1. Interview Tips
Much has been written on the actual face to face interview and how to ask and
answer questions effectively. The following will provide our top 10 tips on succeeding
in the interview and our top questions that you should be prepared to answer plus
the top 10 questions you need to ask when it is your turn.
Tips for Success
1. Reconfirm with the company before the appointment.
2. Dress the part. Err toward the formal, not the relaxed.
3. Show up 10 minutes early.
4. Do your home work on the company, visit their web site and be prepared to
discuss something in your background that matches a specific need with the
company.
5. Discuss your strategy with your recruiter. Get their advice.
6. Ask questions in the interview (see below) and ask for the job if you like what you
hear.
7. Be positive about your past employers and past situations.
8. Before leaving the interview, establish a firm time frame with the company to
move forward (i.e., what is the next step).
9. Call your recruiter immediately following the meeting.
10. Send a follow-up letter including an email. For extra impact, FedEx the letter.
Questions You Need to Answer
The first group of questions you will probably face are the standards listed below.
The right way to answer these questions is to direct them, whenever possible, to the
needs of the company you want to work for.
For example: Get your career objectives and interests aligned with the requirements
of the job and the culture of the company.
Obviously you should try and put a positive spin on any potential negatives. For
example: Describe your weaknesses in such a way that you highlight one of your
strengths. Examples: you could have an inability to tolerate people who do half a
job, or that you tend to work too many hours or you push to hard to do a perfect job
etc....
Don't lie or make things up. You don't want to get a job that isn't right for you. In
the long run you'll be unhappy and right back looking again. Rather think through
these questions for thoughtful, substantive answers that reflect the real you.
Questions to be Prepared to Answer
1. Why are you looking OR leaving your current position?
2. Why are you interested in this job?
3. What are your career objectives?
4. What do you do for hobbies?
5. What is the last book you read? OR What do you like to read?
6. Describe your personality?
7. What are your strengths?
8. What are your weaknesses?
9. Who do you admire in business?
10. Etc..etc...
Common sense will be sufficient to get you through these types of questions. The

2. key is to have well- thought-out answers prepared and ready.
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The more complex and challenging interviews involve the "tell me about a time"
questions. These questions are designed to elicit personal, life experiences that
reflect your ability to accomplish various aspects of the job.
For Example:
If the company needs a person who can respond well to pressure they might ask the
following:
"Tell me about a time in business when you were faced with an enormous amount of
pressure and how you responded."
OR
If the company needs someone who can get along with difficult people they might
ask: "Tell me about a time when you had to work with a very frustrating person and
how you handled it?
And here's the hard part. You can't brush these questions off by saying. "I can't
remember anything specific right now." Part of the interview process is to allow you
lots of time to think when you are having a hard time recalling. The interviewer will
say something like: "Take your time, there is no hurry," and then just sit there while
you think and sweat and think and sweat.
This is not meant to make you uncomfortable but rather to allow all the necessary
time to get answers. It is a proven and very effective way to interview, so do
yourself a favor and prepare ahead of time.
Some "Tell Me About A Time" Questions
1. ....when you felt under heavy pressure. How did you respond?
2. ....when you had to make a quick decision that you are proud of.
3. ....when you went above and beyond the call of duty.
4. ....when teamwork was critical to success and what you did.
5. ....when you developed a creative way to motivate someone.
6. ....when you had to set important goals and how they were accomplished.
7. ....when you found a job particularly uninteresting and how you dealt with it.
8. ....when your boss undermined one of your decisions and how you responded.
9. ....you had to fire (or reprimand) one of your subordinates.
10. ....you planned your strategy, implemented and then lost.
You get the idea. These are tough, but fair and realistic questions to ask on an
interview. Prepare yourself by thinking of a number of work situations where you had
to exhibit certain qualities. Have real situations on hand and you will be ready to
shine.
Questions to Ask the Company
This is your chance to ask the tough questions of the interviewer and the company.
It's a chance for you to look interested and informed about the industry and the
specific job. Here are some ideas.

