Picture this scene: You have been asked to attend an interview, so you get out your best suit, research the company and review your CV. At interview you are greeted by a Sales Director who proceeds to interview you at length for an hour or so. By the end of the session you are directed to the door and reassured that somebody will be in touch. You get a warm feeling inside; the interview went well you feel and the rapport between you and the interviewer was genuine. So what’s missing? Well for starters, every other candidate has probably prepared in a similar fashion to you, arrived on time and answered all question as competently as possible. It’s also likely that all five shortlisted candidates have similar backgrounds to you. In short, you have a 20% chance of been made a job offer. When you take into account the time spent preparing, emotional energy invested and the expense involved job hunting – there surely has to be a better way?
Attending an interview is all about selling yourself and differentiating yourself from other candidates. We should really look upon ourselves as a commercial commodity composed of specific skills, experiences, aptitudes, contacts and abilities. Indeed look at it this way; you have a window opportunity of one hour to demonstrate your suitability for a position. The biggest single way to impress someone is with Attitude! Prove to them you can do the job and in an excellent fashion. Provide the evidence and talk in terms of specific examples, raw data and case studies. Ask for feedback ‘Am I the type of candidate you had in mind?’. Show them what you would do if you were in the role and what you expect to have achieved within 6 months. Address any lingering concerns head on and seek commitment, so you can move on to your close, ‘Does this make sense to you? Does this mean it is no longer any real concern?
Then ask for the job or at least ask to advance to the next stage of the interview process. The worst that can happen is the interviewer will say no but the upside is you will be respected for taking a bold initiative. And you know what? Who else would have displayed the courage to ask such a question? Sounds like selling, doesn’t it?