Over spring break I had an amazing opportunity to sell myself. I made a trip to Connecticut for an intensive round of interviews. Additionally, after the interviews, I gave a presentation to a panel on a topic of my choice. I talked with numerous individuals from multiple departments, all looking for certain things in my ability and my personality. You see, selling yourself is much more than selling your skills or your personality. You must have essential interviewing skills to convey your skills and your personality.
- First and most importantly is interview experience. This was one of my first corporate interviews, and very intensive at that. Experience removes the tension and allows you to more carefully think out your answers. Not just recalling situations for behavioral questions but lengthening answers for more closed ended questions.
- Once your comfortable, being open becomes much easier. When your nervous, less emotion is expressed in your answers, besides nervousness of course. This allows the interviewers to read you much better, which is essential to the process.
- Obviously you need to convey your skills by talking about your experiences. This requires preparation, but you also must talk about yourself. In my interviews, I hesitated on some of the more personal questions, trying to focus on the professional. This was a mistake. Opening up not only allows them to get to know you better, but it breaks the ice for everyone in the room.
Going into the interview, have prepared answers to the common questions. Also, read up on the business so you aren’t stumped of they ask you something about it. Most importantly, know why you see yourself fit for the position and what you can offer the company from there. Eagerness is essential, but it must have direction.
BoweryJE22
Nice post! It just goes to show you that sales isn’t strictly applied for business alone. You are constantly selling no matter what the product is.
I appreciate that you emphasize experience so much in your post. In a perfectionistic Grove City College environment, I think we expect to nail an interview or a sales pitch on the head if we perform all of our research in the most thorough way possible, anticipate every question, and prepare everything far enough in advance. These efforts help, true, but by them you can’t begin to touch a seasoned veteran in the field. Get out there. Go to Connecticut. (: