1. Explain me about a time when you made the wrong decision?
This is something that might be very difficult to answer. Whatever you choose to talk about, important to remember is to say what the outcome was and state what you learned from this experience. Don't say that you were fired!
2. Tell me what have you done to increase your margins?
Be specific. You should come prepared with at least three examples of ways you personally contributed to increased pharmaceutical sales. Back up your points. Before the interview, write three specific situations in your current or previous jobs when you attained goals. Example: "I increased the sales of X with my three-part strategy of…"
3. Tell me why are you leaving your current employer?
If you've been employed before, try to make this sound positive.
☛ You're looking for more of a challenge
☛ Your current role is too restricting or doesn't give you enough responsibility.
☛ etc
4. Tell me what in your opinion is the most difficult aspect in a sales boy role?
This interview question is negatively phrased and is designed to uncover a lack of confidence or weakness. When giving your answer the key is not to admit to inadequacies, but to focus on meeting, and surmounting challenges which form a regular part of the salesperson's job. An example of a skill, or lesson learned as a result of overcoming a difficulty is seen as indicative of a positive and determined attitude.
5. Tell me how do you cope under pressure?
Provide some examples of occasions where you were under pressure and you succeeded.
6. Tell me do you consistently meet sales quotas?
Over my career I've not only met all minimum quotas but I've set several sales records. Between 2013 and 2014, when many sales professionals in my industry were seeking non-sales related jobs due to the recession, I was able to increase my production by 10% over the previous year. Even though market conditions weren't ideal, I was able to find new sales strategies and techniques to help me maintain my momentum.
7. Explain how competitive are you on a scale of one to 10?
Everyone says they're an eight or nine, according to Scott Brent, author of the book Tactical Aggressiveness (due out in July 2011), which features job interview tips for pharma sales reps and other professionals. "But you also need to explain why you are that kind of person," he says. "Give some situations of how you're competitive both on and off the job."
8. How to show a confident salesperson?
Confidence and persistence are the most important qualities for a sales person, without which you can never hope to succeed. As well as confidence in yourself you need confidence in the product which should be palpable and obvious.
9. Tell us how do you deal with rejection?
I worked for four years as a door-to-door salemen selling pest control contracts in Atlanta, Georgia. Rejection was the name of the game in that industry. Salesmen that let the rejection get to them were ineffective, and often quit. Successful door-to-door salesmen recognized that rejection was just the nature of the job--it was nothing personal. Loosing a sale isn't fun. But I look at rejection as an opportunity to learn and improve my sales technique.
10. Tell me what are you looking for in the ideal candidate for this position?
Translates to: Do I fit the bill for the kind of person they are looking for? Maybe you'd know whether you are up to the job better than they.
11. Tell me are you a lucky person?
No matter what you really believe, the answer they want is yes. And prepare to give examples. "Even if you've hit a stretch of bad luck, you must find the nuggets of gold in your life,"
12. Tell me how you went about acquiring (a) new skill(s)?
This could be through study, training or experience. It all depends on the type of person you are and the type of skills you have.
13. Tell me how did you find out about this position?
Well, I have been a fan of your company and your products for a long time now. My family has used your products. I have your X, Y, and Z. I use your Z, A, and B and love them. I saw your company at a charity event and the guys that were at the event really seemed energetic and were all volunteering. I went home and did some research.
This is a great answer because it lets the interviewer know that this job opportunity didn't just fall in your lap, even if it did.
14. Tell us about a time you used leadership/initiative/good judgement?
What happened? What was the outcome? Questions about leadership can be academic or otherwise. Consider any roles you might have had in clubs or societies. Maybe you organised events for your university sports team, or you were head boy/girl at school/college and made some good decisions
15. Tell me where do you see yourself in the next five years?
The interviewers wish to know whether you are ambitious. They also wish to know how well you understand the industry and your own potential. Questions like these should be answered with clarity. Your answer should reveal to the interviewers that you know exactly what you are doing. You may reply that you see yourself as the chief editor of the creative department in a prominent firm. This reply reveals confidence and clear understanding of the industry.
16. What kind of work would I be doing here?
Translates to: Is this what I want to be doing? You don't want to accept a job where you don't really know the sort of things you'll be doing, especially if you find that your daily tasks are too easy.
