candidate is doing a keyword search for drug rep jobs, your posting may not come up.
* Keep it simple
A job posting does not need to be a complete job description listing every duty and potential task. Highlight the job’s distinguishing features and requirements.
* Play nice
Of course you don’t want resumes from unqualified applicants. But if your job posting is written primarily to dissuade unqualified applicants, you may be putting off the qualified ones too.
* Include a “must” list
Include bullet points of all prerequisites for the position. This clearly spells out the duties of the job while discouraging unqualified applicants.
Money Matters
In a related MedReps article entitled, The Secret to More Medical Sales Jobs Applications, it was stated that 66% of MedReps job seekers use the “compensation” filter when looking for medical sales jobs. That means no matter how exciting your opportunity is, no matter how creative the headline, no matter how cool the company – if it doesn’t also include some type of compensation data, two-thirds of MedReps’ members won’t even see it.
MedReps is aware of this fact and as a result, has included compensation information in the snippet on the “job results” page. This way, candidates can see the compensation information without even viewing the job. It may be a harsh truth, but it’s reality: money is important to candidates and definitely plays a big role in what jobs they apply for.
The Application Process
Simply put, keep it simple. As an integral part of any job posting, make the application process easy for the candidate. While it may be easier for you to send them to your career site, the candidates you want are most likely busy professionals, so don’t make them jump through hoops to apply. If you don’t want to use a one-click application feature, give them your direct email address and ask them to send you a resume. Directing applicants to an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is anything but personal and should be avoided whenever possible. Again, medical sales professionals are busy. They don’t want to spend a half hour creating a login and completing a lengthy application process on your website so don’t expect top talent to waste their time with your ATS this early in the process.
Lastly, don’t request additional information if it is unnecessary. This includes cover letters. If you never read them, then tell applicants not to include one.
Post-Posting
Creating successful medical and pharmaceutical sales jobs descriptions isn’t necessarily rocket science, but it does take some careful planning and attention to detail.
A job posting is essentially a marketing tool, and should be crafted in a way that appeals to your target audience and incites them to apply. While you may not be in control of the job itself, you are in control of the posting and doing everything you can to attract the best.
Top candidates don’t have an unlimited amount of time to peruse job postings, so be concise as you excite them with a strong headline while clearly outlining the specific duties the job entails and including compensation data.