Steph’s Note: This week we’re taking a break from all the hard hitting clinical knowledge drops and returning to career land. It’s been a while, and we’ve missed it. Plus, we figure with it being application season now and graduation in just a few short months, it’s probably time to put our proverbial arms around your proverbial shoulders and have a good honest chat about the future.

Here to be your virtual career mentor is AnnMarie Mohan. She previously let you in on some secrets to working in pharmacy industry without a fellowship and career options for pharmacists in industry. Beyond authoring posts, she’s also the brains of the Roadmap to Industry mentorship program here at tl;dr. (If that phrase makes you go, “Ooooo, whaaat??”, please click that link. You won’t regret it.) Anywho, she’s here today to get real with y’all about how her own career came to be so that you can learn from her story to shape your own.

This is my “Road Less Traveled” path to industry story, and I hope that it helps show you what it takes to get a foot in the door. I also hope that, even if you’re not interested in industry, you will find nuggets to take away for your own professional journeys. Because regardless of the field, many of the same principles apply: determination, perseverance, and research. So here goes.

How did you land your role in industry after pharmacy school?

I was asked this question twice today by new students I will be working with/training. After answering, I felt the urge to put this all down on paper – to capture my honest thoughts. It’s something I’ve wanted to share with you all for a while, but the ‘how’ and ‘when’ were always in the back of my mind.

To be fair, it was mainly the HOW – how can I accurately explain this path? How can I adequately give credit to the challenges, level of effort, and ultimate success that took place?

Well – here is my attempt.

To start this, we need to go back a little. Well, more than a little, to when I first started pharmacy school. I knew well before starting pharmacy school that my talents were better served in the business side of medicine. (This was one of the reasons I chose to become a pharmacist instead of a physician.)

At that time, the pharmacist market was not quite so saturated, and pharmacists were excelling in every area. Sign-on bonuses, quick promotions, stellar pay – it was THE profession to have, and I wanted a piece of the pie.

I walked in knowing business was my thing – likely pharmacy administration or something similar, but if your school’s program is anything like mine, becoming a top-notch clinician and pursuing a residency was touted as the ONLY viable path. Everything else was a discredit to the profession. Not to mention, the job market drastically changed and FAST – bonuses were gone, new grads were fighting for a handful of positions at less pay, and those golden residencies were for a select few.

Well, what about industry?

At that time, industry wasn’t really a thing (remember the residency gold standard). I think one person from my graduating class went into a fellowship, and I may be wrong so don’t quote me, but I think he was the only person who even applied.

Like many graduates, I went into retail – excited for the paycheck, the “autonomy”, and the intermittent schedule. As you can probably imagine, this wore on me VERY quickly. I was placed in one of the busiest stores in my district that was known for its challenging clientele (hard work is often rewarded with…you guessed it…more hard work). Requests to move were never entertained (they had the upper hand, and they knew it).

I grew to hate the schedule I thought I was looking forward to. Suddenly days off during the week and working every other weekend felt like torture, but like most in retail – I was stuck.

One day I had a stroke of luck in the form of an email. I saw that a former preceptor had left the hospital and was working at a health plan I was interested in. I quickly reached out to her to find out more about the available role, and before I knew it, I was invited for an interview – yessssss.

Adios, retail!

Hello, managed care!

Hello, business!

The stars were aligning! THIS was it!

I dove head first into my role. I worked past my hours (seriously past), put the time in over the weekends, and provided great insight and recommendations. I was a model employee, and I made every effort to highlight my skillset so I would be allowed to move into operations – where my heart was. This move never came. Promises that the next opportunity was mine were aplenty, but each time there was an opening, someone else (even those who started after me or had lower performance) always seemed to be a better fit.

My position started to change, and I no longer enjoyed any aspect of my role. I settled into complacency and worked just for a paycheck.

Who actually likes their job? It’s called WORK for a reason…no one likes work.

These are the things I would tell myself as I slowly became more disenfranchised with my role. Eventually, I stopped working so hard and settled into a routine of 9 am – 5 pm. Now, for many people, this job was still the dream, at least on paper. Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm with the occasional weekend. It was pretty cushy, but for the person I was and still am, I needed more. I wanted more.

As cheesy as this sounds - I wanted to find something that motivated me and that I enjoyed doing. We spend most of our day working. I wanted to like some aspect of it.

