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Employers Demand for our Graduates
Licensing and Student Protection
Application and Admissions Process
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
How difficult is it to get hired without previous medical device sales experience?
We only know of one study that has been published regarding the statistics of getting hired in medical device sales. This study analyzed all applicant backgrounds of those applying for jobs in medical devices and concluded that less than 1% of all applicants will ever get into medical device sales. Based on our internal team of former medical device executives, we believe that it is even less than that. Job postings typically receive between 200-300 resumes, and only one candidate gets hired. We specialize in the placement of a non-traditional candidate (no device experience) into the industry with a success rate of over 90% for our available graduates. The majority of students are employed within 90 days post-graduation.
Do you guarantee a job for me?
No, it is up to our students to interview and find employment after graduation, but all graduates are eligible for assistance from our career services team until they are hired or for up to one year after graduation. Upon graduation, our team will launch students? professional profiles on our recruiting platform, ZeroFee Recruiting. The profile includes their grades/awards, a short bio, resume, access to their Linkedin profile and a professional video filmed on campus. This software is exclusive to our graduates and usually the number one resource for our employing partners when they are looking to fill open positions. All registered hiring managers are being alerted when a graduate is available for employment in selected geographies and given access to their profiles to determine if they are a good fit for their team. Graduates are also assigned an internal Associate Recruiter (AR) that will schedule verbal communication with instructors and communicate with hiring managers for any open positions. Each instructor has valuable experience and, in some instances, connections within their specialty. The goal is to prepare graduates for interviews, job hunting techniques, general assistance and feedback.
Can I work full-time while I?m completing the program?
We developed our 8-Week Orthobiologics Hybrid program specifically for those that are unable to leave a job. The student spends the first 7 weeks at home with approximately 20 hours/week spent on learning the curriculum. This is considered a self-paced program so you have flexibility with when and how you complete this work. While challenging, it is manageable to continue working until the final week when you are required to come to the Denver campus for 4 days. Obviously, we encourage all students to take the ?at-home? portion very seriously. The more time you invest, the more prepared you will be for your career as a medical device representative.
Our 12-Week programs start off with two weeks at home, during which time you may feel you can work because it?s estimated that 20 hours/week is spent learning the curriculum. However, on campus hours are full time Monday – Friday. It is not recommended to be working during the time spent on campus.
How is the ?at-home? (distance) curriculum structured?
You will receive lessons that you will work on independently and at your own pace throughout the week. You will also be required to join web/video conferences with your instructor and classmates on a regular basis. Additionally, there will be weekly homework and/or tests for you to complete.
Which specialty is right for me?
The course you elect to participate in is determined by a number of factors:
- Which specialization is of most interest to you?
- What is your background and experience?
- Where do you hope to work after graduating from MSC? (What geographical location?)
- What kinds of opportunities have historically been available to graduates in your territory of preference?
- What other graduate candidates are available in your territory of preference and what were they trained in?
- When do you want to begin your program?
All of these things (and more) are taken into consideration when the determination is made which program may be most appropriate. We encourage you to ask questions during your admissions interview to get more information about the programs and what may be best suited for you.
How is Medical Sales College perceived with hiring managers?
We believe our track-record of student placements answers that question. Being in business for more than 10 years has proven top-companies continually come back to hire our graduates. Due to the success of ZeroFee Recruiting (launched in May 2016) we are connected with more than 1,800 hiring managers who have the capacity to review all our available candidates at their fingertips. This platform is exclusive to our graduates who launch their profiles immediately after completing a program and are searchable by geographies they are able to work in. Hiring managers are able to view students’ grades, receive feedback directly from their instructors, and watch video resumes in order to determine if a candidate is a good fit. This is much more information than they would get from a traditional recruiter, and hiring managers can use ZeroFee Recruiting at no charge. By viewing our list of placed graduates you?ll notice a wide array of medical device companies employing our students. Lastly, we have also completed corporate (technical and sales) training for more than 20 different companies since we?ve been in business.
How is Medical Sales College perceived with medical sales recruiters?
Internal corporate recruiters love us, and this can be verified through their registrations to hire our graduates on ZeroFee Recruiting. External/independent recruiters are NOT a fan of us. Upon our inception, there were more than 600 independent recruitment companies in medical sales. Today only a fraction of that list are still in business. We offer a superior candidate for hire with no recruitment cost. Therefore, since our inception, external recruiters attempted to combat us through erroneous and anonymous blogging. In 2011 ? 2013 you could find blogging aimed at disparaging our reputation. After 2013, the recruiters were either out of business or just gave up.
How many students are in each class?
On average, there are 15-20 students in each program. We strive to keep the instructor to student ratio low so that students can receive individual attention and feedback. We also believe that this class size allows for favorable interaction between students and a spirit of healthy competition.
Do orthopaedic companies offer product training?
Most companies do offer product training but it is often very short in duration ? a few days or, at most, a couple weeks and you may not receive the training until you have been in the field for several months. In the meantime, you will be expected to sell. When sales reps finally go to an orthopaedic company?s product training it can be as competitive as the selling environment itself. Unless you already have a strong foundation relating to anatomy and pathology, and you have been exposed to the products and the procedures related to your specialty, you most likely won’t be able to concentrate on learning the information that is unique to your company?s product line during training. Keep in mind, you will have to get hired before you get any training at all. Therefore, you need to beat out all other applicants, which is the first stumbling block to succeeding in this industry.
Should I be concerned about my age?
That is a difficult question to answer. Hiring managers have very different selection preferences. One manager may want someone just out of school who they can ?mold? into a great sales rep, while others prefer to hire sales reps that have a significant amount of prior sales experience and a demonstrated ?track record? of success. In many instances, a hiring manager knows that relationships or building a relationship with your surgeon customer is key. With the average age of a surgeon between 50-60, this is why medical sales can be a good second career for many.
Ultimately, hiring managers are looking for professional, assertive sales reps who are not afraid to ask for the business and who will be well received by surgeon customers. They also want to be sure that their investment in you will provide them with returns. You don?t want to be perceived as a ?short-term? hire ? for any reason.