Difficult times to work for Big Pharma - Senior Sales Consultant Novartis Employee Review

3.0
Oct 4, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Pharmaceutical Representative positions usually offer good salaries, decent bonuses and great benefits. Add the freedom & flexibility that comes with working out of your home and it can be a good job.

Cons

Novartis is a very conservative organization that often takes too long to react to marketplace changes. They also face significant patent expirations on key products. So inevitably, the first thing a big pharma company does is reduce sales staff. And Novartis recently cut 65% of their U.S. sales force. During my 10 years in pharma, I had to face at least 7 restructuring/layoff scenarios. That is not a fun way to go through your career.

Explore other reviews about Novartis

5.0
May 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

people are friendly and easy to work with

Cons

daily commute takes longer than expected

2.0
May 25, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Pays pretty well in comparison to similar jobs in the market

Cons

Unstable schedule where you are often asked to come in overnight (1-2 am) regardless of if you have worked the previous day or are off. Basically feels like you're permanently on-call to conduct environmental monitoring. Training is slow. The Micro dept in general is currently understaffed. The job also involves lab work once you are done with your daily environmental monitoring tasks. The work never ceases and the Technicians as a whole has several responsibilities. Promotions seem to come very slowly here.

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