I know what you’re thinking…no job is perfect. I couldn’t agree more. We all have good days and bad days. I simply wanted to have more good instead of bad. Was that too much to ask for?

So now we get to the meat of this whole thing… how did my industry job come to fruition?

Well, as interest in my job waned, I started to peruse job boards and different roles for pharmacists. The industry was something I did not contemplate at the time, as it seemed like an impossibility, so I focused on moving into clinical roles. I applied to every hospital within a 50-mile radius (I’m not exaggerating), and I received rejection after rejection after rejection. Not even a single callback. I was dejected. I focused on the job I did have and just tried to make the most of it.

That was until I finally took a vacation and received a message from a colleague at 9 am. Layoffs had just been announced that morning… did I hear anything? I hadn’t been in the office for 4 days, I knew nothing, but I was terrified.

Just as I was boarding my flight and about to take my seat, I received a call from an unknown number. Typically, I wouldn’t answer an unknown caller, but given the circumstances, I decided to answer. It turned out to be the department VP (everyone’s boss) who shared the need for the ‘reorganization’ and that I was part of it. Here’s pretty much how that convo went:

Me: Ok.

Her: Oh my, you’re literally boarding a flight. I can hear the announcements. I’ll make this quick. (Then there was some well-rehearsed speech I’m sure she could say in her sleep).

Me: Sure.

Her: I will let you go. Someone will be in touch.

Me: Ok.

As you can see, I was quite the chatterbox and full of probing questions. Everything was ripped from me. I spent the rest of the flight and a good part of my vacation scared and worried. What was I going to do? I already tried the hospital route without luck. I had no clue what else I could do. Did I have it in me to go back to retail?

I had bills to pay. I would do what I must. What other choice did I have?

Once I got back from vacation, I hit the ground running. I was becoming disenfranchised, and I had wanted out anyway – here was my (forced) opportunity to make it happen. Granted, it didn’t happen on my terms or the way I wanted, but I got it. Time to find the place and position that I actually wanted.

Industry here I come!

It was time to start applying. I did the same thing I did before. I applied to any and every industry job I could find:

Sales
MSL
Pharmacovigilance
Drug Information

If there was a role that even hinted at a pharmacist working in it, I was all over it. I started applying to job postings all over the country while simultaneously reaching out to people on LinkedIn. Surely someone would be willing to help; maybe they could look at my resume or even provide feedback. Isn’t that how we pharmacists support one another? Isn’t that what LinkedIn is for? Professional networking and support?

How many callbacks or interviews did I land?

Exactly ZERO.

How many people were interested in helping a stranger in the job market?

Maybe one.

Did this one look at my resume or do anything with it?

Probably not, so let’s round this to ZERO as well.

I was stuck and had no idea what I was doing wrong. My previous experiences with the job market were easily obtained due to my relationships (keyword). I started retail and my health plan job based on who I met during my APPE rotations.

So, what could I do? Clearly, my current approach wasn’t working. And I was desperate for a quick resolution.

I hired a career coach. It was horrible. The coach used our group time as a therapy session, talking about their kids and a book they were writing. (I should also mention that all participants had different backgrounds – sales, HR, graphics design, etc). When I finally got a phone interview, they were unavailable for a quick chat to help me prepare. As expected, I bombed. I had no understanding of what to expect and, most importantly, how to market (i.e., sell) myself during a conversation.

I didn’t complete the lessons. It was a waste of time, and I walked away a little more than upset that I put my trust and money into something so useless.

Next, I tried a different coach. One that I saw all over LinkedIn and who touted a medical background. While this was much better than my previous experience, I still didn’t have the level of support and guidance I was expecting based on the price tag.

My resume was still lackluster. Granted I learned a few skills and edits to make, but overall, it was basic.

My cover letter (now looking back) reads like a 5th grade essay. Did my coach read this thing?

I learned a handful of interesting things about networking. For one, don’t ask anyone for anything. I realized in that moment that this is common knowledge, but in my moments of desperation, I forgot this simple fact. I was a stranger on the internet – why would someone put their reputation on the line for me? (Face palm)

I never got past this point – there were no interviews, callbacks, nothing. I had a few LinkedIn conversations as I practiced networking, but nothing yielded results.