Every organisation looks for good leadership qualities in their employees. While freshers are expected to follow their seniors in most situations, the firms know that only freshers can bring in change. They look for youngsters with an ability to bring change. You need to explain your leadership skills and your ability to understand the situation and find an apt solution. They seek leaders who are not bossy but understanding. Power blinds most men and you need to show the interviewers how you can help progress happen with your leadership skills.
18. Tell me what is your typical day like?
Tell the truth, but don't focus on minutiae. This is your chance to highlight traits that are helpful in pharma sales jobs, such as initiative, organization and the ability to follow through.
19. Please tell us are you a team player?
The huge organisations succeed because they work in teams. An individual needs to have a very high level of understanding to be able to perform in a team. The interviewers always seek team players. If they ask you whether you are one, you should be able to tell them how good you are while working in a team. Give them examples of college events where you have actively participated.
20. Tell me how well do you work with people? Do you prefer working alone or in teams?
I enjoy both. At my last job, the schedule was dependent on the customer requests. At Christmas we always are very busy and have a lot of orders to ship out. I really enjoyed that time because everyone is in a good mood, things are festive, we make it a point to take turns bringing in treats, and after Christmas we usually celebrate. At other times, I have been asked by my manager to go clean the back room. The back room is filled with inventory that hasn't been put away and it really is a one person job. I can look forward to this time as well. I just bring my iPod, put in my headphones and get into a zone.
21. Tell me what can you bring to this organisation?
☛ Dedication
☛ Initiative
☛ Innovation
☛ Motivation
☛ Enthusiam
☛ etc
22. Tell me do you believe in socialism or democracy?
This is another tricky question that is often posed to freshers during interviews. The interviewers try to gauge your understanding of different ideologies. Picking any particular ideology could be risky during an interview. The interviewer may be a staunch socialist and if you pick democracy, you may have a tough time putting your point across. You need to pick an amalgamation of different ideologies that help organisations function efficiently. Such an answer can keep you safe even while tackling tough interviewers.
23. Tell me what's your biggest weakness?
Be honest when asked a question like this.
I typically state something along the lines of "overly dogmatic". - anonymous
Hehehe, for me it'd probably be that I don't like to admit when I've made a mistake - JR
24. Please tell me why should we hire you?
Show them, first, that you've researched the company and understand its needs. What are the sales figures for the company's products? How do its drugs stack up against others in their class? Where is the company headed? Then, explain how your specialized knowledge, skills, network, commitment and enthusiasm will exactly meet those needs. Before the interview, list four to six categories of reasons that best support your candidacy along with supporting evidence for each.
25. Tell me why are you interested in this position as Sales Boy?
For the last five years I've worked as a sales engineer for XYZ company. For the last three years I been the top producing sales engineer in my division. Notwithstanding the success I've achieved, one of the challenges I've faced time and again is trying to convince prospective clients that they should swith from your company's platform to XYZ's platform. Your company has a stellar reputation for quality and customer service, and you're unquestionably the leader in this industry. XYZ knows it, I know it and the industry knows it. I'm confident, if given the opportunity to sell your products, I could be one of the very top producers for your company.
26. Tell me what is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example?
First I usually try to figure out what is causing the conflict. There is usually a reason. Most people don't want to argue or disagree so there is usually something else that is going on. I am on a soccer team and there is someone on the team that recently has been very difficult to deal with. He wasn't always like this. It wasn't just me that was getting this treatment it was the entire team. One day after practice, I asked him out for a beer and got him into a setting that was neutral for both of us and just asked him "what's going on with you? You aren't your normal self, is everything OK?" It turned out that his company was going through some tough times and he was worried about having to let some folks go. We talked for a while, and things got better at practices. I always made it a point to greet him personally when I saw him and let him know he had an ally and was watching out for him. I usually try to find out what is behind the conflict.
27. What is your salary expectation as Sales Boy and why?
The firms try to do cost cutting by paying low wages to freshers. You need to remember that your initial wage decides your later progress. You need to negotiate to make sure you get a decent first salary. You may have a tough time convincing the interviewers why you deserve the pay you are quoting. Freshers are just out of the college and they lack work ethics or understanding of the work culture. The company has to spend time, money and effort to train freshers into eligible employees. This is the reason why the companies are hesitant to pay a good wage to a fresher. If you negotiate well and are able to convince why you deserve a better pay, you may get the pay you have quoted.
