I am a Junior at Clemson and will graduate with a Nutrition(Food Science and Technology) degree with a Chemistry minor, looking at being a pharmaceutical sales representative. I have strong networks, experience, gpa will be near a 3.0, and taking GRE this summer… Advice specific grad programs/ best schools in the state of SC.
You don’t need to go to grad school to be a pharmaceutical sales rep - you need sales experience and good communication skills.
Is there a reason you want to go to grad school, and do you know what you want to study?
Yes, if you have strong networks and want to do pharmaceutical sales, you don’t need a graduate degree. Sales experience, especially within the industry, will go a much longer way towards helping you get a job.
Leverage those networks, and visit career services to see if you can find a relevant internship for this summer to give you the kind of experience that’ll look good on a resume geared towards that. You might also want to look for some direct selling/sales type positions during term-time, too.
@Learningisgreat Hi! I am a sales recruiter in the Pharma/Medical Device industry for a very well known healthcare company and the advice you’re getting is spot on! We require our pharma sales candidates to have graduated with a 3.0+, have 2 years of outside B2B sales experience (preferably from a company with a solid sales training program, like an ADP, and have sales documentation of their success (sales rankings, proof of being above quota, etc) for their brag book. Good luck!