investigator

director

senior scientist

scientist

associate scientist

A typical day begins by reviewing your plan and to-do list for the day, checking email and voice mail before heading out for the day,and ensuring you have everything in the car that you will need for the day. The morning is spent calling on physicians, promoting your assigned products, reporting calls and accounting for samples. At noon you check email and voice mail. You spend the afternoon calling on physicians, promoting your assigned products, reporting calls and accounting for samples. At the end of the day you ensure all call and sample activity has been reported for the day, plan the day for tomorrow, prioritize your to-do list for tomorrow, check email and voice mail, and pack your car with the materials you will need for tomorrow. In addition, some days you might have a breakfast meeting, or a lunch meeting, or an evening speaker event to be prepared for. I made it a habit to read about the industry, managed care, a product, a competitive product, or a disease state for 1 hour each night Sunday - Thursday to keep my knowledge strong.

I learned that diligent preparation with my knowledge and promotional materials combined with thorough territory analysis, call planning and plan execution significantly increases the probability of sales success.

My co-workers were a joy to work with. We were professionals, driven to succeede, and worked hard to achieve our goals. We would willingly share best practices for difficult offices or situations.

The most difficult part of the job was as a district manager when I had to terminate someone for consistent non-achievement of quarterly goals, even though they were doing their best.

The most enjoyable part of the job was when there was an opportunity to demonstrate the proper use of a product to a physician and then place the product in the physician's hands and walk them through the steps to using the product safely and effectively. Examples: Walking a physician and NICU nurses through the mixing and administration of a new surfactant to a premature baby. Walking an anesthesiologist through the steps to safely and effectively administer an ultra-short half-life narcotic to a patient undergoing surgery.

-My work day comprises of pulling my query and separating it from highest dollar and customers that have not been called on within the last 7 days.  I receive (as well as my team) incoming calls at a high rate while still keeping my query up to date.  Majority of my time is spent on the phone helping customers with any issue I can.  Throughout a day I could receive anywhere from 20-40 issues with customers as well as making 30+ outgoing calls per day.

-With this company, I have learned that working in a team environment helps to solve issues. Without the help of notes on accounts from your teammates, it would make the process a lot more difficult to please the customer.  I have gained a new perspective on the definition of hard work and I am grateful to share this experience with my co-workers.

-Management is hands on and helpful with any questions or concerns you may have.  Every aspect of your job is overlooked and being monitored.   Keeping conversations as professional as possible will help you develop the skills passed down by upper-management.

-The co-workers are helpful and understand the daily routine that comes with the job.  By working together it makes each individual's job easier.  We have a tight knit group and want the best for each other so it helps when issues need to be resolved quickly.

-The hardest part of this job is dealing with upset or angry customers on a daily basis.  Our job is to solve the issue at hand as fast as possible so the customer feels relieved.  Apologizing and making sure the customer is taken care of before ending the conversation is the goal.

-The most enjoyable part of my job is being able to solve issues on a daily basis for each customer.  There is no better feeling than solving a customer's issue and preventing issues in the future.

As a pharma sales rep your day consists of pre-call planning for each of the providers you'll be calling on in order to ensure messaging is consistent with what your behavior change ask is from the provider. Typically a rep hosts a lunch at a provider - 3 to 4 days a week. Sometimes 5.  In many cases when calling on a doctor at a practice you're unable to see them as they're with patients. Your days can be like groundhog day. "Do you need any samples"...over and over.  Saying the same thing over and over. 

I've learned that I should have started this job when I was younger. There are many long-time sales reps. 20 years plus is common. I don't know how they still like what they do. It is boring and repetitive. 

The workplace culture is supportive and collaborative. Anytime I've needed assistance or guidance, others are willing to help and share their knowledge. 

The hardest part of the job is the multiple metrics and measurements. It's practically impossible to balance all the different KPI's we're required to hit. We're told it's not box checking to hit them. The truth is that they are. I believe they detract from what we actually should be doing each day. In addition, the level of control I believe I have in changing provider behavior is limited. So - the hardest part overall is the lack of control of the numbers and the fact that you can do everything you possibly can to grow the business and still come up empty. It's defeating. 

The most enjoyable part of the job is talking to the providers in the offices and building relationships with their team. I've met so many different people from different cultures and countries. I find it fascinating to learn about them, what they do, and why they do it. It's the people in the practices that bring me the most enjoyment. 

The company is reinventing itself ahead of a 2022 demerger of the consumer healthcare division and spinout as a standalone entity.  The business has undergone numerous restructurings over the last five years and there is no real end in sight.  Whilst the company has been great to me and others prior to the ongoing slew of changes, it is in tumult and folks that join need to be ready for a rollercoaster ride.  The Consumer Healthcare part of the business should not be considered to be an 'innovator' even though C-suite leadership paint a picture of this.  It doesn't have the critical mass of technically capable people, leaders with patience to take the time needed to develop real products or the R&D funding to do meaningful product development.  It is looking more and more like a company that will do low risk, low value innovations such as flavor changes, color changes and pack changes.  In Fast Moving Consumer Goods companies like GSK Consumer Healthcare, the role of Commercial teams are critical.  They have a disproportionate say in how products should be developed and don't understand what it takes to get meaningful, innovative products to market and there is a strong disconnect with their aspirations and what can be delivered given available time, funds and management risk tolerance.  Consider carefully before taking up employment here as this is a company in decline. 

Since I am a department coordinator, my day can range from total paperwork, assisting staff with policy issues, copier problems, ordering supplies, ordering lunches for business meetings, scheduling travel, preparing for weekly meetings, preparing status reports for stakeholders, meeting with the team members, paying for membership dues, and maintaining our dept. web site, etc.  

