9.6 Selling U: Selling Yourself in an Interview

Step 1: Be Ready to Show and Sell

In a sales presentation, you want to make your product come to life by showcasing it in a way that gets your audience involved. You want your prospect to “smell the leather in the car.” The same is true at a job interview; it’s not just about your résumé. Let your interviewer see examples of the work you’ve done and help her to envision the work you can do for her company. You can start preparing for this now, while you’re still a student. Bring your portfolio on every interview. If you need some tips, review the Selling U section in Chapter 5 Why and How People Buy: The Power of Understanding the Customer.

Step 2: Accept and Confirm the Interview

When one of your target companies calls or e-mails to offer you an interview, don’t leave anything to chance. Grab a pencil and paper or your personal digital assistant (PDA) and take down the information you’ll need to know on the day of the interview. Do you have the correct day and time written down? Do you know the name, title, and office location of the person with whom you’ll be interviewing? Do you have directions to the company’s location? Keep in mind that googling the company’s address on the day of your interview may not get you where you want to go. Sometimes companies have large campuses with a number of buildings, and Google won’t be able to tell you how to find the right entrance to the right building and how to find your contact person’s office once you get there. Take care of logistical details like this beforehand, so you won’t have anything to slow you down on the big day.

While you have a contact from the company on the phone, take the opportunity to ask whether there is a job description on the company Web site that you can review before the interview. It’s also a good idea to ask for the title of the job for which you will be interviewing and the names and titles of the people with whom you will be interviewing. You should also ask for your interviewer’s phone number and e-mail, and bring the phone number with you on the day of the interview in case you are unavoidably delayed. E-mail your interviewer several days in advance of the interview to confirm your appointment, or call her the day before. This demonstrates professionalism and ensures that everything will run smoothly.^[1]

Step 3: Research the Company and Your Interviewer

Just as you would never go into a sales presentation without carefully researching your prospect’s company beforehand, you should never go to a job interview without the same kind of preparation. Begin by reviewing the job description on the company Web site if it’s available. Then spend some time on the Web site, researching the company’s mission statement and description. If you know which department you might be working in, pay careful attention to any specific details you can learn about this department on the Web site. Some of the basic facts employers will expect you to know include

• How many locations and employees does the company have?
• Does this company deal in B2B or B2C services?
• How long has the company been in business? Have they recently merged or been acquired?
• Is the company expanding globally?
• Does the company have any new products or services?
• Have the CEO or others in the company been recognized for any achievements or publications recently?^[2]

Then go beyond Web site research; after all, your interviewer knows what’s on his company’s Web site, so don’t just repeat back the information you find there; show him your motivation and professionalism by coming prepared with your own research. Use the company’s product or service and talk to other people who use the product or service. Go online and read what customers have to say about the company. Go through the company’s purchasing process so you can understand the workings of the company from a customer’s point of view.^[3] Read any recent press releases or press coverage about the company.

Don’t forget to research your interviewer. Chances are, he has a profile on LinkedIn so you can get some insight about him and even see what he looks like. Also do a Google search as you may learn about his personal hobbies and other pertinent information.

Step 4: Rehearse Your “Elevator Pitch”

Don’t be surprised if one of the first questions your interviewer asks is something along the lines of “tell me about yourself.” This is a common opening question, designed to put job candidates at ease, but it can be one of the hardest questions to answer. “As part of your job-search arsenal, having a good elevator speech is a critical tool,” says Alysin Foster, consultant and managing partner at the Centre for Strategic Management. “Sometimes all you get is 30 seconds to make a good impression.”^[4]

Review the Selling U section in Chapter 4 The Power of Effective Communication to be sure your elevator pitch is your strongest starting point. Then, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse so it sounds and feels natural as a response to that dreaded first question, “Tell me about yourself.”

Tell Me about Yourself

This video provides insight into what the interviewer means when he says, “Tell me about yourself.”

Step 5: Prepare Your Answers to Popular Interview Questions

“Tell me about yourself” is only one of a number of popular interview questions for which you should prepare before going into the interview. While there’s no way to know which questions you’ll get for sure, you can be relatively certain that your interviewer will ask at least one or two of the common standbys. Preparing answers to popular interview questions beforehand will empower to respond with clarity and poise. “What traps a lot of people is they think and talk at the same time,” says Bill McGowan, founder of Clarity Media Group. “It’s better if you know your conversational path.”^[5] The best way to have a powerful conversation is to review your brand positioning points from the Selling U section in Chapter 1 The Power to Get What You Want in Life and your FAB in Chapter 5 Why and How People Buy: The Power of Understanding the Customer. These can be included in an answer to just about any interview question. Practice telling your stories out loud so they are concise and focused, yet sound natural.

The Best Interview Answers

What’s the most important thing to remember when you are answering interview questions? Watch this video to find out.

Some common questions interviewers ask and a few pointers for coming up with a response are shown below.

Why Should I Hire You?

This can be a difficult interview question, but not if you are prepared for the answer. Watch this video for some tips.

What Is Your Favorite Ad Campaign (or Other Industry Specific Item)?

This is an example of an industry-specific interview question you might hear if you are interviewing for a marketing position. Whatever field you are going into, make sure you have done your research and understand the industry so you can respond to industry-specific questions. For example, if you are interviewing for a job in advertising, be familiar with the major advertising campaigns and be ready to discuss your favorite and why you think it works.

Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?

Your interviewer won’t want to hear that your five-year goal is to be working in a different industry. Talk about your personal goals that relate to the job. This will demonstrate that you understand the company and are motivated to succeed there.^[9]

What Are Your Salary Expectations?

This is a problem you should avoid responding to directly if possible. A good response would be to deflect the question: “I would expect compensation that falls in the standard salary range for this industry.” It’s a good idea to research salary ranges for your industry so that you will be ready to negotiate when the topic of salary does come up, but let your employer put a figure on the table first.^[10]If you feel that you have to respond to this question with a direct answer, just be warned that once you name a figure, you shouldn’t expect your employer to offer you more than that if you decide to take the job. It’s a good idea to do your research before any job interview by researching current salaries for the position for which you are interviewing at Web sites such as Salary.com, or use Web 2.0 techniques and ask an online community such as Salarymap.com.

This video clip provides additional insights for how to answer this interview question.

How Many Years of Experience Do You Have Using Excel (or Other Software Programs)?

You don’t want a question like this to cost you the position, especially considering that many software programs can be learned on the job. Don’t give false information, but you can try responding with your own question; try asking how much and what level of experience is required for the job. If you have a more specific idea of the answer the interviewer is looking for, you can provide a more convincing response as to why you should be considered for the job, even if your answer doesn’t match exactly what the interviewer is looking for.^[11]

What Did You Like Least about Your Last Job?

Interviewers often ask this question to get you to reveal conflicts. Avoid going this route. In job hunting, you should never reveal anything negative about a former employer. Whatever you mention in your response, choose something that isn’t directly related to the job for which you are applying. And make sure to end your response on a positive note: “I’m ready for the challenges of my new job.”^[12]