How To Job Hunt For A New Medical Sales Role While You Are Still Employed

For many medical sales professionals, the best time to explore your next career move is while you're still employed.

Being in a job gives you the opportunity to be selective. You don't have to take the first role that comes along, and you can compare potential opportunities with what you already have.

But looking for a new role while you're working brings its own challenges. You need to find time for conversations and interviews, protect your confidentiality and continue giving your current employer the commitment they expect.

Here's how to approach your job search professionally.

1. Be Clear About Why You're Considering a Move

Before you start applying for jobs, work out what you're actually trying to change.

Are you looking for better progression? A different therapy area? More earning potential? A stronger product portfolio? A larger territory? Better management? Greater responsibility?

Knowing what you want makes it much easier to decide which opportunities are genuinely worth pursuing.

It can also stop you moving from one company to another only to discover that the things you were unhappy about haven't really changed.

You don't need to have made a firm decision to leave before exploring the market. Sometimes looking at other opportunities simply helps you understand whether your current role still compares favourably.

2. Keep Your Job Search Confidential

You don't need to tell colleagues that you're considering other opportunities.

Even if you trust somebody, information can travel quickly. Until you've decided to leave, your plans are best kept private.

Be equally thoughtful about what you do online. Updating your LinkedIn profile doesn't automatically announce that you're job hunting, but suddenly making extensive changes or publicly posting about wanting a new role may attract attention.

You can still use LinkedIn, job boards and recruiters. The important thing is to understand the privacy settings available to you and think about what information you're making public.

If you work with a recruiter, make it clear that your search is confidential and that your CV should not be sent to any company without your knowledge.

3. Use Your Personal Contact Details and Devices

Keep your job search separate from your current employer.

Use your personal email address and mobile number rather than your work contact details.

You should also avoid using your employer's laptop, phone or other equipment for applications, recruiter conversations or interview preparation.

Apart from confidentiality, it's simply a more professional way to conduct your search.

4. Get Your CV and LinkedIn Profile Ready

It's much easier to update your CV before an interesting vacancy appears than to try to remember several years of achievements when somebody needs it immediately.

Bring your employment history up to date and make sure your recent achievements are clear.

For a medical sales role, that might include:

• Percentage of target achieved
• Territory growth
• Revenue generated
• New accounts won
• Market share growth
• Sales rankings or awards
• Successful product launches
• Tenders or contracts secured
• Major accounts developed

Review your LinkedIn profile too. Your job title, experience and professional headline should accurately reflect what you do and the experience you've developed.

Don't upload confidential company information, customer data, presentations or other material belonging to your employer to demonstrate your achievements.

5. Be Selective About the Opportunities You Pursue

One advantage of looking for a job while you're employed is that you can afford to be selective.

You don't need to apply for every vacancy that looks vaguely suitable.

Before committing time to an interview process, find out as much as you reasonably can about the role.

Consider the company, products, territory, salary and earning potential, manager, reason for the vacancy and opportunities for progression.

Ask yourself a simple question: would this opportunity represent a genuine improvement on what I already have?

If the answer is no, there may be little value in pursuing it.

6. Handle Interviews Professionally

Arranging interviews around an existing medical sales role isn't always easy, particularly when your diary includes customer meetings, theatre lists and travel.

Where possible, arrange interviews outside your working commitments. Employers recruiting somebody who is currently employed should understand that you may need some flexibility.

Make sure recruiters and prospective employers know which phone number and email address to use and when you're available to speak.

You don't need to explain your job search to your current employer. At the same time, avoid inventing elaborate stories to account for your whereabouts.

If you need legitimate annual leave or personal time to attend an interview, use it professionally.

7. Keep Doing Your Current Job Properly

Starting a job search can change the way you feel about your existing role, particularly once you've had a promising interview elsewhere.

Don't mentally leave before you've actually left.

Continue looking after your customers, hitting your commitments and supporting your colleagues. Your professional reputation matters, particularly in a relatively close-knit sector such as MedTech.

There is another practical reason for this. Your job search may take longer than expected, you may decide an opportunity isn't right for you or an employer may choose another candidate.

Until you've secured your next move, your current job is still your current job.

8. Don't Resign Too Early

A successful final interview or positive telephone conversation isn't the same as having a new job secured.

Before handing in your notice, make sure you understand exactly where you stand.

Ideally, you should have received and accepted a formal written offer and understood any conditions attached to it.

Check the salary, bonus or commission structure, benefits, territory, job title, start date and any other important details.

You should also understand whether the offer is subject to references, background checks or any other pre-employment requirements.

Finally, check your existing employment contract so you understand your notice period and any obligations that apply when you leave.

Don't create unnecessary risk by resigning simply because you've been told verbally that a company intends to offer you the job.

You Can Explore Without Committing to Leave

Looking at other opportunities doesn't mean you've already decided to resign.

You may discover that there are roles offering the progression, products or earning potential you're looking for. Equally, exploring the market may make you realise that your current position is better than you thought.

A confidential conversation with a specialist medical sales recruiter can also help you understand what opportunities are available, how your experience fits the current market and what a realistic next move might look like.

The important thing is to approach your search carefully, protect your professional reputation and only move when you've found an opportunity that genuinely gives you a reason to leave a role you already have.