Interview or not....

I have an interview with Merck - having second doubts if I should go after reading this board. The problem is, pharma pays well and that's why many of us put up with the chaos. There aren't many high paying jobs out there thanks to Obama running this country into the ground.

What is the starting salary for an experienced rep at Merck?

 

Go ahead and interview without hesitation. Most of the posters on here are trolls. You can't believe 99% of what you read in these threads. It's most likely 15 people trying to represent the feelings of tens of thousands of employees. Ignore it.

 

You're iv'ng for a rep position? At Merck? I don't think so. Troll on, dear.

 

Starting= 130k plus 30-40k bonus. Free car and benes, 401k and pension-yes pension. I also usually get 4 to6 thousand stock options per year. Expect total comp of 250-300 for your first year. After a decade or two you will earn enough to have servants on your various estates throughout the world. After five years of service you qualify for use of the corporate jets and copters. Also useful for taking docs on weekend rendezvous. High performing reps are also provided with personal chefs, housecleaners and clothing allowances. Trust me when I say this job is much better than dotcoms. Gotta go, limo is here to take me to the country club courtesy of Merck. Boo Ya.

 

Listen to your second thoughts. Merck is a mess. Once was a great company, now it is a shell of its former self. Look elsewhere for a career opportunity.

 

I do have an interview - not lying or trolling.

 

Thanks, I appreciate the humor!

 

You are perfect, come aboard. Since you already blame Obama for all problems, when you get here and it doesn't work out to your expectations you already have the canned response as to the cause. Besides chaos is way under valued. It's the reason so many here still have jobs.

 

Run !!!!

 

What's the worst that can happen?

 

You wont get pension. Any new hires after 01/01/2013 is cash balance only!!

Get a job at JNJ instead.

 

It doesn't hurt to interview. Ask yourself what are your future goals? What are you seeking to achieve? What's your time frame to achieve it? Is Merck a stepping stone to reach your goal or is Merck the actual goal? Personally, I would not bank on a long prosperous sales career at Merck especially if your current opportunity is in Primary Care Sales. Merck's focus is not in this arena and will not be in the foreseeable future.

Secondly, layoffs have been consistent for the sales force since 2008 and will continue beyond 2014 is a pretty safe bet. It goes without saying the pharmaceutical industry is unstable and Merck continues to be just as unstable if not more so in the midst of uncertainty within the industry. The cause for this is the sluggish growth of current products but growth is seen mostly through cuts (layoffs) not sales of these products. Our diabetes market is what's keeping the lights on at Merck. Oncology should get better as a franchise which is an area of concentration and growth for the company...we'll see. Vaccine division is suffering, CV division has been suffering (recent new drug approval through), Respiratory division is...well virtually non-existent at Merck except for a failing launch of sub-lingual tablets for allergic rhinitis that most customers despise. Otherwise, Merck has turned its back on the respiratory division by having our beloved contract sales force sell all of our respiratory products.
We are getting ready to face even more stiff competition in the diabetes market only to hope that we can keep our shirts on for the ride. Merck Research Laboratories (MRL) has been restructured through layoffs and starting over from ground zero to put it mildly. A new sleep product was just approved; again we'll see what happens

I'm only providing you the state affairs at our organization so you are aware of what perceived benefits you may receive if you choose to become apart of the organization. Think carefully and weigh your options. Again, assess your goals and does Merck fit into the equation to help you achieve these goals in the midst of turbulent times. Be careful for what you are signing up for. It could be short lived or you could escape unscathed as a victim of downsizing. Or, take the job if its offered but continue to look for other opportunities while working for the organization. Well that's my two cents.

 

Post #12 is a very accurate assessment of what's going at Merck

 

Also you might add that taking on different roles for career progression is a farce. There is very little if any at all, opportunity to expand your career if you are seeking to move past the sales role at this time. Region offices across the nation (3) are closing or have closed and corporate office buildings in the NE have vacancy. If you ask me, unless something positive happens for Merck's future, I would not be surprised if another merger or acquisition happens;- more like Merck being acquired. The only saving grace is that Merck is extremely cash rich, not cash strapped. Merck can buy another company but they have to be very selective if they choose to do so just to enrich its pipeline. Plainly stated, Merck is in trouble.

 

Only take a pharmaceutical sales rep position if you want no life, no time of your own, constant communication with respect to committments, expectations, etc. a lot of busy work on your own time, constant criticism, employment obligations, tests, quizes, meeting prework, etc. It is no fun. Go to a nice industry, too many regulations here.

 

You forgot to mention being tracked on the iPad.

 

Is it possible that any Merck employee can still feel this way. What have we lost? 80% of our sales force, most being forced to walk the plank! It's the WORST company I've worked for, far and away! I regret ever interviewing at all.

 

Schering legacy here, who was retained by Merck back in 2010. The pay and benefits are fine. But, I don't care at all for Merck's system for rating performance. They never disclose specific rankings...at year end, you are only told that you are either in the "top", "middle", or "bottom" of the field force. A hell of a way to motivate you, not to mention the distrust felt with such vague ratings. Keep in mind that once you leave Merck, and you interview at other companies, the first question they ask is "what were your most recent rankings". With nothing more than, say, a "middle" ranking to speak of, you certainly won't be competitive with other applicants. Stay away from Merck!

 

Middle is fair but what about when managers dish out middle when reps hits 110-120 % of plan!

Same applies to digit ranking so much bs! Subjective and a career destroyer. History says a heck of a lot more than a manager with a pre determined plan to boot you out.

 

The problem when you don't disclose everyone's rank in a field force, is that while it IS possible to hit 110-120% of plan and still be in the "middle", there is no way to verify that, because you don't know what other's achieved (just from a pure numbers standpoint).

Schering had no subjective component. Ranking was purely based on numbers...and all numbers were disclosed for every rep in the country--on a monthly basis! You always knew how you were tracking.

In hindsight, the luckiest Schering reps were those that got severed when Schering and Merck merged.