How have you had to handle rejection in your current position? Do you think this experience will help you in pharmaceutical sales?
In the world of pharmaceutical sales, sales reps need to be very cognizant of the fact that they will face "no" after "no" answers from the providers they will be meeting with on a daily basis. The reality is that there is a huge market for medications and a lot of the physicians you work closely with may already have prior agreements in place with other drug companies for specific treatments. Your interviewer needs to be assured that you will remain positive and diligent despite all of the rejections you will face in this job, so they want to hear you talk about some times you've had to do this throughout your career.
"As an inside sales rep for the last three years, of course, I've handled my fair share of rejection. I proactively reach out to a lot of prospective new customers and even though my communications have been carefully crafted and customized, hearing potential customers say no is a regular part of my day. I never let this get me down and try to focus on following up with them in hopes of setting a timeline for following up when current contracts expire. Most are very open to giving me more information to use down the road. As a new pharmaceutical sales rep, I know I can bring this same mindset and of course, am excited to learn the world of face-to-face sales with high-profile physicians around the region."
Prior to your pharmaceutical sales interview, put some thought into a time when you have faced rejection throughout your career and come prepared to discuss that situation. If you've been in a sales or customer service type position, make sure to talk about a time when that rejection came from a customer. As you talk here, your interviewer is looking for your ability to not take things personally and turn a small loss into potential bigger gains by what you learned from the situation.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
We can always learn from rejection. Understanding why someone rejected you can be turned into a positive for the next challenge. At the same time, understanding why people accept your proposal can be coupled with the rejection to strengthen your position in the future.
Amanda's Feedback
This is a foundation you can build a stronger answer on. Give the interviewer more insight into how your approach plays out in real life by talking about a time when you experienced rejection, how you handled it, what you learned, and how it benefited you in the future.
Unlock all 40 Pharmaceutical Sales questions
Unlock expert responses that demonstrate your ability to balance science and selling.
Get Started