Training

What does new hire training look like? home study vs on site training. As to benefits, does the company charge for the company car? who is the carrier for Health Care?

 

If you were just hired wouldn't your hiring manager be a better resource to ask than this site. Give me a break.

 

Sorry. No, I was not just hired going through the interviewing process. Looking for insight to questions before the interview.

 

I mean really, are you serious? Don't worry about what the training is, you just concentrate on getting the job passing the training, don't worry about the insurance, just be glad you are getting it and don't worry about what you pay for a "FREE" car and insurance, just be glad you have a JOB!!! Seriously!!!

 

I feel sorry for your wife or husband.

 

Geez, it was a perfectly innocent question. Here are some answers for you:

Not sure about the training. I would imagine it is a combination of both home training and in New York at ArrowWood.

Company car: Yes, you are charged a per paycheck fee. It is approximately $200 per month.

Insurance: Lots of options. United HealthCare is the supplier of most.

I hope that helps. Please don't pay attention to some of the miscreants who troll this site. They are hateful bitter people. Most people at Pfizer are not that way.

 

Yeah right. Are you going to tell us YOU would take a job and have no concern or interest for the things mentioned above?? I don't think so. Check you attitude

 

Thank you for the information. I pay no attention to the negative comments. Pfizer is a solid company and I would be happy to join.

 

Have you gotten any more info on training? How long home study? How long away?

 

I went 4 years ago & it was 2 weeks in NY. They do about 3-4 weeks home study. Now they've done so much more online, I wouldn't be surprised if you spent less time in NY.
Was not too stressful, all the test questions in home study are the same ones you see at training.

 

Hmmm, I got a question for you jerkoffs? Let's ask any of laid off individuals from the last 5 FFO's if they would ask about the training, their car or what insurance they would get. . . . . .
That's what I thought - crickets! They would jump at the chance to get back in without ONE questions asked.

 

Because they already know, dumb ass.

Boy are you a braniac

 

I love the "crickets" reference in his own post.

Car is $150/month plus $50/month if you add your spouse or gay lover.

Insurance is a choice of Blue Cross or United.

Pray your training is by webex only but I doubt it. They will somehow require you to go to arrowood for your final certification to sell your drugs.

I must say that the desserts are very good there. So are the snacks and coffee. But the brand and marketing team members are so fucking cheezy and drink so much koolaid, it'll make you nauseous. All the women talk like elementary school teachers to you like you're children, or like sorority girls talking to each other when they meet up at a party. I swear, pay attention to them, they all extend the last syllable and consonant like a valley girl.

When in NY training, just do exactly as they want. Be the dullard, fake acting robot they want and you'll do fine. It's your DBM who makes your job good or shitty. Unless you're broke and starving don't take the job if you feel the DBM is an asshole. Don't ask any Pfizer rep. Many are backstabbers from hell. You'll regret it.

 

Did you get an offer?

 

I totally understand why someone would want to know about the training, the car cost and insurance etc. because if you are leaving another job or comparing two offers, you want to compare these things, and some managers would not like those type of questions if they are as nutty as the rude guy who responded in an offended way just because you want to know these things. I personally, always want to know how intense the training is to mentally prepare.

Training: It may have changed since I did it a few years ago but the home study was sort of intense. It is not the type of thing where you can be finishing out your last week at the previous company and making calls all day and come home to read the material and pass.....or be on vacation with your spouse and kids and read the material that week and come home and take tests the next......At least it wasn't like that in 2010.......unless you are a speed reader and have a photographic memory I would dedicate full attention to home study.

It was a lot of reading and frequent online tests to take with a schedule they wanted you to sort of stick to so that each mini online test had to be taken by a certain night, and although it was technically possible to have it be open book, the tests were timed so there wasn't a whole lot of time to flip around in the book to check answers, but if you highlight, and make it easy to flip to things with tabs, you can do that a little bit.

I believe they still have it where if you don't pass a test, you can take it a second time, but that's it. IF YOU FAIL THE SECOND TIME, THEY CUT YOU. I knew someone it happened to. It's still like that for CURRENT EMPLOYEES too - any time WE train on a new drug - they make it clear that we can lose our jobs if we don't pass the test after two tries. You can't blame them really, because of the compliance environment Pfizer is in with the government they can not take the chance that they are hiring half wits who aren't taking the product knowledge seriously.

I have no insight on the out of town portion of the training.

Car: choices: in snow country it's a Subaru Legacy and in non snow country it's a Nissan Altima I think some reps have been grandfathered into a 150 a month usage fee for the car and some reps I believe are around 200. Either way, no more than 200. You get a gas card.

Health Insurance:
I think in the age of Obamacare and the uncertainty of whether companies will push people out into the exchanges, it is more important than ever to know about the health insurance benefits a company offers.

The important thing to know about Pfizer is that the company self insures, and the companies they use: Horizon/BCBS and United (you get to choose of these two) only are involved to administer the benefits.

Pfizer pays for everyone's medical costs itself - a lot of large companies do. Why this is important is because Obamacare has a loophole that excludes self- insured companies from all of the insanity of the law - esp the part about if your plan changes after a certain date you no longer can stay on it and have to pick an exchange plan......if you have followed it at all you will know what I'm talking about - if not, Google stories on it...... - so you can research all the benefits of being at a self-insured company online.....

Thus far Pfizer has confirmed that they can provide medical benefits cheaper than the exchanges can, and I believe everyone at the company is likely safe from being pushed out into the exchanges at the end of 2014, as will happen to many many people in non self insured companies.

The cost of health benefits to the employee is still very fair and affordable and they offer different plans based on the level/ratio of out of pocket vs deductible that you want. Dental is offered through Metlife and Vision is also offered.

Pfizer is an awesome company and the guy who said your DM makes or breaks the job is right. Make sure you try to determine and/or ask what his or her style of management is in the interview and everyone knows someone who works at Pfizer or did work at Pfizer so ask around for the 411 on the manager. And don't be afraid to ask for what you are worth salary-wise - they have a range and you don't want to come in at the lowest end of their range as raises are small and it takes a long time to move up to the next pay grade on the scale. Good luck.

 

You sure do have a combative attitude. I am not the one who asked the question, but I certainly think it was a valid question. Why not be helpful or just keep your comments to yourself?

 

Any insight on home study for recent hires? Do they still send boxes of binders or is training conducted on ipad via webex/slides? Is there ample time alotted for studying before each exam? Just curious since it's been a long time since my last pharma training in the olden days of paper & books.

 

All the training material is online, but I recc printing it @ FedEx
How much time of home study depends on the product, but generally 1wk/product. Pay very close attention to the live webex training sessions, as the trainers wil do an excellent job of prepping u for the exams

 

any other words of wisdom?

 

If you want to sell, go to another industry. Otherwise, pharma has good benefits.