How to hire a pharmaceutical sales person

How to hire a pharmaceutical sales person, step by step

Here's a step-by-step pharmaceutical sales person hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a pharmaceutical sales person job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new pharmaceutical sales person
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the pharmaceutical sales person you need to hire. Certain pharmaceutical sales person roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A pharmaceutical sales person's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, pharmaceutical sales people from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of pharmaceutical sales people.

   Type of Pharmaceutical Sales Person	Description	Hourly rate
   Pharmaceutical Sales Person	Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. They contact customers, explain product features, answer any questions that their customers may have, and negotiate prices.	$32-119
   Specialty Representative	A specialty representative is responsible for selling specific goods and services to target customers through remote communication or site visits, depending on business requirements and client needs. Specialty representatives assist the marketing and sales team in delivering high-quality sales strategies and promotional techniques to attract customers, identifying their needs by researching industry trends to drive more revenue resources and achieve sales goals and objectives... Show more	$12-44
   Sales Development Representative	A sales development representative qualifies leads at the sales funnel's initial stages. Sales development representatives need to conduct research for prospective clients and qualify the leads before handing them to the sales team... Show more	$16-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Pharmaceutical Products
   • Sales Territory
   • Pharmaceutical Sales
   • Sales Growth
   • Medical Sales
   • Healthcare Professionals
   • Disease State
   • Diabetes
   • Internal Medicine
   • Family Practice
   • Product Launch
   • Market Share Growth
   • Product Knowledge
   • Hypertension

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage Santa Rosa/San Francisco territories, marketing and selling respiratory, urology, cardiology to pharmacies and primary care physicians.
   • Present, negotiate, and close hospital contracts for antibiotics.
   • Maintain inventory of samples on a monthly basis for reporting to FDA.
   • Collaborate with NP's and RN's in charge of Coumadin clinics to ensure proper patient use of Coumadin.
   • Collaborate with hospital formulary committees to introduce new products.
   • Integrate formulary knowledge and assistance program information for exceptional customer experience

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your pharmaceutical sales person job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A pharmaceutical sales person salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, pharmaceutical sales people' average salary in hawaii is 70% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level pharmaceutical sales people earn 73% less than senior-level pharmaceutical sales people.
   • Certifications. A pharmaceutical sales person with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a pharmaceutical sales person's salary.

   Average pharmaceutical sales person salary

   $130,507yearly

   $62.74 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level pharmaceutical sales person salary

   $68,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 16, 2026

4. Writing a pharmaceutical sales person job description

   A good pharmaceutical sales person job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a pharmaceutical sales person job description:

   Pharmaceutical sales person job description example

   We are a Fast 55 Award Winning Industry leading Pharmaceutical Distributor, we supply the generic pharmaceutical needs of end user pharmacies across the United States.

   
   

   Join our Team and you'll:

   • Develop new sales areas, through outbound & inbound calls, referrals, and emails to Pharmacies nationwide
   • Building relationships that will increase account penetration, revenue growth and customer satisfaction
   • Achieve new account acquisition, account expansion, and account retention, while facilitating Customer orders and requests
   • Focus on account retention, and strong customer management
   • Execute new business opportunities on behalf of the Company
   • Achieve assigned monthly sales and customer objectives, while negotiating and collaborating with customers to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes

   
   

   As part of our Team you’ll enjoy:

   • 40,000 - $60,000+ 1st Year total earnings if on target with expectations
   • Earn UNLIMITED Commission + earn monthly bonuses
   • $1000 Sign on Bonus
   • Leads / Prospects provided
   • Hybrid schedule after 6 months (2 - 4 days per week hybrid, and the rest in the office) negotiable with experience
   • Paid Training + Ongoing Key Learning and Mentoring Sessions
   • Flexible PTO, & Paid Holidays
   • 401(k) + Company Match
   • Comprehensive Benefits package with HSA Program & Employer Contribution
   • Paid Life Insurance & Short-Term Disability
   • Paid Employee Assistance & Health Advocacy Programs
   • Employee Referral Program with Bonus
   • Employee Discounts

   
   

   What you bring to the Team :

   • Motivation by UNLIMITED Commission + Monthly Bonuses
   • Relationship building skills
   • Persistence and enthusiasm
   • 1+ year(s) Sales experience required
   • Telesales experience preferred
   • Pharmaceutical Sales experience a plus
   • Interpersonal skills including excellent communication, both written and verbal
   • Associates Degree or equivalent experience preferred

   
   

   Schedule:

   • Monday - Friday 11:00am - 7:00pm
   • Hybrid schedule after 6 months (2 - 4 days per week hybrid, and the rest in the office) negotiable with experience

   
   

   KeySource provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

   
   Monday - Friday 11am - 7pm
   NO WEEKENDS
   40,000 - $60,000+ 1st Year total earnings if on target with expectations
   Earn UNLIMITED Commission + earn monthly bonuses
   $1000 Sign on Bonus
   Leads / Prospects provided
   Hybrid schedule after 6 months (2 - 4 days per week hybrid, and the rest in the office) negotiable with experience

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find pharmaceutical sales people for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any pharmaceutical sales people they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level pharmaceutical sales people with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your pharmaceutical sales person job on Zippia to find and recruit pharmaceutical sales person candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting pharmaceutical sales people requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new pharmaceutical sales person

   Once you've decided on a perfect pharmaceutical sales person candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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