Sell Yourself And Get That Dream Job
Article By: Abraham YakobiHow to sell yourself and get that dream job
How real is the fear of selling yourself when faced by a panel of interviewers? No one is born a sales person. However every successful Job interview is as a result of having sold yourself successfully.
No matter how academically qualified you are, you will be called upon to showcase your selling skills in securing a job and negotiating salary that you deserve.
Selling yourself is an art
Selling is an art. It is an understanding of psychology. You must portray characteristics that show your confidence, articulation, in addition to knowing negotiation skills; you must be an excellent listener, a charismatic individual and a keen observer.
Now wait a moment. Does it mean that if you are nothing close to the person I have described above you will not be successful in the interview? The answer is to this question is unfortunately ò€˜yes."
Before going into a panic mode if you have none of the skills described above. Let me rest your fears every person has at least one or two of this characteristics. All you need to do is bring out the nascent sales person in you.
This article will help you to do just that.
Have people knowledge
Knowledge of people is what psychologists" have. It is the knowledge you must have. You must know what to look for., how to listen, how to respond to questions to your advantage, how to read the body language of the interviewers and how to have a positive body language yourself.
When responding to the interviewers maintain eye contact, watch out for how they respond to your answers; are they looking interested, bored, distracted, or excited? You will see this in their eyes, observe how they are seated, are they leaning towards you or away from you? Are they fidgeting with pens or paper? Are they smiling or nodding occasionally?
Listen to inflections in their voices. Do they sound impressed or disappointed? Are they smiling at you or are they stifling yawns. Watch and observe respond accordingly.
Are you are speaking in a monotone? Change tact. If you are not smiling try to be animated. If you are scared imagine yourself speaking to your family members. Relax and let yourself loose. Speak naturally.
Secrets of selling yourself successfully
The object of this article is to give you hints on how you can polish your selling skills when faced with an interview. Here are three basic rules that you must remember and apply to sell yourself successfully.
Rule one
The first rule to remember is that people buy people first. Whatever it is that you need from the other person remember they will buy you first.
The first impression is the only impression. It is this impression that will last. How you are dressed reveals your personality.
Dress in clothing that you are comfortable in, clothes that suit the situation. Let your clothes give you an air of confidence.
Rule two
The second rule is -be yourself. Many people fail in interviews because they try to be somebody they are not.
Be yourself do not pretend to know more than you do, or pretend to be more polished than you really are. Do not wear a personality that is not you for the interviewers.
Rule three
The third rule is to -prepare. It"s been said failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
Preparation takes the form of research and mental fortitude. Find out all you can about your prospective employer. Read all you can lay your hands on about the company. Speak to current employees if you can. Load yourself with facts and figures you never know when they will come in handy during the interview.
Secondly prepare yourself mentally see yourself seated in the interviewing room confidently answering the questions that are thrown at you. See yourself relaxed, poised and full of confidence.
Preparation helps calm your nerves.
Overcoming fear and creating a lasting impression
During the interview you will feel tension. It is natural to have your stomach in knots. However you must never be smitten by tension. Here are some secrets to help you overcome those butterflies in your stomach, and help you come on top by leaving a lasting impression on the interviewers.
Breathe
When waiting to go into the interview room relax by breathing in and out deeply do this as many times as possible. Once in the interview room and you are feeling nervous breathe in and out deeply as you possibly can unobtrusively.
Proper breathing releases the tension in you and loosens the knots in your stomach
Smile
A smile says ò€˜I" am glad to be here." It exudes warmth and friendliness. A smile will endear you quickly to the interviewers. If you are the grouchy type learn to smile naturally. Smiling removes the worry lines round your mouth
Eye Contact
Eyes are the window to the soul. When being introduced to the interviewers maintain respectful eye contact with each person as you repeat their names. Do this throughout the interviewing session when responding to questions. Eye contact is a sign of confidence, however do not glare or stare down the interviewers.
Show interest in every person that is talking to you. Portray integrity and sincerity by having an open and honest look.
Seating
When invited to seat, seat upright with your hands out in front of you. Slouching or slumping in your seat is disrespectful.
Seat comfortably, relax. No matter how nervous you are fidgeting, shuffling your feet, and twiddling your fingers only makes it worse. Desist.
Enthusiasm
ò€˜Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm" is a maxim you should take to heart and practice. Speak enthusiastically. You can only do this if you believe in what you are saying. Again be yourself and speak naturally.
Voice
Your voice is the best tool in an interview room. Use it as a conductor of a symphony.
Be audible -speaking too loudly or too softly irritates your listeners. Ever noticed how radio presenters modulate their voices to sound interesting and convincing? Do the same.
When speaking pause when it is appropriate, vary the pitch of your voice, and color speech with enthusiasm.
Speaking
Speak confidently articulating every word clearly, invoking interest by the content of your word. Chose words that are descriptive like, "Because my height is six feet ten inches I played basketball as a point guard in college" rather than saying" I Played basketball in college"
Handling critical moments during the interview
Sometimes even after preparation, research and rehearsal you will find your mind has gone blank during the interview. What do you do to salvage the situation and contain panic?
The trick is in words. Keep speaking, use words that buy you time as you reorder your thoughts. For example you can ask a question like, "Sorry but can you repeat your question again, I don"t seem to have got it?" Ò Or you can make a statement like, "You asked about my previous, well I worked with company xyz as aò€¦ò€¦ò€¦ò€¦ò€¦."
No matter what happens try to look composed at all times.
Conquer thy fears
All of us have fear of the unknown. Going into an interview room is like going to a battle whose outcome you do not know. This is the basis of our fear. Remind yourself that you are going to meet people. They will be new people to you but they are people nevertheless. The worst they can do to you is to deny you a job, and that is all they can do. So relax.
A relaxed attitude shows that you have a high self esteem. Treat the interview like a friendly discussion. Be friendly, you might miss the job but gain some new friends!
Have a successful interview won"t you!
Please send your Questions, Comments, Contributions and Criticisms to:mailto:abrahamyakobi@gmail.com