Salary range: $75,000 to $106,000
What happened: For the past several years, pharmaceutical companies have been restructuring, consolidating and cutting jobs. In 2010, layoffs in the pharmaceutical industry surpassed the 50,000 mark, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., an outplacement consulting organization based in Chicago.
Of those affected in the pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical sales representatives have been hit the hardest, says Adriana Llames, author of "Career Sudoku."
"Generic drugs and federal regulations have dried up these formerly highly compensated positions, and these well-educated sales professionals need to find jobs that take advantage of their skills," Llames says.
A good replacement job: A sales position in a related health care field, Llames says. Consider listing "health care industry" instead of "pharmaceutical industry" on your resume to broaden your options. Two fields of work to consider: sales of electronic medical records, or EMR, or medical waste services.