subject: Sell Yourself And Get Your Career Where It Should Be [print this page] Often when it comes to our career we are some of the worst salesman of our abilities and skills. Instead of demanding what we really feel we are worth, we settle for a lower amount because we fear asking for more could be a deal-breaker, or we downplay our abilities when we really shouldn't be. Instead of building ourselves up and selling ourselves for maximum value we accept what is given to us and end up doing twice the work for half the pay.
If you want to sell yourself the right way, there is no better platform to do so than at a job interview. You want your prospective employer to think that if they do not hire you for the job, they are missing out on a very good thing - you want to sell your skills and build yourself up to the maximum, and make every employer regret not hiring you should they pass you up. Here are a few tips you can use during your next interview to make the interviewer think WOW!
Dress for success. There is no such thing as being overdressed - in fact, you want to appear as if you are aiming for an executive post even when you're just applying at the lowest level.
Research, research, research - your best friend in most undertakings in life. During the interview, let your prospective employer know how informed you are by making a random quip about a recent news article, or by asking relevant questions.
Ask questions. Most interviewees just answer the questions they are presented and never speak up. Show your employer that you have a real desire to work for their company by asking the right kind of questions - like how did the company come to be, what your job description entails and what the company culture is like.
Your work portfolio will come in handy. Computer programmers and web designers, especially, can use their portfolio to speak volumes about their capabilities in the job they are applying for. A picture may paint a thousand words, but an article, graphic or computer program can scream a MILLION words - albeit politely.
Be ahead of schedule. Remember the golden rule; it is better to be 3 hours early than 3 minutes late. If you can't make it to your job interview on time, employers will think you won't be able to do the same when hired.
Follow-up calls. It wouldn't help you to wait for something in the mail or a call on your cell phone. Before making a call or sending an email, nothing works better than the old-fashioned way of following up via snail mail and asking your employer if you got the job while showing that you are still interested. Nothing to lose, everything to gain.
