Repairing the Broken Bridges Between Medical Sales Reps and Recruiters

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Job seekers are becoming more confident and independent. New opportunities are readily accessible to candidates across the country through a variety of different channels, such as social media sites and online job boards.

With recent advances in technology, current and hopeful medical sales reps are searching for ways to bypass recruiters. There are several reasons for this.

A 2016 study from CareerBuilder found that 76 percent of full-time employed workers are actively seeking new positions. These job seekers use an average of 16 resources to find jobs, including recruiter communication. Similarly, recruiters who responded said they use an average of 15 resources to find and place candidates.

The fact that a majority of currently employed workers are seeking other options should not be viewed as an obstacle, but as an opportunity for recruiters to go out and show their true value to the workforce.

Here is what you need to know to alleviate medical sales reps’ concerns about recruiters and discover opportunities to place qualified candidates. Note that much of the following advice can apply to recruiters and job seekers outside the world of medical sales as well:

What Job Seekers Dislike About Working With Recruiters

Many job seekers still hold misconceptions about the role of recruiters. Since some vacancies bar staffing agent contact, some job seekers assume they’ll be overlooked if they work with recruiters. They don’t understand that companies actually hire recruiters to place qualified candidates.

Many candidates – especially medical sales reps – believe no one sells their skills and qualifications better than they do. They don’t realize that recruiters are focused on placing them in jobs that closely match their experience. They also don’t know recruiters have insider information that could prove invaluable to their efforts to land interviews and offers.

In addition, many job seekers are concerned that recruiters may hide other jobs from them in order to goad them into a certain position. This creates a lack of trust.

The Struggles Recruiters Face With Job Seekers

Likewise, medical sales recruiters have their own concerns about working with medical sales reps. A common complaint is that job seekers view recruiters as their personal career coaches. They have unrealistic expectations, make special requests, and ask excessive questions. These job seekers become frustrated when their demands aren’t met.

Other job seekers fight recruiters every step of the way. They refuse to follow instructions. Some will actively try to bypass the recruiter and make direct contact with the company. This type of behavior gives the company a poor impression of both the job seeker and recruiter.

There are also medical sales reps who will flake out, missing interviews or otherwise not being accessible to an employer. This harms the recruiter’s reputation.

How Job Seekers and Recruiters Can Work Together to Fill More Jobs

There are a number of ways recruiters can create positive relationships with medical sales reps. Here are a few:

  1. Personalize jobs as much as possible: Focus on employee experience. Demonstrate what a day in the job might look like.
  2. Make it clear that you’ve already established relationships in the industry: Show that you are motivated to place qualified candidates. Rather than working against medical sales reps, you are helping them to move forward in their careers.
  3. Let job seekers know that working with you saves time for them: Medical sales reps will not have to take time off work or away from other commitments to search for a new position if they are in your talent funnel. Let job seekers know that you’re on the same team and focused on the same goal: placing them in a top medical sales job that matches their skills and qualifications.
  4. Understand job seekers’ needs and wants: Alleviate confusion as to what your role in the job search process is. Head off excessive demands by making clear what you can and can’t do for job seekers. Finally, demonstrate how working together is a mutually beneficial endeavor.

Karyn Mullins is the executive vice president and general manager of MedReps.

By Karyn Mullins