very good book that gives me all the tips to break into sales.
I follow all the advices and i made it.
So i highly recommend that book

I greatly enjoyed the book and have suggested it to many on my friends that are looking into entering the field of pharmaceutical sales. I thought it was extremely beneficial to read to get a flavor of what a pharmaceutical representative do on a day to day basis and how to get into the field. Read this before revising your resume and interviewing for positions it can also save you time in the end if you decide Pharm sales isn't for you.

I bought this book for a friend who wanted to get into pharmaceutical sales, but she had no outside sales experience. She read the book cover to cover, referenced it daily, and in 3 months, she had her dream job. Thank you Tom!

If you are even remotely thinking of breaking into the pharmaceutical or medical sales industry - BUY THIS BOOK!! Because of this book I just got hired with Johnson & Johnson as a pharmaceutical sales rep. I had no prior experience in this industry and I beat out 3 other qualified candidates because I followed Tom's advice to a T. I highly recommend this book if you are seeking a job in the pharma or medical sales industry. It is an extremely difficult task to get hired in this industry but once you do you will be so proud of yourself and on your way to a fulfilling life-long career.

Pharmaceutical sales can be an intimidating industry. Tom Ruff's knowledge will point you in the right direction towards success.

It is so important for job seekers to get advice from people actually working in their desired industry. If you are interested in a career in pharmaceutical sales, Tom Ruff is the ideal advisor. Tom is the founder of Tom Ruff Company, a recruiting company specializing in the pharmaceutical industry. His book provides a true insider's guide to the entire process of finding and winning a job in this popular and competitive field.

What I particularly like about Tom's book are the many tips that only someone in the pharma industry would know. He shares lists of common interview questions, big mistakes to avoid, inside info on the largest pharma companies (and the differences between them) and sample resumes and email messages that will help readers stand out from the crowd.

This book is a must-read for anyone seeking a job in pharma sales--or even those who are thinking about doing so.

Lindsey Pollak
Author, "Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World"

A great book for those looking for interview and planning ideas trying to get into the field

This book gives good info for those who are trying to break into the pharma sales.THe book gives detail on brag book presentation interviewing etc...

This is the best book on the topic. I've read Anne Clayton's book, it was recommended to me as one of the best resources in the field, but I think Ruff's book is even better! It has great hands-on tips, lots of data and statistics about the field, excellent direct feedback from people working in the field, is easy to read and scan through, and is super-motivational. Ruff covers all of the elements someone looking to get into the field needs to know about. It's inspiring to read!

Author Tom Ruff, President and CEO of Tom Ruff Company, shares his years of experience in grooming and placing talent for pharmaceutical and medical device companies in How to Break Into Pharmaceutical Sales: A Headhunter's Strategy. Chapters cover "How You Get the Job", "The Interview - How to Sell", "Working With Recruiters", and much more. The guidelines for preparing for an interview are especially in-depth, so much so as to be directly applicable to careers outside the field as well. "Top Ten Most Frequently Asked Questions 1. What are your weaknesses? This really isn't necessarily about weaknesses. I'm looking for people who are aggressively working on their self-development and can talk about the areas in which they need work. What is their growth plan? Does their reasoning stand up to scrutiny? I am not looking for the need-to-get-better-at-delegation response. I don't like it when candidates dodge this question. Other show stoppers: 'I need to learn to close better. I need to become more organized.' By the way candidates answer this question; I can tell if they are goal-oriented." Enthusiastically recommended for anyone pursuing a career in the field.

This book is a must have for someone trying to enter the pharmaceutical sales field, especially for someone who has no outside sales experience. It lays out exactly what must be done to make yourself stand out. It also explains the best ways to go about networking and making contacts that could potentially recommend you for a job. The book also gives extremely helpful websites that allow you to gather extensive industry information prior to an interview. I would recommend reading "How to Break Into Pharmaceutical Sales" before going any further in your pursuit of a pharmaceutical sales career. I feel that anyone who reads this book and follows Tom's advice closely will be able to land the job they desire.

Back in early February, I called a recruiter at Tom Ruff Company, looking for help to find a job in medical or pharmaceutical sales in Chicago. Even though I was a random teacher from Illinois with one lone year of sales experience, the recruiter took the time to somehow send me a preview copy of Tom Ruff's book, "How to Break Into Pharmaceutical Sales: A Headhunter's Strategy" to help in my job search.

A few days later, I received a manuscript in the mail about how to break into this impenetrable industry. I sat down and read the whole thing and quickly realized it was the best guide to get me into the industry. "How to Break into Pharmaceutical Sales" became my bible in the job search. Since I was coming from teaching, I had limited experience on what was proper, what I should do, and how to even go about learning the ins and outs of the industry. I took that book and followed its directions.

I took the resume objective mentioned in the book and used it in my resume (it said to!). Then I started networking. I went to my doctor's office and asked for the contact information of their favorite pharma reps. I walked around various hospitals, walked up to pharma reps, had conversations, got their cards, and passed out my resume. I emailed all of my friends and their friends to find out who was in pharmaceutical sales. I went to a few job fairs and met hiring managers. And then I sent out my resume and did follow ups with all the information I gathered.