28. In reverse chronological order share your positions for the last 10 years?
At my last job, I was a Sr. Finance Analyst. What I am most proud of there was that I submitted an idea to my manager to automate a particular product that had a lot of manual touch points. I submitted a written proposal with an outline. It answered questions Who, What, When and How. After a couple of iterations, I ended up presenting it to the VP. I worked with an implementation team and we ended up saving the company "x" in money and "y" in time. At the job prior to that, one thing that my resume doesn't mention is that I was a mentor for new hires. I really enjoyed this position because of "a and b". I had a real impact and the people I mentored are now doing very well within the company. I met with these folks once a week for their first month and was just their friend. After the first month, I met with them 1 time a month and our discussions were more goal oriented.
My long-term goal is to be an expert in my discipline. I would like to be the "go to" person for what I do. When there is a problem, people think of me when it comes to solving that. I don't worry about the title so much as having a rounded skill set. I want to be effective not only internally within the company but also externally with clients both large and small. I know it will take a lot of work, but if it was easy, everyone would do it.
30. What is your basic weakness?
An earnest man would easily fall prey to questions like these. You need to tackle questions like these tactically. When they ask about your weakness, your reply should be something like, ' I do not get peaceful till the work at hand is complete even if excess work affects my health adversely'. Such an answer reveals your love for the work you do and your true dedication and devotion as an employee. Your choice of an answer to such questions reveal your true attitude towards work.
You may also say things like ' My weakness is my strict adherence to deadlines even when the project is not urgent' or 'I can't tolerate indiscipline'. These are replies that highlight you in positive light. Such weaknesses only glorify you.
31. Explain me three words to describe yourself?
This is a tough thing to be asked; try to be positive, but don't be afraid of throwing in one slightly less positive one. . Obviously if you want to through out three similar positives, then go for it. It's your prerogative.
Examples:
☛ Motivated, cooperative, cautious.
☛ Enthusiastic, committed, decisive.
☛ etc
32. Why do you think you'd be good at this role as Sales Boy?
Here you could pick up on where you left off with "what are your strengths", i.e. relating all your skills and attributes to the responsibilities you would undertake in the role. If you're a clear and confident speaker, for example, and your job will involve answering lots of telephones, then this is the sort of thing you'd need to mention.
You know, 3 years ago, I didn't know how to use Outlook. The job I was working wasn't technology dependent, but I knew I needed to learn this skill if I wanted to get ahead. I literally laid out a plan. I was going to learn how to use AOL mail because it was free. I created two accounts and just practiced back and forth. Then I signed up for a course at the community center, which was only 25.00 for Outlook. They had 3 classes and my ultimate goal was to get through all three. Turns out that the AOL mail pretty much got me through the first class and I wasn't until the 2nd class that I was introduced to new topics. By the third class, I was thinking about Excel. I am proud of what I accomplished. It might not be much to some, but for me, I view it as an investment.
34. Tell me what are the most common objections you face when selling and how do you deal with them?
Answering objections is a common challenge to sales people and one you should be familiar with. Potential customers may say they don't need a product or they already have a supplier. These are general objections to which you will have a ready answer in terms of the quality and price of the product you're selling, for example.
When giving your answer the key is not to admit to inadequacies, but to focus on meeting, and surmounting challenges which form a regular part of the salesperson's job. An example of a skill, or lesson learned as a result of overcoming a difficulty is seen as indicative of a positive and determined attitude.
it is actually rare when I am really happy with my performance. I feel like I am always trying to improve. In my personal life I really like to golf / bowl / fish /knit/ you fill in the blank. When I first started 4 years ago, I shot a 100. I knew that this wasn't going to be acceptable so initially I just made it a point to practice at the golf range 3 times a week. As I progressed and watched others, I got videos, read magazines and asked my friends for help. About a year in, I signed up for some lessons. They were expensive but they were the best investment I could make. I now have a much better score and am really proud of what I have accomplished. At my last job, I wasn't very good at running the forklift. I cleared it with the manager if I could get my good friend to work with me after work and just practice lifting pallets. For about a week, we worked on different things. Backing around a corner, stacking pallets so they are straight. Moving one pile to another spot backwards for an hour a day after work. It paid off. I am now one of the most efficient operators of the forklift and my shift supervisor has me train everyone. I am proud of this.
