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When you’re applying for jobs in pharmaceutical sales, a solid cover letter is a must. Your cover letter is your chance to make a first impression. A great cover letter supports your resume, emphasizes the good things an employer may already have heard about you from a network contact or recruiter, and answers the hiring manager’s number-one question: “Is it worthwhile to interview this person?”

When crafting a cover letter for a pharmaceutical sales position, keep these tips in mind:

Put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes.

Before you start creating your resume and cover letter for a particular job posting, ask yourself: “What would the hiring manager like to see in the application?”

The job posting, the company’s website and other materials, and your recruiter all provide sources of information to help you answer this question. Remember, your goal is to show the hiring manager that you know enough about the job posting and the company to make it worth his or her time to interview you. Craft your cover letter, resume, and other application materials with this goal in mind. Why are you the right candidate for this job?

Think about structure.

There’s no one right way to structure a cover letter – but to help the hiring manager find the “central message” (that you’re a must-interview candidate) quickly, it helps to have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Use paragraph breaks to indicate each section.

Start by addressing your cover letter to a specific person – ideally, the hiring manager who will be speaking to you in the interview. State your name and the letter’s purpose briefly, and then tell the hiring manager why you are applying for this position.

Supplement, don’t repeat, your resume.

In your cover letter, focus on the key skills and experience you offer that are relevant to this particular job and company. Give specific examples, along with numbers when you have them. “I helped my department increase sales” is less compelling than “I increased our gross sales by ten percent in each of the last three quarters.”

If an accomplishment or skill is good enough to be mentioned in your cover letter, it should also appear on your resume – but in a much briefer format. For instance, your resume might mention that you increased gross sales by ten percent, while your cover letter explains in more detail how you did it.

Get your recruiter’s advice.

Recruiters specialize in having the “inside scoop” on employers and job postings. If you’re not sure how to tailor your cover letter for a specific position or what information to include, your recruiter can help.

At SMR Group Ltd, our experienced recruiters can help you match your skills and abilities with job openings in sales and marketing within the medical device, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries. Contact us today to learn more.


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