The Interview: Making a Successful Sales Pitch

The interview is the next step in selling yourself to the company. No matter how brilliant your resume is, the company needs to meet you in person in order to make a decision. At the same time, seeing the company for yourself is the only way you can decide whether you want to work for them.

Interview Tips

Before the Meeting: Be Prepared
Information is your best friend when going into an interview. Your consultant will provide you with background information on the company you are meeting, but it's up to you to do some homework on your own. Agreat place to start is their corporate Web site.
Remember, an interview is not an interrogation: you get to ask questions, too. Ask anything that will increase your understanding of the company, the position, and your future there. Ask about training and opportunities for advancement. Prepare your questions in advance and rehearse them so that even if the President or the General Manager of the company is at the interview, you can fire away with confidence.

During the Meeting: Make a Good Impression
You have two objectives during the interview: the first is to learn as much as you can about the company and the position, the second is to simply make a good impression on your interviewers. They will decide whether to call you back for a more in- depth meeting, or even offer you the position. During this first meeting, however, your mind should be focused only on making a good impression. You should not become preoccupied with thoughts of whether the job would be a good career move, or what your compensation might be, or even whether they will call you back. Put it all out of your mind and relax, smile, ask questions, and enjoy yourself. There will be plenty of time to think about all this and more after the meeting.

Miscellaneous Additional Tips

You must prove your capability.
Be confident! When interviewing for a sales position, give the potential employer specific numbers. How many years have you spent in sales? How many years have you been with your current employer? How much money have you brought in in new revenue for the company?, etc.

Be prepared to describe your background in detail from an educational as well as vocational point of view. Rehearse the presentation of your background through the use of a tape recorder, for example.

Go into the meeting with a "goal" in mind. Candidates always perform better with a goal in mind. It could be to get invited back for a second interview, or it could be to get an offer.

You must be enthusiastic.
Smile! Try not to appear to be nervous.

Remember: shake hands firmly (but not too hard). A good handshake won't necessarily get you the job, but a bad handshake could hurt your chances.

Sit with erect posture, facing the interviewer and don't be afraid to make eye contact.

Prepare at least two questions for the interviewer.

Always remember to close and ask for the job. First, tell the potential employer that you like the opportunity, and then ask for the position. For example, you might say, "Having evaluated several other opportunities recently, this ranks as my #1 choice. I want to work here, and I am looking forward to joining your team."

You must ask logical questions.
You have to demonstrate that you have some knowledge about the company with which you are interviewing. Don't ask questions that are irrelevant to the job or the company. For logical questions please refer to " Questions You Might Expect to Get Asked During an Interview ."

You must highlight achievements -- not just functions -- at prior jobs.

You must prove how past experience helped your prior companies.

You must explain how you cooperate with coworkers.

You must demonstrate loyalty to former employers.
Don't say any "bad things" about your former employers when meeting with a potential employer.

Don't say, "I want to leave my current position because I don't get along with the people I work with."

You must give your present employer adequate notice when resigning. Good employers like to hire people who are fair.

Give your current employer enough time to find a replacement. This is usually at least 2 weeks, but if necessary one month is usually acceptable.

Prepare a resignation letter and schedule a meeting with your current employer. Tell him that you appreciated the opportunity to work for him, but after thorough consideration, you've decided to advance your career. Always remember to shake his hand and close the meeting on a positive note.

Open and Close With the Best Impression

You must get to the interview on time. Better still, be 15 minutes early.

You must ask for the job.

Remember: No matter what your occupation is, when you're looking for a job, you're in sales!