I was still at a loss, and I was about 6 months unemployed. So, I did what I always did. I started researching. A LOT of research. I put everything I felt I was MISSING from my coaching experiences into play – what did I have to lose?

I wanted to figure out the answers to these core questions:

What was causing the applicant tracking system (ATS) to spit me out?
Why was my resume not conveying my full potential and capabilities?
Why were people unwilling to help me on LinkedIn?
Why wasn’t I getting any callbacks?

Well, let’s see, my resume sucked. I highlighted accomplishments and described work that had no impact on any role in the industry. Sure, I had some buzzwords, but they didn’t make sense in the context of industry and the scope of work required.

I realized my resume also talked about what I did. This isn’t wrong, but it was not crafted in a way that spoke to my capabilities. I highlighted my KPIs, percent to goal, and anything else that showed numbers. I hoped this translated to me being a top performer, but was my ability to verify scripts and complete medication reviews quickly relevant to an industry professional?

Although I was doing better on LinkedIn, I had to remind myself that no one needed to help me. No one was obligated. I was a stranger. If someone was willing to speak with me, I needed to be happy and show immense gratitude. People are busy with work and life. If someone took 15-20 minutes of their day to speak with me, that was enough, and I needed to show appreciation for the learnings. Each conversation needed to be just that - a learning opportunity with zero expectations.

As to why I wasn’t getting callbacks, it was likely a combination of everything. A perfect storm. Job hunting is also a numbers game. You need to work hard at it. So soooo hard. Networking is the best bet; you need to become good at talking to people. Sell yourself. Getting someone to support you or hand deliver you to a hiring manager is 10 times more impactful than using a resume and ATS.

I set goals. I had weekly targets for outreach. I still applied online, but I was talking to anyone who would speak with me. I was researching companies AND roles left and right. As I started talking to more people, I realized my job net was way too big. I was coming across as dazed and confused.

Not the strategy you want to take with job hunting… it’s not gonna stick, trust me. (Image)

In the morning I was talking to someone about sales. That afternoon I was chatting about drug information. Did I even like either of these roles?

I realized I needed to narrow my focus. The shotgun approach of - I can do anything and I will take anything - wasn’t getting me anywhere. In fact, I am fairly confident it hurt me, AND I wasted a great deal of time.

One day I was chatting with a fellow I found on LinkedIn. She changed my perception of everything. I got excited about how she described her role and day-to-day. I knew this was the job for me. I focused on getting there. Every subsequent LinkedIn outreach was for people in THAT role. I increased my outreach and tailored my resume, cover letter, and everything in between.

After two months of a very organized and focused approach to job hunting, I finally spoke to the person who asked for my resume. I sent it over and waited for a while before following up. Before I knew it, a recruiter called ME asking for time to chat.

I went through the process:

Phone Interview
Hiring Manager Interview
Formal Presentation & Panel Interview
2 days of 1:1 interviews with different leaders

I prepared for each step of this process like I was studying for the NAPLEX. I researched the company inside out. I knew very detailed information about their short- and long-term goals. I knew what they were working on and what their focus was. I even knew what their shortcomings were and had thoughts on how to offer suggestions for improvement.

I created a presentation that my professors would be proud of. I answered questions before they could think to ask them. No stone was left unturned. They gave me a specific topic, and I showed them what I brought to the table.

I spent days thinking of interview questions and practicing how to answer them. Did I memorize? No. When you memorize, you train yourself to answer a specific question. Any deviation from that question, and you shoot yourself in the foot. I thought of examples and how to support my answers. I was sweating bullets through each interview, but I was given feedback that I came across as poised and confident in my answers and capabilities.

By the end of it, I was exhausted, but the rest is history.

So what’s the tl;dr of my pharmacy retail to industry story?

This is hard. It takes time. It takes work. But is it possible? Absolutely. I am proof. But did I work my butt off to get it? Without a doubt.

I don’t share this to pat myself on the back. I share this to highlight how challenging it can be. It took 9 months before I landed a role. I started not knowing where to begin or what to do. Although I spoke to numerous people and had hundreds of “NOs”, all it takes is one “YES”.

So if industry is truly what you want, grit your teeth and dig in. Persevere, be determined, and do your research. You might just end up in a fulfilling role meant for you.

The Pharmacist's Tale: How I Made the Transition from Retail to Industry

How did you land your role in industry after pharmacy school?