Pharmaceutical Sales Mock Interview
Practice 40 Pharmaceutical Sales interview questions covering territory management, clinical knowledge, and relationship building.
Question 1 of 40
As a pharmaceutical sales rep, will you be able to work under pressure?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Example Answer
How to Answer
Community Answers
Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
While certainly a rewarding and potentially lucrative career, the work of a pharmaceutical sales rep comes with a great deal of built in stress and pressure. If they're going to seriously consider you for the job, your interviewer needs to be assured that you will be able to handle the lofty sales targets and tight deadlines that will be a normal part of the job.
"Yes, I have no doubt! As you can see from my resume, I've been in a busy and competitive sales market for the last ten years and I love the pressure that comes with meeting sales goals and deadlines. My track record of success in the auto industry will translate well into pharmaceutical sales because I know that product knowledge and knowing my customers are vital to making a sale. I know that rejection is high in your world and I never let a customer saying no get me down for long."
The best way to answer this question is by closely researching the tasks you will be undertaking in the pharmaceutical sales position you are interviewing for and thinking about which tasks will be the most stressful. As you answer, make sure you don't sell yourself short by giving a simple yes. Take advantage of this question and use the opportunity to sell your skills and value profiles. Ensure your interviewer that you handle stress on the job in a healthy and productive manner by talking about a time or two you did so in the past.
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Anonymous Answer
Yes. I always do my best to prepare, but things come up and you have to be able to
roll with it. I'm someone my colleagues can count on and have a make it happen attitude.
Stephanie's Feedback
Staying calm in stressful situations is such an important skill set for any workplace! To deepen your response, you might include any strategies you've gleaned to help yourself stay calm and focused and/or how you take care of yourself when you're stressed.
Anonymous Answer
Planning and staying organized is a great way to alleviate some of the pressures of a job. Pressure can also bring energy or drive to stay focused. The ability to multi-task is also helpful, which I enjoy doing.
Amanda's Feedback
This would be a good opportunity to use the STAR method. Share a Situation that put pressure on you but had a positive outcome. Describe the specific Task you were supposed to accomplish. Tell about the Action you took to manage the pressure or stress and complete the task. Finally, share the positive Result and how you contributed to the successful outcome."
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