3. 1. How long (or why) is the position open?
2. What do you see as the most important attributes for success in this job.
3. What happens when this job is not done well. Someone in the company (probably the
interviewer) feels pain when the job is not accomplished and you need to zero in on your ability to
keep that from happening.
4. What are the biggest challenges facing the company (or this division) over the
next few years?
5. How has __(something in the news)___________affected your business?
6. Where do you plan to be in 2-3 years?
7. What is your perspective on your company versus the competition?
8. Where is the current product line in its life cycle.
9. Why is your #1 rep #1
10. Describe yourself as a manager
Phone Interview Tips
1. Be prepared.
Any executive conducting a comprehensive job hunt should expect recruiters to call at
unexpected moments. Be ready by:
•Having a place to keep notes and files.
•Keeping paper and pencils by the phone.
•Instructing family members on how to answer the telephone and take messages.
•Preparing three to five key statements about your strengths and listing them on 3-
by-5-inch index cards for easy reference.
•Reviewing questions that you can reasonably expect to be asked and preparing
answers for them.
2. Sound positive, self-confident and focused.
What you say and how you say it is critical to your career future. If you're properly
organized, take out your notes for easy reference during the interview.
The fact that the recruiter has called you indicates that your resume or a member of your
network has given him or her a favorable impression of you. You need to confirm this
impression. Put a smile on your face and into your voice. You need to demonstrate your
enthusiasm and interest through your voice and telephone manner.
Some people find they sound more animated if they stand while talking on the phone.
Others say it helps to keep one hand free. Having a lively sounding voice makes you
seem upbeat and full of energy. Check how your voice sounds by taping yourself while
role-playing a telephone interview. Listen to yourself, then decide if you would hire the
voice you just heard. If not, make the necessary changes.
3. Focus on what you offer and can do.
Employers hire people for what they can do for them. The recruiter's mission is to screen
candidates and recommend those who will best meet the employer's needs. Your goal is
to be recommended for further consideration.

4. When describing your background, reinforce the positive and avoid the negative. You'll
only get one chance to make a positive first impression, Stay focused by reviewing and
use the key points you wrote down about your strengths.
4. Be a good listener.
Avoid interrupting and let the recruiter complete his thought or question before you
respond. Ask for clarification. Use open-ended questions. The more information you can
gather, the better you can respond.
5. Maintain an open mind.
Work towards creating a partnership with the recruiter. Look for areas of agreement.
Build on the positive. Find ways to help the recruiter explain why your candidacy will
make the employer's job easier and make the hiring manager look good.
6. Think creatively.
Prepare responses to these typical interview questions:
•What are you looking for?
•Why are you looking to change?
•Are you currently employed? If not, why?
•What are your current earnings?
•What are your salary expectations?
•Are you willing to relocate? Change industries? Travel?
•What are your strengths and weaknesses?
7. Write out your responses and practice reading them aloud.
This will help you to remember the response and sound natural when providing it. By
knowing what to say, you'll seem more confident, in control, organized and focused, all
qualities that recruiters seek in candidates.
Most candidates usually are asked about their salary expectations during screening
interviews. Recruiters and employers usually have a salary range in mind, and while
often unwilling to share it at this stage, they expect you to answer.
Your objective at this point is to win acceptance and be recommended for further
consideration. Accordingly, you may want to avoid providing a direct answer to this
question and reply instead by saying something like, "While compensation is important,
other issues are also important. If they can be clarified, then the compensation issue won't
be a problem."
8. Ask about the next step.
At the end of the interview, tell the recruiter you're interested (assuming you are) and
want to pursue the matter further. Ask about the next step in the interview process as well
as the hiring timetable. If you don't receive a positive response and you're sincerely
interested, ask the recruiter if he or she has any areas of concern. If there's a
misunderstanding about you or the recruiter doesn't seem certain that you're suitable, try
to clarify the problem, then ask again about the next step and timetable. While a positive

5. response doesn't guarantee you'll be considered further, a cooler response usually signals
that you haven't been successful.
By using these eight tips, you'll be more likely to win the first five minutes of the
screening interview, which is key to reaching your career goal.
Top 20 Interview Questions
1. What would you change about your present situation/current job?
2. What are you looking for in your next job?
3. What are the major qualities required to be successful in your sales position?
4. What types of specialists have you called on in your pharmaceutical sales history?
5. What is your current base salary?
6. What compensation are you looking for if you are hired?
7. What does being successful mean to you?
8. What professional goals have you set for yourself?
9. What are your 3 most significant accomplishments in your business life?
10. What is your sales philosophy?
11. How does your boss get the best out of you?
12. How do you organize/plan your daily activities?
13. Are you responsible for controlling expenses in your territory? How do you do
that?
14. What makes medical education programs that you organize successful?
15. What is it that attracts you to this opportunity?
16. What do you know about the company?
17. How soon could you realistically impact this territory if hired? Why do you say
that
18. What motivates you?
19. What sets you apart from the thousands of other reps in this industry?

6. 20. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?