Going to an Interview can be nerve wracking!
The interview makes or breaks your chance of getting hired. An interview is a sales pitch for you to get the job. How can you use a sales tactic to enhance your chances of getting a job? For those of you who don’t know, I teach many workshops on LinkedIn for job seekers, and I teach a job search class for using tools on the internet other than CareerBuilder and Monster (oh there is so much more!). In those classes, I discuss resumes, interviewing and many other job search related topics.
I saw an article today (noted below) that really struck me as something that job seekers should attempt regularly. I know when I managed retail stores, I used to have interviewees try to sell me an item I had on my desk just to see how they could think under pressure. These days with the necessity of good workplace skills and customer service skills, most jobs have a sales component whether you want it to or not. Using the following ideas during your interview may help show your versatility and value, and land you a job!
These are the four components of making a sale as noted in the article I read (make sure to read the article itself – it is really good):
- How you gather information
- How you respond to the information you gathered
- How you deliver information to the person you are attempting to sell
- How you ask for something (closing)
Here is how I could see this transformed to the interview setting for a non-sales position:
- What are the top three responsibilities (insert another applicable word here) that you envision for the position for which I am interviewing? Depending upon what the answers are takes you to point #2 above. Make sure you take notes so that you can respond intelligently.
- Listen carefully to the first item mentioned, and make sure you respond to it first. Getting hired or getting a contract is all about being able to meet someones needs or solve a problem.
- Be prepared with examples of how you may have already solved someone else’s problem based on the list of items mentioned. Seek to understand how you might be able to go “bigger picture” on the those items.
- Asking if the examples you provided would remedy the situation or meet the responsibilities would give you instantaneous feedback. Once you have described a previous situation or an idea, ask “is this something that could work for your business (this position).
Once you read the article you may agree with my take or not, but at least I got you to think about your approach to your interview. Let me know how I can help with your digital job search or LinkedIn profile!
Source: Best Answer to “Sell Me This Pen” I Have Ever Seen | LinkedIn
