Sales Representatives (Medical and Pharmaceutical Products)

ANZSCO ID 225412

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
9,100
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
88%
Female Share
56%
Average age
42

Summary

Sales Representatives (Medical and Pharmaceutical Products) represent companies in selling medical, dental and veterinary equipment and supplies, and pharmaceutical products.

Specialisations: Medical Representative.

A formal qualification in a related field (like nursing, science or business) and experience in the healthcare industry is usually needed to work as a Sales Representative (Medical and Pharmaceutical Products). University and Vocational Education and Training (VET) are both common study pathways.

Tasks

  • Compiles lists of prospective client businesses using directories and other sources.

  • Acquires and updates knowledge of employers' and competitors' goods and services, and market conditions.

  • Visits regular and prospective client businesses to establish and act on selling opportunities.

  • Assesses customers' needs and recommends and explains goods and services to them.

  • Monitors customers' changing needs and competitor activity, and reports these developments to sales management.

  • Quotes and negotiates prices and credit terms, and completes contracts and records orders.

  • Arranges delivery of goods, installation of equipment and the provision of services.

  • Reports to sales management on sales made and the marketability of goods and services.

  • Follows up with clients to ensure satisfaction with goods and services purchased, and resolves any problems that arise.

  • Prepares sales reports and maintains and submits records of business expenses incurred.

Characteristics

Job Type
Professionals
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary
  • Light

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Technical Sales Representatives, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 88% of people employed as Sales Representatives (Medical and Pharmaceutical Products) work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 22 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 43 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Wholesale Trade
49.9%
2
Manufacturing
14.4%
3
Health Care and Social Assistance
12.6%
4
Retail Trade
9.8%
5
Other industries
4.9%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

36.1% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

25.6% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

20.4% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

6.9% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

9.1% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.1% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.2% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

0.7% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Sales Representatives (Medical and Pharmaceutical Products) All Jobs Average
NSW 36.1 31.6
VIC 25.6 25.6
QLD 20.4 20.0
SA 6.9 7.0
WA 9.1 10.8
TAS 1.1 2.0
NT 0.2 1.0
ACT 0.7 1.9


  • Around 78% of Sales Representatives (Medical and Pharmaceutical Products) live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    New South Wales has a large share of employment relative to its population size.

    The regions with the largest share of workers are:

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
42
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
56%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Sales Representatives (Medical and Pharmaceutical Products) is 42 years. This is similar to the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 35 to 44 years.

    Females make up 56% of the workforce. This is 8 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Sales Representatives (Medical and Pharmaceutical Products) All Jobs Average
15-19 0.2 5.0
20-24 2.5 9.3
25-34 23.5 22.9
35-44 33.2 22.0
45-54 25.8 21.6
55-59 8.4 9.0
60-64 4.1 6.0
65 and Over 2.3 4.2
Median Age 42 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

A formal qualification in a related field (like nursing, science or business) and experience in the healthcare industry is usually needed to work as a Sales Representative (Medical and Pharmaceutical Products). University and Vocational Education and Training (VET) are both common study pathways.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Retail Services VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Sales Representatives (Medical and Pharmaceutical Products) All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 14.3 10.1
Bachelor degree 43.6 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 13.7 11.6
Certificate III/IV 7.2 21.1
Year 12 14.3 18.1
Year 11 2.2 4.8
Year 10 and below 4.7 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Technical Sales Representatives who have strong communication skills and the ability to communicate with diverse audiences.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 59%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 59%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 57%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 57%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 57%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 54%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 54%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 54%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 52%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 48%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 48%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 48%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 45%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 45%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 45%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 43%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 43%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.

  • 43%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 41%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 37%

    Management of financial resources

    Figuring out how money is needed to do something, and keeping track of the money that's being spent.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 68%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 65%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 54%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 53%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 52%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 51%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 48%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

  • 47%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 39%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 38%

    Engineering and technology

    Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.

  • 36%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 33%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 30%

    Transportation

    Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.

  • 29%

    Chemistry

    Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.

  • 29%

    Technical design

    Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

  • 28%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 27%

    Geography

    Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.

  • 26%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

  • 26%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 23%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 66%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 64%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 59%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 57%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 57%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 55%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 55%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 52%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 52%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 52%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 52%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 46%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 46%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 45%

    Memorization

    Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.

  • 45%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 43%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 41%

    Speed of recognition

    Quickly make sense of and organize things you can see like letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 39%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 39%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 39%

    Mathematics

    Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 75%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 67%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 60%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 56%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 55%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 55%

    Influencing people

    Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.

  • 52%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 50%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 47%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 45%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 42%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 42%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 41%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

  • 41%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

  • 39%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 39%

    Coming up with systems and processes

    Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.

  • 37%

    Providing office support

    Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.

  • 36%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 35%

    Coordinating the work of a team

    Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

  • 35%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 100%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 76%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 48%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 48%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 38%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 24%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 71%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 67%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 67%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 62%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 57%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

  • 52%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 100%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 100%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 94%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 94%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 91%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 91%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 87%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 85%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 85%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 81%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 79%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 76%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 76%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 75%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 75%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 73%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 73%

    In an enclosed vehicle or equipment

    Work in a closed vehicle (e.g., car).

  • 71%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 70%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 67%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 41-4011.00 - Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products.


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