Genentech. Novartis. Johnson & Johnson. Pfizer. Sanofi-Aventis. Bristol-Myers Squibb.
These are just a few of the pharma firms that have announced layoffs this year. Over 45,000 jobs at drug makers have disappeared in 2010 according to outplacement company Challenger, Gray and Christmas.
Here are four things you should do right away if you've been laid off from a pharma sales job:
1. Rewrite Your Resume: And remember, it's not about you.
"Too often, [sales reps] write a resume from their perspective," says Dan Goldsmith, managing director with New York-based AC Lion Executive Recruiting, a recruiting firm that specializes in sales among other disciplines. "A hiring manager has seven seconds and a problem to solve. Write the resume about their problem, not your history."
It's also key to remember what the pharmaceuticals sales industry is all about: results. "It's not about what you did, but what you did which resulted in [blank]," says Goldsmith.
2. Network Everywhere
Clean up your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles and get ready to expand them. One easy way is to connect with the professionals quoted in trade publications.
"Anyone who has been cited in a story is important enough to the industry that they were chosen to be cited," says Goldsmith.
Don't forget about the real world. In a business like sales that's focused on personal relationships, you need to be sure to maintain your real-life friends and former colleagues.
Calling friends still in the business will often result in an "'If anything comes up, I'll give you a call,'" says Scott Moldenhauer, President of Great Pharma Reps and publisher of howtoconvincedocs.com. "The best networkers will get permission to call back -- and will do so every couple of weeks."
3. Color Outside the Lines
The competition for new pharma sales jobs is going to be cutthroat. Both Goldsmith and Moldenhauer agree, venturing out of pharma sales is a viable option. So give it some thought.
"Coming out of drug sales, a lot of companies will value the existing relationships you have with physicians," says Moldenhauer. "Pharma is only going to have room for so many people," so consider leveraging your existing relationships to sell cosmetic products, medical devices, and lab services instead.
4. Keep Your Ear to the Ground
It's hard to be psychic, but one of the smartest thing you can do to help prepare for layoffs is keep your ears open.
"If you hear rumors, start looking," says one pharma sales rep, who left Novartis for a job with a new firm just weeks before the firm's layoffs were announced. "Be smart, and don't wait for the hammer to fall."
Write to Kelly Eggers
