Pharmaceutical Sales Representative job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products

O*NET-SOC 41-4011.00

Preparation

Job Zone 4 of 5

considerable preparation

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$104,920

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products (O*NET-SOC 41-4011.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Pharmaceutical Sales Representative” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: O*NET job-incumbent data, the SOC Index and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Negotiate prices or terms of sales or service agreements. importance 4.3 of 5
2. Prepare and submit sales contracts for orders. importance 4.2 of 5
3. Visit establishments to evaluate needs or to promote product or service sales. importance 4.2 of 5
4. Maintain customer records, using automated systems. importance 4.2 of 5
5. Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, or credit terms. importance 4.2 of 5
6. Quote prices, credit terms, or other bid specifications. importance 4.1 of 5
7. Contact new or existing customers to discuss how specific products or services can meet their needs. importance 4.1 of 5
8. Emphasize product features, based on analyses of customers' needs and on technical knowledge of product capabilities and limitations. importance 4.0 of 5
9. Compute customer's installation or production costs and estimate savings from new services, products, or equipment. importance 4.0 of 5
10. Select or assist customers in selecting products based on customer needs, product specifications, and applicable regulations. importance 3.9 of 5
11. Prepare sales presentations or proposals to explain product specifications or applications. importance 3.9 of 5
12. Complete expense reports, sales reports, or other paperwork. importance 3.8 of 5
13. Verify that delivery schedules meet project deadlines. importance 3.8 of 5
14. Identify prospective customers, using business directories, leads from existing clients, participation in organizations, or trade show or conference attendance. importance 3.8 of 5
15. Inform customers of estimated delivery schedules, service contracts, warranties, or other information pertaining to purchased products. importance 3.8 of 5
16. Collaborate with colleagues to exchange information, such as selling strategies or marketing information. importance 3.7 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work and Communicating with People Outside the Organization.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Sell service contracts for technical or scientific products.
• Demonstrate the operation or use of technical or scientific products.
• Provide feedback to product design teams so that products can be tailored to clients' needs.
• Arrange for installation and testing of products or machinery.
• Initiate sales campaigns to meet sales and production expectations.
• Verify accuracy of materials lists.

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing, English Language, Administration and Management and Mathematics.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Salesforce software, Apache Hadoop, Google Analytics. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 4 of 5 (considerable preparation). A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

The most common answer among pharmaceutical sales representatives surveyed by O*NET is a bachelor's degree (39%).

Job title: Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Negotiate prices or terms of sales or service agreements.
- Prepare and submit sales contracts for orders.
- Visit establishments to evaluate needs or to promote product or service sales.
- Maintain customer records, using automated systems.
- Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, or credit terms.
- Quote prices, credit terms, or other bid specifications.
- Contact new or existing customers to discuss how specific products or services can meet their needs.
- Emphasize product features, based on analyses of customers' needs and on technical knowledge of product capabilities and limitations.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in persuasion, speaking and active listening
- Working knowledge of Customer and Personal Service and Sales and Marketing
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products, the median annual wage was $104,920 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $50.44. BLS estimates about 284,800 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products to grow 1.2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 23,600 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real pharmaceutical sales representative posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Negotiate prices or terms of sales or service agreements”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only pharmaceutical sales representative work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (persuasion and speaking): a real situation, what you did and what changed.