I've learned how to do advance planning and organizing to execute my work goals, as well as to assist others with meeting their work goals.

Management has allowed me to work independently, and to feel open to share ideas and suggestions to create a more inclusive working environment. 
 
Co-workers are nice to work with, they are good team players.

The hardest part of the job is having to deal with out-sourced departments out-side of the country, the communication seems so distant and sometimes unavailable, and can make it challenging to complete assignments.  I find ways to work through this situation. 

I love working with people, I love enter-acting with people to complete a job, and accomplishing goals.  I also love that the company is about meeting the needs of patients since we are a biotech company.  I love being in a job that has variety and challenges.

You will be so ready to get into the field after training. The training team in RTP are the best and so supportive of giving you the best start to your career. 
Unfortunately the reality of the field sales job is very different and there a lot of frustrations because of access to providers once you’re in your Territory and calling in these people everyday. I think managers must have a lot of pressure on them so I turn they tend to micro manage or ignore you daily… when they do have a chance to ride with you it feels like nothing is ever good enough. Sales is a marathon not a sprint so there’s always another thing you could have said or asked when you’re in front of your provider. The managers job is to point out the good and the bad, constructively. I had 2 managers of the 6 I was assigned that really were good at their job and their intentions were to help you grow. The other 4 made me hate my job, they led by intimidation.  I was brought up  by a tough. Militant, navy seal, so I’m used to organization, ridged rules and high expectations. Here with some of these managers, it was an emotionally  abusive environment that I felt daily and was always stressed. It’s unfortunate because I left the company feeling defeated and I arrived with so much hope and inspiration to help people live better lives through our products. I’m with another pharmaceutical company now and feel completely valued even amid the pandemic and the challenges we still have with provider access.

In a typical day, most of your time is spent in the lab analyzing and running tests on product samples. When not in the lab, you'll be analyzing data and generating official reports for each of the many product samples you test. Downtime during the day is usually spent completing assigned laboratory duties (i.e. cleaning water baths, refilling incubators, standardizing pH meters, etc.). While in this role, I learned  a lot about how to view the biotech manufacturing process through the lens of quality. The immediate management team was quite professional and very helpful, but many of the higher ups at the director-level seemed disconnected and generally uninterested with the concerns of the rank and file manufacturing or analytical worker. This helped to create a somewhat tense workplace culture, where those operating the manufacturing machinery or running the analytical tests often felt unheard by the upper management. The most difficult part of the job for me was trying to serve as a somewhat effective intermediary between the rank and file and upper management. The most enjoyable part of the job was having the chance to interact with so many different departments almost at will (due to the open office design).

Get to work area assigments are delegated (Mixer), two member of team responsible for Charging raw material into mixer to be mixed for specific amount of time before team is assemble for next step in process.Next, charged product is then dumped from mixer onto trays which are then placed on racks that are put into ovens thats cooked  for period of six hours. Remove racks from ovens place in staging area to cool before dumping trays into drum to be milled into final product. I learned too operate mixer read batch order and operate ovens.Mananger Checked all batch order upon completion to assure accuracy even though each step of process is sign off on by operator following each step of process.Co-worker were each responsible a certain task such as Mixer(2), Unloading, Loading trays into racks and placing in ovens,(2) Oven Attendant, monitor ovens remove racks from ovens and replace charts on graph,Forklift operator(1), responsible for loading Mezzaline with raw materials,remove all waste and moving all finished product in holding area to be milled.Hardest part of job was learning how to run mixer. The most enjoyable part of the job was Out producing the other two shifts. Production was 13 batches per 12 hour shift our goal was 15 or more if possible.

I proactively use insights in developing strategies and plans that demonstrates thought and leadership to our customers.  I then will collaborate with the customer to translate company objectives in to jointly agreed goals that provide a category enhancing commercial advantage to both our businesses.

I work closely with the customer to jointly develop key insights to drive the category forward.  I use category led insights to develop proposals which gain customer support and deliver win / win results.  

I manage the account plan in conjunction with the customer.  Progress is jointly monitored and we continually review the plan to ensure that our join objectives are met and new opportunities leveraged.  

I take responsibility for building engagement with customers and consistently demonstrate a full understanding of what motivates key individuals.  I lead the development of comprehensive support programs that balance the commercial needs of our business with those of our customer.  I have experience translating business plans in to effective launch plans which have the needs of the customer at their core and deliver business KPIs.  

I integrate many dimensions of analysis, including external factors when reviewing results against objectives.  I share results with the customer and internal stake holders to improve future performance.

A day at work was filled with productivity, and new learning experiences. At Glaxo you were always challenged to learn.

I learned "Leadership"  I was allowed to lead in projects assigned and bring them to closure with very little supervision. 

Management was professional practicing open door policy, allowing us to approach when needed with questions that arose during certain projects, always willing to explain and retrain to avoid errors, and safety concerns. This went along with their belief of  "Right First Time"

Co-workers turned into friends quickly some of the best people I have ever met. 

Hardest part of the job? I enjoyed my job and I found nothing hard, and if I did come across something that was a bit difficult I considered it a challenge and a learning opportunity. 

The most enjoyable part: The ability to learn something new every day as the Change Control coordinator; my job was to oversee all changes made at the site. This allowed for me to learn a new aspect of the daily operations in each department; also it gave me the opportunity to work with new people on a daily basis. It was a rewarding position.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Investigator 3 salaries reported	$119,667 per year
Director 11 salaries reported	$191,211 per year
Senior scientist 4 salaries reported	$96,250 per year
Scientist 10 salaries reported	$117,140 per year
Associate scientist 6 salaries reported	$85,401 per year

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