Finally, I got a few interviews. Some panned out, some did not. Days before an interview, I would read the book on how to prepare. I would research as recommended, go through the possible interview questions, and modified the questions offered in the book to ask the interviewer. I also used the appendix of company summaries to the fullest, using them as last minute cheat sheets before an interview as well as giving myself a good understanding of company competition. I made top ten lists for my Brag Book of why I wanted to work for a company and why they should hire me. I even made a business plan, guided by the one in the book.

Before the interview, I practiced my close (I would have never known to do this if someone didn't tell me. It is not as customary to close a teacher interview so strongly), pressed my simple, black suit (with minimal jewelry), and did my nails. I arrived early, I made my small talk, and, just like the book says, I felt prepared and calm during the interview because of all the legwork before it.

I also did great follow-up for my interviews, sending hand written notes immediately. For my first BMS interview, I sent a thank you card the next day and then over-nighted the DM a Latino movie that came up in our conversation. I also called and emailed a week later. My second DM told me to send NO thank you card, so I sent a postcard from my vacation just to say hi and reiterate my interest in the position. He told me he still has it.

Finally, for the offer stage, I got ready to negotiate, made some notes, but there was no need to try to raise my salary-- an added bonus. I just sent a restaurant gift certificate to the kind pharma rep who forwarded my resume to her DM who eventually hired me, yet another step inspired by the book.

Through the whole process, I used The Book.

I will definitely recommend "How to Break into Pharmaceutical Sales" to those trying to break into the industry.

I have recently graduated from college and I made the decision that I wanted to enter the field of pharmaceutical sales, but I did not know where to start. After reading this book by Tom Ruff, I have a great deal of confidence because I now know what I must do to break into the field. Thank you Tom and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who would like to work in the pharmaceutical sales industry, but does not know what steps to take in order to get there.

.
This is one of those rare `How To' books that is infinitly good to read; it is the best book in the market for those seeking jobs. The book is set up in a perfect structure so that it is easy to write your own outline; then fill in the blanks for the job you want even though the book is geared to pharmaceutical sales.

Chapter 1: Why Pharmaceutical Sales? Money, continued learning, travel, professional education similar to mini Medical School. Pharmaceutical companies spend about $100,000 to train their sales people. The selling staff must have the knowledge about all of the company's products and the competitors as well. Doctors go to seminars and study constantly to keep up to date on procedures; imagine the blessing of having a well versed salesperson spend 15 minutes to teach them about specific drugs whether new to the market or not.

Chapter 2: How You Get the Job. The first thing to do is determining your goal from this you then develop your game plan. This is where the book subliminally breaks into two directions. Sales for Pharmaceuticals and sales in general - sell acquaintances on 'who you are' by making the first reaction positive, network with those in the field, get business cards and be sure to have one of yours ready to give to them. It is not expensive to have a business card printed with your name, phone and cell numbers, and your goal.

Chapter 3: Keep your information up to date. Write a resume with all of your information from which you will glean what to use. Never give false information or a recommendation of someone who does not really know you. This chapter contains various resume guidelines that are powerful and accurate. Why are you the right candidate for the job? Along with your resume, create a brag book with all of your citations, awards, certificates - this is about you breaking into a new career - you have strengths in other aspects of your life that show leadership, teamwork, overcoming challenges. You may have Power Point photos that are concise with quick bullets - that makes it easier for the person interviewing you to follow. Show you confidence by bringing more than three books in case they want to keep one to review. When the resume is ready, it should only be one page long.

Chapter 4: Research whatever the company is currently selling. Study the products and be able to point out when it might be released by the FDA, is it already on the market in other countries. There is a plethora of web sites listed in this chapter to help you begin to find your way into the top companies by knowing the type of salesperson they wish to hire.

Chapter 5: Networking Success - there are people you should see, places you should be, and Ruff lists these. Follow the procedures and you will get what you want.

Chapters 6 through 13: Build personal and company databases with every bit of product knowledge, personnel changes, networking guidelines, questions, and answers, as well as how to present yourself, and basic courtesy of any interview follow-up. If you do not get a call back, phone the interviewer and ask what you could have done to improve the interview process. They might be running a background check, or it could be something as simple as a hair cut or the clothes you wore. Thank them, add the information to your personal database and/or company database.

Chapter 14: The offer is a sensitive part of the job. Ruff's lists the 4 main components to consider. Each is extremely important, so know them well.
* Receiving the offer
* Negotiating salary
* Resigning
* Beware of counteroffers.

Chapters 15 and 16 cover how others managed to land the perfect job, and working with recruiters. There are graphs and questions as well as advice. You are looking at your future, so the more knowledge going in, the better prepared you will be.

Chapters 17 and 18 is summarized by Henry James word, "Live the life you've imagined

To complete the book Ruff includes the 12 top pharmaceutical companies in details, and website addresses for others. He even has a glossary, so if a term is unfamiliar, you can find "his" definition; and his definition is the best for pharmaceutical sales.

5 Stars for the book "How to Break into Pharmaceutical Sales" and 5 more stars for the subliminal companion, "How to Find your Dream Job".