There’s a problem when it comes to software.  No matter how intelligent it gets, software is not a person.  That means, eventually, even the best software loses the human touch at some point.  And so it is with resume searches.  As David Dirks points out in his article in the Times Herald-Record, software can be an imperfect solution.

As Dirks points out, recruiters can be swamped with hundreds and thousands of resumes for every job they post online.  that’s actually a theme we’ve touched on before with our resume editing services.  With so many resumes coming in, you’ve got to stand out.  Not only does your resume need to “POP” to its human reader, it’s got to utilize the right keywords to make sure its found in the software searches recruiters perform to cull the herd.

However, as Dirks discusses, some people “game the system” by stuffing keywords into their resume that just don’t belong.  Yes, you want to have the right keywords in your resume so you are found for the right opportunities.  However, that does not mean using keywords that are not relevant to your experience or expertise.  Of course, some people do just that and it throws a monkey wrench into the entire system.  So what should you do?

Dirks suggests a combination of job boards and networking and he’s right.  Find the medical sales job you’d like on MedReps.com.  Then, find a contact through your network to put a pulse with the resume.  Does it guarantee you an interview?  No, but it does offer you improved odds, because you are now a person that someone knows, not just a faceless resume.

To make that connection a little easier on you, MedReps has just released its new LinkedIn integration.  By signing in to MedReps with your LinkedIn account, you’ll be able to see who you know at the different companies posting jobs on MedReps.  If you see a job you like, you may also see that you have a connection to that company through a former coworker.  the LinkedIn integration does a great job of pulling together the online and offline reality of today’s job search.

One of the most frequent inquiries we see over at MedReps.com is “How high is the average medical sales salary?  Well, after years of fielding the or similar salary-based question, we began publishing the annual Medical Sales Salary Report.

Now in its second year, the salary report offers an inside look into how much actual medical sales reps are making in total compensation (salary + bonus).  Beyond just hard numbers, the sales salary report also offers insight into the people that make up the medical sales rep population.  Salaries are not based on title alone.  There are several factors that work together to determine why Jim makes $30k more than Jon.  Maybe Jim is older and more experienced.  Or maybe Jim is younger, but he’s got the degree Jon doesn’t have.  There are countless combinations, but the MedReps Salary Report does a great job of looking at the details.

this year, we also developed an interactive tool to help five our users our more customized look at salary information.   Using the MedReps Salary widget, you can dig deeper into the numbers.  Take a look at geographic area, age, experience, and more.  Plus, you’ll see a visual representation of your selections on the auto-populated  charts.  all you have to do is select your specific criteria and the charts change as specified.

The medical representative salary report gets better and more detailed every year.  If there’s any info you’d like to see covered in next year’s report, leave a comment below.  Or, better yet, join MedReps and take the survey yourself!

Koka Sexton at Business2Community wrote an interesting article on Creating a Sales Resume that Sells Yourself.  While he makes some good points around using figures and industry specific language to make your case, Koka’s forgetting one very important issue . . .  We’re not all good at selling ourselves!

When it comes right down to it, some people simply find it difficult to toot their own horns.  Yes, even good sales people.

Look at your a copy of your own resume.   When you submit your resume for a new job opportunity, does it seem to disappear into a black hole?  Does it seem like you simply don’t get any response?  Or maybe you’re just not getting the response you’d expect it to get?

If that’s the case, it’s time you thought about perspective.  Simply put, you could benefit from another pair of eyes taking a look at your resume.  You need the opinion of  someone who isn’t so personally attached to that document.  Someone who hasn’t spent the last decade crafting each and every word of it.

You need a professional.  Take advantage of our team of experienced medical sales recruiters.  Our team is actually a group of working medical sales recruiters who sift through hundreds of resumes on a daily basis as they fill medical sales jobs.  You can use their years of industry experience to your advantage as they  edit your resume  to help you stand out and exemplify why you should be hired you over the other guy!

Check out our new Medical Sales Resume Service.

So what draws you to look at one job posting over another?  Sure, we typically notice the job title, but those can all be relatively the same in a niche job community like medical sales reps.  So what helps you make the choice of one job over another?  That’s the type of question we’ve set out to answer with our weekly poll series, “Around the Water Cooler“.

Last week’s poll asked visitors to vote on what attracts them to one job over another.  Not surprisingly, the medical sales rep salary was at the top of the list.  In fact, at 45%, salary was responsible for just short of half of all the votes in the poll.  The combination of a strong base salary and the potential for large bonuses is a big draw for many sales reps.  That’s one reason medical device and pharma rep jobs have been so competitive over the years.  There’s a lot of money to be made.

But is it just the money that draws us to a new job?  Apparently not.  At 28%, just behind salary, was the reputation of the brand or company behind the job.  It may not seem like it, but brand matters.  That may be why the top 4 companies from the Best Places to Work in Healthcare Sales report were well known brands.  When you say you work for Allergan, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic or Stryker, there’s not much left to explain.  You’re working for one of the top brands in the business and you begin to embody the company reputation.   It feels good.

Rounding out the poll were call points at 5%  and % of travel with just 3% of the votes.  As you can see, the job search isn’t so much about where you go, but more about the banner you carry.  Of course, it also doesn’t hurt to travel in first class.

The Internet is full of competition and imitation. In fact, it’s fair to say there aren’t a whole lot of truly unique ideas when it comes to websites. Sure, you’ll come across some truly groundbreaking designs from time to time, but they’re certainly in the minority. There’s a basic formula and it works, so why try to fix it, right?

Having said that, it’s still funny when you see an eerily similar site within your same niche. They say, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” That’s true, but imitation is also fuel for discussion around the office. With that in mind, we had a little fun in the office last week and we caught it on video.

You can watch the video by visiting the GORILLA MED REP video page.