Why you can't land a med device job: Applying to the wrong roles

Reason #3

You assume all titles, at all companies are viewed the same.

Cliff Notes: (does the current generation even know what "Cliff Notes" are?) When applying for your first medical device role, you must avoid applying for jobs you are not qualified for. Many talented candidates assume that titles and even role responsibilities are the same from organization to organization. This leads to candidates applying repeatedly, for months, even years, for roles they are not qualified for, at that specific organization, which ultimately results in no callbacks or interviews. Just because you are a "Sales Director" for a flooring company, that does not mean you have the skills, experience or industry expertise to land a similar role in medical devices.

So, here are my Top 3 Suggestions for avoiding this:

1. "Under" Apply: or apply for a role that seems to be a step back from the one you currently have, especially if you are entering medical sales altogether. For example, Territory Manager to Account Manager or Sales Representative to Sales Associate. I will never forget a candidate called about my "Associate Role" assuming it would be a step backwards in her career. She even went as far as saying, "I cannot be an associate again, I need to feed my family". Instead of seeking to understand more about the role, even what I was willing to share about the comp package, she assumed. The assumption led to her not even applying for what would have been a $40k pay raise.
2. Compare Job Descriptions: Go to your current company's career page, find a job description for your current role and compare that to the job description of the job you are applying for. Not only will this exercise help you identify potential transferrable skills to add to your resume, improve your interview experience but it should also give you more clarity on which roles your experience aligns with. Use the language found in the job description to shape the messaging on your resume and that will help increase the likelihood your profile is flagged by the sourcing team. If you cannot directly align the two job descriptions, there is a good chance you are over-applying.
3. Talk to people in the role: Why do people blindly apply for jobs they have never done, at companies they have never worked for, without even attempting to speak to someone currently in the role? A great discovery conversation with individuals in the role has a threefold purpose. First, you get a real-world, live translation of what the language in the job description means and how that plays out on a daily basis. Secondly, you get a chance to learn about the the individuals next role and the role they may have held previously. This will help improve your understanding of role responsibility to title correlation at the organization. Lastly, you make a connection. If you have read some of my content, I am not a fan of the excuse, "it's not about what you know...." but I do believe - IT'S ABOUT WHO KNOWS YOU!Please take a moment to subscribe, comment and share with your network or anyone this may help land their first job in the medical device industry! My goal is to help 25 professionals do exactly that in 2024 and I need your help!Lastly, in May I am launching a 6 month, 1:1 & small group coaching program designed to help you land your first medical device role. DM me for details as I will only accept 5 people until Q4/Q1.