Pharmaceutical sales interview questions are typically situational (behavioral) in nature. These techniques are based on the premise that past behavior is a great indicator of future behavior. Therefore, all behavioral interview questions ask you to provide examples of real life occurrences that illustrate a particular skill or ability, as in organization, teamwork, persuasion, sales ability, tenaciousness, etc.
These questions usually begin with any of the following:
This is your alert to answer the question by providing a real life example.
However, there’s more to it than just telling your story…it needs to be logical, concise, and clearly illustrate that you posses the skill/ability in question. Enter…the STAR format! What’s that, you ask? Well my friend, it’s a format you can use to help answer the question in a logical, sequential, understandable manner!
The basic components of the STAR format:
Let’s try an example, shall we?
Interviewer: “Tell me about a time where you used negotiation skills to affect your company’s bottom line?”
Candidate’s Response:
Situation: “As a franchise owner and operator, I was constantly looking for new ways in which to grow my business. By my 2nd year in business, my referral system was kicking in nicely, but I really wanted to double the year’s previous earnings.
Task: I knew in order to double company earnings, I’d have to contract with commercial businesses – where the “big money” can be made. Living in a college town, I knew it would be wise to focus on the larger real estate companies in town – specifically those that managed many large apartment complexes.
Action: I utilized industry contacts and scheduled an appointment with the largest realty company in town, which also owned the most apartment complexes. After assessing their needs and goals, I constructed a business plan and negotiated a win-win situation for all of us. I agreed to take on many of the administrative tasks of yearly move-outs; they were thrilled at my offer. I then explained the features and benefits of our extensive cleaning services that related to their current needs. The end-result of my negotiation? We now had a yearly contract – which meant a stable income, plus they agreed to pay $5/more per hour than they originally quoted.
Result: As a result of that one commercial account, my business earnings more that doubled and the referrals I earned from my negotiations paid off for several years down the road!
Notice the logical progression of this example? Is there any doubt that this candidate possesses negotiation skills? No! In addition, organizing your answers in the STAR format shows exceptional communication skills as you clearly and effortlessly lead the interviewer through the situation, task, action and result.
As I’ve mentioned time and time again in our Pharmaceutical Sales Interview Coaching Blog, Preparation is the Key to Successful Pharma Sales Interviews. With that being said, how should you prepare for a behavioral interview?
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TIP: It’s best to utilize many of the same powerful examples contained within your brag book, if at all possible. Providing a story (example) and proving the results with your brag book is a PROVEN technique for acing the interview! Basically, you’re providing concrete evidence that you possess the skill/ability in question. When you have the proof (verbal explanation plus brag book), no one can question your abilities to do the job. Do it and you’ll be amazed at the results!
AUTOPOST by BEDEWY VISIT GAHZLY
