What advice would you offer on breaking into the Medical Device Field ... particularly, a sales job?

I get this question at least once every few weeks. Here's my take: If the job seeker is not on Linkedin, s/he should join immediately if not sooner! The second action item I'd suggest is to join relevant "medical devices" and "healthcare" or "health care" groups on Linked in. Many groups have job boards where jobs appear there and no where else. Also, for those in sales, you need to proactively put yourself out there and sell yourself. I realize there's a thin line between promoting oneself and being too aggressive, but someone with good sales skills will find that balance. Selling yourself in this market is likely one of the hardest sales you'll make, but there are jobs out there, and someone has to get them. Why not you?! As for the medical devices field, while I do not want to discourage anyone, I think job seekers should be realistic and remain flexible. It's a bit easier in this market to get an entry level job, but the seasoned ones are going to those with experience, and the market is flooded with qualified and over qualified folks. The timing is not right to break into this field unless it's an entry-level spot. The timing may be better in a year or so. There are a number of companies that have training programs, and that likely will be your best bet other than networking and getting someone to refer you internally. I cannot recall specifically, but there are a few well-publicized websites that you can subscribe to. You can, of course, do a Google search. There's a dedicated industry site: http://www.medicaldevicesalesjob.com/ and another is medrep.com that often lists companies that have training programs in addition to ore seasoned jobs (job seekers can subscribe to this website alert). Check the separate post here on the best Medical Devices/Life Sciences URLs. There are some great links there. Hope this helps. What do others think?