How to Sell Yourself Effectively?
28 August 2014
Read by 3481 persons
There’s more to finding a job than just crafting a resume.
So, how can you ensure your job search is a success?
We all know what we’re supposed to do to help us find a job: have a great CV, a killer cover letter, sit up straight during a job interview, etc… etc. But none of this is much use if it’s not used with the right mindset.
Sales and Marketing
Go into a job interview over-confident or under-confident and you’re never going to make those stars light up in your potential employer’s eyes, no matter how good your initial groundwork was.
Preparing for job interviews (and indeed the job hunt itself) is about learning to sell yourself properly to prospective new employers. It’s crucial that you believe in your skills and abilities so that you can effectively present yourself in the best possible light during the interview. Therefore, you need to sell yourself just like any good salesperson would sell their product.
We’ve established some basic questions you can ask yourself. This will help you understand how to sell yourself effectively.
What are you trying to achieve?
Consider what you’re trying to achieve. Obviously, the end goal is to get a job but how do you get there? Well, confidence is key but don’t overdo it. Of course, your product can’t be perfect but no product is perfect. You need to learn to look beyond your weaknesses for the time being. To develop the right frame of mind focus on your strengths. Think about what makes you unique, in terms of your qualities and achievements.
This might seem a bit novel to some, but visualizing yourself in a future role – whether it’s a shop manager or a financial director – can really help you to focus on what you can bring to the role. This is an essential element of building your confidence so that you can move forward with your job search.
Make sure you’re realistic with this one though. Imagining yourself in a position isn’t about believing anything, it’s about helping you to focus on your personal merits and why you are the ideal candidate. You have to be able to close the deal but you’ll never manage to do so if you’re unrealistic.
What are you trying to sell?
Look at yourself honestly and ask yourself why you really want this job. This is a very useful question to ask yourself because there’s a very strong chance the recruiter will ask you this during the interview.
There are, of course, no right or wrong answers but you need to be prepared. This will help focus your attention on the recruiter’s questions and be able to answer effectively.
Who is your audience?
You now know who you are and what you’re trying to achieve, the next stage is to get to know the people you’re going to be talking to and what exactly they’re looking for.
This means that you need to prepare your research. Obviously, the job description will give you a lot of answers, but you can go a bit further by researching the company for example.
You need to present your skills and experience (and job search goals if you’re applying to a recruiter) in the best possible light. These need to be carefully thought out in advance and need to be realistic. If you are applying for a job in an industry that you have no experience in you will need to explain how your skills are transferable. If you are working with a recruiter you could consider asking for their advice on the feasibility of your goals.
How can you be more proactive?
If you know the job you want, the strengths you can bring to that position, as well as an understanding of the people you’re talking to, you are perfectly placed to introduce yourself to companies before they even know they need you.
To do this, target a few companies that could benefit from your skills and send your application. You should always follow up your application with a phone call.
Keep an eye on the jobs market. Send your applications to companies that are actively recruiting in order to reduce your chances of not getting a return.
Stephanie Delestre.
Qapa.fr
Posted online August 28, 2014.
So, how can you ensure your job search is a success?
We all know what we’re supposed to do to help us find a job: have a great CV, a killer cover letter, sit up straight during a job interview, etc… etc. But none of this is much use if it’s not used with the right mindset.
Sales and Marketing
Go into a job interview over-confident or under-confident and you’re never going to make those stars light up in your potential employer’s eyes, no matter how good your initial groundwork was.
Preparing for job interviews (and indeed the job hunt itself) is about learning to sell yourself properly to prospective new employers. It’s crucial that you believe in your skills and abilities so that you can effectively present yourself in the best possible light during the interview. Therefore, you need to sell yourself just like any good salesperson would sell their product.
We’ve established some basic questions you can ask yourself. This will help you understand how to sell yourself effectively.
What are you trying to achieve?
Consider what you’re trying to achieve. Obviously, the end goal is to get a job but how do you get there? Well, confidence is key but don’t overdo it. Of course, your product can’t be perfect but no product is perfect. You need to learn to look beyond your weaknesses for the time being. To develop the right frame of mind focus on your strengths. Think about what makes you unique, in terms of your qualities and achievements.
This might seem a bit novel to some, but visualizing yourself in a future role – whether it’s a shop manager or a financial director – can really help you to focus on what you can bring to the role. This is an essential element of building your confidence so that you can move forward with your job search.
Make sure you’re realistic with this one though. Imagining yourself in a position isn’t about believing anything, it’s about helping you to focus on your personal merits and why you are the ideal candidate. You have to be able to close the deal but you’ll never manage to do so if you’re unrealistic.
What are you trying to sell?
Look at yourself honestly and ask yourself why you really want this job. This is a very useful question to ask yourself because there’s a very strong chance the recruiter will ask you this during the interview.
There are, of course, no right or wrong answers but you need to be prepared. This will help focus your attention on the recruiter’s questions and be able to answer effectively.
Who is your audience?
You now know who you are and what you’re trying to achieve, the next stage is to get to know the people you’re going to be talking to and what exactly they’re looking for.
This means that you need to prepare your research. Obviously, the job description will give you a lot of answers, but you can go a bit further by researching the company for example.
You need to present your skills and experience (and job search goals if you’re applying to a recruiter) in the best possible light. These need to be carefully thought out in advance and need to be realistic. If you are applying for a job in an industry that you have no experience in you will need to explain how your skills are transferable. If you are working with a recruiter you could consider asking for their advice on the feasibility of your goals.
How can you be more proactive?
If you know the job you want, the strengths you can bring to that position, as well as an understanding of the people you’re talking to, you are perfectly placed to introduce yourself to companies before they even know they need you.
To do this, target a few companies that could benefit from your skills and send your application. You should always follow up your application with a phone call.
Keep an eye on the jobs market. Send your applications to companies that are actively recruiting in order to reduce your chances of not getting a return.
Stephanie Delestre.
Qapa.fr
Posted online August 28, 2014.
