Sales in an Interview

“Tell us your strengths and weaknesses…why do you think you would be good for this job?…. What accomplishment are you most proud of?” These typical interview questions require the interviewee to answer them in a way that he is selling himself. If one is interviewing for a job, he is a potential solution to a company’s problem. He must pitch himself in order to convince the company he would be a good addition to their team.

The good interviewee must have the ability of attunement. They must be observant and have an attitude of listening even though they are doing most of the talking. That allows them to mimic the atmosphere in a positive way. Matching physical movements, speech patterns, and knowing what the interviewer wants to talk about will sell oneself as a better fit for a company. Being attentive and doing research about the company in advance shows one’s genuine interest. These are attractive qualities companies look for in employees

Salespeople try to find good product-market fits. Thus, an interviewee is interviewing the company almost as much as it is interviewing him. Having good questions to ask at the end shows that the interviewee wants what is best for both of them because both benefiting is ultimately necessary for either of them benefiting.

Because so many interviews end in rejection letters, the interviewee must be buoyant, which is the ability to move forward despite obstacles. As Prof. Sweet said, “Dealing with rejection intellectually is different than dealing with it emotionally.” A good salesperson will not take rejection as a hit on his self-worth and will, having a 3:1 proportion of positivity and negativity, be able to learn from his mistakes and move forward. In these ways, an interviewee is a salesperson.