How to Sell Yourself in an Interview: 5 Winning Tips
How you present yourself in an interview is one of the factors that decide whether or not you will be successful and get the job. Be as specific as you can, highlight your skills and strengths, without being arrogant or misleading. Here are some great recommendations on how to sell yourself in an interview.
The Best Tips on How to Sell Yourself in an Interview
5. Be the Solution
Show the person that is interviewing you how you can help increase their company’s profitability. Usually, companies want or need to solve certain issues such as increasing sales, improving advertising efforts, or developing better customer support services. Make sure you find out what the problem is from the job description or ad and think of examples of how you can help them overcome these issues.
4. Be Prepared
Before every job interview, you should do a small research on the company. This way, you will be able to ask smart and relevant questions, and the interviewer will appreciate you more. State what you know about the company as well as the position before asking questions to find out new things. Being prepared also means to arrive in time and to think about possible answers to the interviewer’s questions.
3. Be Specific
Don’t blab about things that are not related to your professional background and that are also relevant for this new potential job. Avoid talking useless things and don’t use clichés. Once you state your skills and abilities, you must have proof or solid arguments to back them up. Don’t talk in general terms. For example, instead of saying you are a team player, you should state what kind of teams you worked with, what was your main role in them, and what you have learned from it.
2. Pay Attention to Nonverbal Communication
Through body language, you say a lot more than using words. Make sure you are aware of your posture and your facial expressions. Maintain eye contact without becoming too awkward and smile as often as possible. Have a firm handshake and sit up straight. You can even practice all these things with a friend, or by yourself in the mirror.
1. Avoid Potential Mistakes or Distractions
There are a lot of things that can go wrong during an interview, especially if you are not careful enough. When it comes to how to sell yourself in an interview, an important aspect is avoiding missteps. Don’t bring beverages or food to an interview. Also, turn off your mobile phone. Listen carefully to what the other person has to say and answer to the point. Don’t talk too much, especially about irrelevant things.
Bringing It All Together
Nowadays, if you want to get that desired job, you should learn and apply certain guidelines on how to sell yourself in an interview. For example, you should become a great storyteller. One that gains somebody else’s attention and convinces others that you are reliable as well as well-prepared.