So, Do You Have Any Questions For Us?

During my 18-year-career in medical sales, I not only participated in many interviews, but I also sat on the other side of the table many times.  There is inevitably a point in the interview where the "tell me about yourself" and the "let us tell you about this position" ends, and the interviewer turns to you and says, "So, do you have any questions for us?" 

I was always surprised when a candidate would not have any questions.  Really?  You have zero questions about how you might potentially spend 8+ hours a day selling a product you're not familiar with for a company you do not know much about?  Or you couldn't even prepare a list of questions?  These are the types of details that add up, especially in the competitive field of medical sales, and most especially if you are trying to break into the industry and you are going up against candidates with medical sales experience.   

Even if you don't have any questions (and I find that hard to believe) it looks better to ask questions versus not.  It shows your interest in the position and that you are prepared for the interview.  When I am being interviewed, I usually jot questions down as we go along so that I can ask something later if it does not naturally get clarified during the conversation. I also bring with me a list of prepared questions that I stow in my leather-bound portfolio.  The trick with this is I don't have to remember the questions off the top of my head, and it shows the company I am interviewing with that I am prepared and interested enough in the position to craft a list of questions ahead of time.

Also, if you did have a thorough discussion and all of your "questions" were truly answered during the interview, you can still pull the list of questions out and say, "I think we addressed everything, but let me take a quick look down my list of questions and make sure."  

Now that you feel properly lectured on the importance of this step, let me share with you below a list of questions that you can take with you to your next interview.

Q:  What are you looking for in a sales rep?

Q: Who is the biggest customer in this territory?

Q:  Can you describe the competition?

Q:  What keeps you up at night?

Q:  What are the keys to success in this position?

Q:  What is the status of the territory?

Q: What are the challenges of this position? 

Q:  Define the company culture.

Q:  Is there anything about me or my background that gives you pause?

Acknowledge and address!  Use the skills assessment sheet.

Q: What are the next steps in the hiring process? 

Last, below is a cheat sheet for job description information that I fill in as the interview process goes along.  Depending on where you are in the process, it might not be appropriate to ask these just yet, but at the point when it is, these are additional questions you can ask to make sure you understand all of the parameters of the position.  It also helps if you are interviewing for more than one position at a time.  It can get tricky to keep each of the job description details straight.

• Compensation Structure: 60/40?, etc.  Base Salary: $______  Commission: $_______
• Start Date:
• Benefits:
• Car or car allowance:
• Territory Geography:
• Travel Obligations:
• Training Process:

I hope you find these helpful!  Drop me a line and let me know.  Also, if you have a big interview coming up and would like some help preparing, go to the coaching tab of my website and sign up for a coaching session.  In the meantime, good luck!!