One of the hardest fields to advance within in the United Kingdom is medical sales. Medical sales professionals face a number of competing stresses that create barriers to advancement to management or executive positions. The influx of university graduates on an annual basis means there is a lot of pressure from entry level workers for a small number of advancement opportunities. As well, competition among colleagues makes it difficult for medical sales professionals to be successful in their job while trying to impress their managers.

Finally, the competition among medical supply and pharmaceutical companies has increased. This means high pressure and expectations from the executive office. Medical sales people of all experience levels need to realize that their path to the top is not going to be linear. Some professionals take lateral steps within medical sales in order to join with a company where advancement is possible. Other professionals take a step back in order to raise a family or return to school. The days of a medical sales professional working for one company for decades has ended.

The job market is more competitive and requires a dynamic professional to gain mastery. The question for professionals looking to advance is what tools best serve their purpose. Many people already in the job market will tell themselves that they will find success in traditional methods of finding medical sales jobs, like the newspaper or the online job site. However, these job hunt tools only go so far. Medical sales professionals who are truly interested in achieving their dreams on the job should consult with a recruitment firm. For those medical sales professionals who haven't encountered a recruitment firm in the UK, they should become familiar with the process.

Recruiters, whether at milk rounds or open houses, seek out applicants for a variety of positions in medical sales. These recruiters will often conduct preliminary interviews on site and bring the applications back for consideration. The finest candidates are interviewed further, assessed for skill level, and placed with the best medical sales job to fit their needs. Advancement through recruitment agencies is possible for all medical sales professionals. Younger professionals in need of some polish can get professional development courses, clean up their CV, and prepare for upper level interviews.

Experienced professionals can have their talents leveraged by talented recruiters while focusing on their current job and interviewing for their future job. In the end, the best reason to use a recruiter to advance in medical sales is the lowered level of competition due to exclusive employment agreements between corporations and recruiters.

Mark Doherty is a Director of Alexander Chapel Associates. A specialist sales recruitment company with a focus in IT sales jobs, logistics jobs and supply chain recruitment.