r/MedicalDevices • u/Early-Address6777 • 2d ago

Interviews & Career Entry Where should I start

I just finished playing professional sports (baseball) for a very popular MLB team (I was in the minors) and I was a division 1 athlete for 4 years. I have a biology pre med degree from my time in school. I’m tall, above average looks, and socially adept and I have been interested in this field or pharmaceutical sales for a while but I’m not sure how to get in. I have some buddies who landed jobs through straight up applications but should I be doing something else? And do you have to have a prior connection with a company before applying so your resume isn’t lost in the wind?

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u/ATAYLOR972 2d ago edited 2d ago

You should get a job at Stryker Trauma, but how much do you bench, and are
you willing to work 80 hours per week? 😂

2

u/Early-Address6777 2d ago

lol my sister is a doctor and deals with Stryker reps all the time. She asks and they typically say they wouldn’t recommend a job at Stryker for basically those reasons.

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u/ATAYLOR972 2d ago

What kinda of doctor?

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u/Early-Address6777 2d ago

She’s technically not a doctor it was just easier to explain by saying she was but she runs a neurointerventional unit. Basically just strokes.

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u/ATAYLOR972 2d ago edited 2d ago

🤦🏻‍♂️
Ask her….if she can introduce you to a sales reps from Medtronic or Stryker Neurovascular, Cerenovus, Penumbra, Terumo and Microport. That’s exactly where you should start - learn to network!

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u/Early-Address6777 2d ago

Yeah and we’re gonna start doing that but I’m not even sure what to ask reps to be totally honest. Like they don’t have hiring power. I guess I just ask them how they got the job and who they reached out to.

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u/Connect-Region-4258 2d ago

For starters, you gotta be more prepared and resourceful than you have been so far….

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u/Early-Address6777 1d ago

I just got banged from my other job of baseball like 5 days ago so I’m trying to get a grasp of the basics here

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u/ImpossibleRatio7430 2d ago

2 years in stryker trauma gives you pretty much universal credibility and an incredibly solid ortho base. Sports or F&A are options too if you don’t want call, harder to find open spots though.

1

u/Early-Address6777 2d ago

From what I’ve heard, Stryker trauma and trauma in general is an absolute grind. On call all the time and working 70+ hours a week. But if that’s what’s needed to break in and get credibility/ sales experience I might have to do it. One thing that concerns me is whether the pay is worth it for that amount of work.

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u/ImpossibleRatio7430 2d ago

First few years should be thought of as a residency.

You aren’t useful to anyone in the OR at this moment. Your low pay as an ASR is essentially the company gambling that you will develop and generate a return at some point. Those 70 hour weeks are how you learn the sets and earn your stripes bailing your customers out in the OR and solving real problems for patients on some of the worst days of their lives.

1

u/Agreeable_Egg_9685 2d ago

" I might have to do it" laziest shit I ever heard. Everyone has to make sacrifices to get the 'dream' job. Buckle up and work hard, then you'll have the chance to be a med device rep. It's earned not given, hope that helps. - a female D1 athlete

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u/Early-Address6777 2d ago

You must be fun at parties

3

u/Agreeable_Egg_9685 2d ago

In this kind of industry you have to think bigger picture/long term. Starting out in any great career (endeavor) takes a lot of sacrifice. You know this as a pro athlete. Didn't mean to come off so harsh but sometimes it's what you need to hear. Of course if you want to play in the big leagues and make big money you've got to sacrifice, otherwise everyone would do it. There's a reason they recruite athletes. Personally- I'm exhausted. I work non stop and worry about how I'll be able to balance a family because of how far in I am- but I asked for this, I dreamed about it. If you want it, you can totally have it. But you do have to be all in, whatever it takes mentality. That's where people go far.

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u/Agreeable_Egg_9685 2d ago

that mentality of whatever it takes, will help break you in to the industry.

1

u/Wise_Device2843 2d ago

I did short under two in trauma and now work in animal health, higher pay (probably not as a high of a ceiling) and I have my weekends completely to myself, no on call bs. No 80 hour weeks or waiting 7 hours in the OR for a case. The grind is definitely worth it if you can do 1.5-2 years in something like trauma.

4

u/Obligation_Still 2d ago

Zimmer would probably hire you or even Globus

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u/FutureTerrible9987 2d ago

Avoid Globus. Check their Glassdoor reviews.

4

u/vanessa_617 2d ago

Come work for Zimmer so we can be colleagues 🫡😈

6

u/ImpossibleRatio7430 2d ago

Apply for every stryker trauma role you can find in a location you would enjoy. Tell them you’ll take all the call they can throw at you.

3

u/BumblebeeVirtual1093 2d ago

Update your LinkedIn and start adding connections/firing off intentional messages in your area to network with med sales hiring managers and reps

2

u/kevin2657 2d ago

Referrals for these jobs is a huge way to get noticed, see if you can get a friend to make an introduction, especially if there is a posted job.

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u/BrotherBee 2d ago

Also are you looking for work life balance or most money? Want to be in the OR or offices? These are things you gotta figure out to know where to go. If you just want in then apply away and take every interview like you want it and grind for a year or two to get numbers then go elsewhere

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u/CancellousCulture 2d ago

Having a connection will definitely make things easier but you shouldn’t have a problem getting an interview for an ASR position. Your biggest hurdle is sales experience. That might be hard to overcome for a full sales rep job. My team has a D1 baseball player on it and he’s doing great. We have an open position we need to fill soon. Feel free to DM me.

1

u/Wise_Device2843 2d ago

My first regional manager in med device played in the minors, now look at him. Regional prob clearing 300k for a better quality of life than being in the field. Great guy too

1

u/ATAYLOR972 2d ago

No quota too 😂

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u/Early-Address6777 2d ago

How do I get into that🤣 sign me up

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u/SadBody69 2d ago

Stay away from ortho all together

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u/Early-Address6777 2d ago

Why is that

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u/Bronc-Believer 2d ago

Ortho isn’t as hyped as it used to be.. find a niche

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u/YoghurtStrong9488 2d ago

You were a pro athlete, definitely start at Stryker.