How to Sell Yourself in a Job Interview: Succeeding Over the Rest! 6 Simple Steps for Success

In a job interview, you might like to fancy yourself as a salesperson. The product? Yourself! You must have enough confidence in yourself and your abilities to succeed over the rest. As Allied Health professionals, one thing that does not come naturally is the ability to sell yourself. Unfortunately it is not good enough to be highly skilled at what you do, you need to be highly skilled at telling others of your skills! Here are 6 simple steps to selling yourself to get that job!

1. Find out exactly what your interviewer wants: 

Do your research and come prepared. Don’t be caught out not knowing everything a potential employee needs to know.  This may mean thoroughly reviewing the company’s website, looking up articles in online newspaper archives, all the way through to connecting with current employees of the company before the interview and asking some strategic questions about what the company values and is looking for.

2. Do not flood your interviewer with irrelevant past experience: 

Although it is great that you have a list of past experiences, your interviewer is interested in what skills you have that they can utilise. Keep it simple, to the point and only mention the recent experiences you have that are particularly relevant to the field you are interviewing for. Try to avoid the narrative and 'story' approach in an interview. Keep it crisp, short, and "headlines and bullet points". Know when to STOP in an answer.

3. Believe in yourself: 

Just like in sales, if the salesperson does not believe in their product, they are going to have a hard time convincing others to believe in the produce, or coming across as genuine. An employer will only hire somebody they have confidence in. They are not likely to be confident about a person who isn’t even confident in themselves. So believe in yourself and present a positive vibe. An interviewer will remember an interview that was a pleasant experience for them.

4. Never give up: 

This does not mean be a pest to your potential employer. Be patient and keep following up on the application process- not only does that show that you’re interested in the job, but it will also give you an opportunity to source out other openings if you are not successful this time around. This can be as simple as a follow-up email a day or two after your interview.

5. Be enthusiastic about the job:  

Being enthusiastic about the company and the job you wish to apply for shows your potential employer that employing you will benefit them. You may wish to couch your interview responses in terms of "benefit statements". Perhaps you can identify how you can help the company achieve its goals through the role you are being interviewed for. If you are enthusiastic and show that you care about the success of the company, the potential employer is inclined to think you are in it for the long haul and are not just applying for the job to work at until something better comes along.

6. Let the interviewer know you are available: 

Once you have nailed your interview, let your interviewer know that if they require any further information that you are easily contactable. Inform them of when you are available to begin so they are confident you are able to take up the position at a time that suits them if you are successful. Be sure to put a "messagebank" longer than 10 seconds on your phone, and don't answer calls with "yeah?"