Success Story – Dafna Goshen, Pharmaceuticals Sales Representative, and Meirav Cohen, Recruitment and Integration Manager, at S. Shestowitz Ltd. / by Hadas Shimoni
dafna goshen and meirav cohen found their respective jobs as pharmaceuticals sales representative and recruitment and integration manager at s. shestowitz ltd. after earning her bachelor’s degree in life sciences dafna decided to look for a job that would combine marketing and biology, two fields she really loves. nine months ago she was delighted to find a job as a pharmaceuticals sales rep at the company. meirav cohen, who has a bachelor’s degree and experience as an evaluator at a screening institute, searched for and found her job a year and a half ago as a recruitment and integration manager at the company. both found their jobs through the jobnet site.
meirav cohen, recruitment and integration manager at shestowitz, describes the company:
“s. shestowitz, which was founded 54 years ago by the late shimon shestowitz, is a company under private family ownership. the company imports, markets and distributes a wide range of consumer products and leading international brands around the country and is considered a leader in its field.
today we have a staff of 1,200, most of who work out in the field around the country, conducting sales and service with the customers.”
meirav cohen (left) and dafna goshen (right) at the offices of s. shestowitz ltd.
dafna goshen’s success story
based on a dream of becoming a veterinarian, 28-year-old dafna goshen began studying life sciences at the hebrew university’s faculty of agriculture in rechovot. during her studies she spent three years working at a maccabi pharmacy as an assistant and marketing coordinator. “as a communicative person who seeks dynamism and interaction, after college i came to the conclusion i wanted to join a field that involved marketing, so i started looking for a job that combined marketing and biology, which are two fields that i really love.” nine months ago dafna found her job as a pharmaceutical sales rep at s. shestowitz.
dafna, what did you feel was missing after a period of three years as an assistant and marketing coordinator at a pharmacy?
“during the course of the job i gained a lot of experience in the field of marketing and i took an advanced studies course in marketing and sales at bar ilan university. after three years i came to realize that i wanted marketing to be an integral part of my career, so i decided to find a place where i’d be able to combine marketing with life sciences and develop professionally.”
how did you conduct your search?
“my search for a good job focused on job-search websites. i tried jobnet based on a recommendation of a friend who was also looking for work. i liked the range of positions posted on the site and the daily updating, which streamlined and substantially shortened the process. every week i received an e-mail update from the site regarding suitable positions.”
what drew you to pharmaceutical sales?
“pharmaceutical sales is really medical marketing, so it combines the fields closest to me, which are marketing and biology. becoming a pharmaceutical sales rep opened before me a door to the world of marketing in general, and i feel that the job has contributed to me a lot. also, in the future i plan to get a master’s degree in business administration, specializing in marketing, and to delve deeper into the field.”
what considerations did you take into account during your search?
“i applied for jobs intended for biology graduates at large companies with opportunities for promotion and career development. and because of my love for marketing and the years of experience i’d acquired, i looked mostly for jobs in pharmaceutical sales, marketing coordination and field sales.”
besides shestowitz, did you look into other options?
“the search process was short. i checked out several options, but most of them didn’t match what i was looking for. some of the positions weren’t right for me because their products didn’t interest me and in other cases i didn’t feel any chemistry during the interviews. also, it was important to me to work in the central region and the sharon region.”
how did your first days at the company go?
“i was given a very warm and encouraging welcome. the people around me were very nice and made every effort to ease my integration. during my first month on the job i was did massive self-instruction and training on the material related to the products.”
how do marketing and biology converge in your job?
“i’m on the pharmaceuticals sales team and i’m responsible for marketing colgate. the team is divided according to region. everybody does medical marketing at the dental clinics, with dentists, dental assistants, etc. we provide the dentists full information on all of the product’s characteristics and properties to find the best product for every patient. we also update medical staffs on new products entering the market.”
based on your impressions, what kind of a company in shestowitz in terms of the atmosphere and the character of the company?
“shestowitz is a very pleasant company with a close-knit atmosphere, and the interaction among the employees is full of warmth and encouragement. as a varied company, shestowitz is involved in a lot of areas and has a broad spectrum of leading labels in the market. i have no doubt that in the company much emphasis is placed on the employee’s character and not just his professional experience, and that top candidates are recruited. i believe the company, which serves as a warm nest for its personnel, makes effort to retain good workers.”
do you feel you’ve advanced professionally since coming to shestowitz?
“definitely. the job helped me realize how fond i am of marketing, and if i had doubts over whether i was right for the job or had the necessary abilities, they’ve vanished. i feel i’ve learned a lot over the past year, i’ve been exposed to new fields and i feel a lot of gratification. i’m really enjoying my work at shestowitz.”
a success story?
“without a doubt. today i’m right where i want to be – i’m enjoying my work and make sure to carry it out the best way possible. i’m responsible for promoting a product that i really believe in and i’m learning new things every day. the work environment is very supportive and i’ve made new friends. i also have a professional future and a direction in which to develop. if i show strong capabilities i’ll be able to advance.”
what advice can you offer jobseekers?
“the warmest recommendation i can give is to keep your resume up to date, well-written and focused. you can consult with a professional to help write your resume in a professional manner. the other tip is perseverance. you have to keep looking and get updated on changing positions and send out resumes every day.”
meirav cohen’s success story
meirav cohen, who works as a recruitment manager, is also a jobnet success story. two and a half years ago she looked for and found her job at shestowitz, too. after completing her bachelor’s degree studies she started working as an evaluator at the adam milo institute. later she started looking for a job with the hope of joining a human resources team and feeling like a part of the company.
“when i worked at the institute stress was placed on evaluation. i felt like an external support tool providing a specific service for a number of projects. after a while i wanted to enter a human resources department and feel like a part of the organization. this way, in addition to recruitment and evaluation, i’d be able to deal with a broad range of areas related to human resources and take part in the entire process.”
as the company’s recruitment and integration manager, how does working with the jobnet site contribute to your organization?
“we’re very happy with our collaboration with jobnet, which provides us focused resumes. as a recruitment tool we’re really pleased with the site and make use of it extensively. every year we compile statistics on various recruitment channels to assess the percentage of recruitment that comes from each source. i can report that there has been a significant increase through jobnet! in 2006 17% of recruitment came through the site, in 2007 29% and in 2008 37% [the 2008 data covers until the end of november].
how is the difficult economic situation affecting you?
“recently the company has made internal changes unrelated to the economic situation on the outside. the feeling here at the moment is very stable and we’re continuing as usual. there hasn’t been any slowdown or reduction in company recruitment and in fact new positions have been opened. as i said, there have been other changes at the business level, but that issue is related to the organization itself.”
what would be your main recommendation to jobseekers in light of the coming recession?
“along with using the jobnet site, which is an effective recruitment tool, i think during these hard times employee recruitment is effective for both job hunters and employers. the market is flooded and a favorable word from employees who know the candidate and whose recommendation is trusted carries a lot of significance.”
in conclusion, why do you think it’s worthwhile to join shestowitz?
“first of all shestowitz is what we call a ‘jeans company,’ meaning the atmosphere is laid back, pleasant and sociable, without formalities and stiffness. the managers are accessible and the work is carried out in full cooperation. from a personal standpoint as well i see myself growing and developing at the company. my job is broad, very satisfying and allows me to learn and expand my horizons in the field of human resources.”
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