What do you feel would be your three biggest weaknesses as a new pharmaceutical sale representative for our company?
Pharmaceutical sales have a naturally high turnover rate and your interviewer has likely interviewed, hired, and onboarded many sales reps throughout their time with the company. If there is any given with new reps, it is that all come with their own unique set of weaknesses and your interviewer is hoping that you are cognizant of them and have a plan for addressing them if you emerge as the top candidate for the job.
Prior to your pharmaceutical sales interview, put some thought into what you feel your biggest weaknesses or areas for growth would be if you were to start on the job. In your answer, you ideally want to stay away from personal qualities and rather concentrate on professional traits and inexperience you may have regarding the role. Public speaking or working within a large team could be two choices. This will take skill on your part to keep it short and sweet and not allow the interviewer to second-guess why they chose to interview you.
"First, I think my lack of direct experience in pharmaceutical sales is a perceived weakness. I know I would come to your team with a lot to learn, but I'm confident that my sales experience in other industries would help me bring new insights to your team. Along those same lines, I've never had medical providers as customers, and know I would have a lot to observe and learn about what makes them ideal customers to work with. I would seek the advice of the reps on the team and pay close attention during my orientation. I also see learning industry regulations as an initial challenge, but one I would spend a lot of focus on in my initial weeks on the job. I have a lot of direct experience in working with regulations and policies in other industries and don't see this as an issue transitioning here."
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
I prefer to work with a smaller group rather than larger groups. I do not like confrontation and will avoid it if I can. I could use more experience in interpreting analytics.
Amanda's Feedback
You've done well by choosing weaknesses that can be improved. When discussing your weaknesses, it's equally important to share how you're working to improve in those areas. Talk about specific actions you're taking to increase your level of comfort working in larger groups, handling confrontation, or interpreting analytics.
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