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?"
                                              

Job Interviews: How to Dress for Success

First impressions are everything when applying for a job. Did you know that it only takes around 4 seconds for a person to make a judgment about you? Unfortunately, that judgment is largely based on how you look and what you are wearing so it is imperative you look the part when applying for a job. Your attire and how you are perceived set the scene and tone of the interview and can show a potential employer that you are professional and committed to the job. Hiring managers need to be able to visualise you in that role.

Nicole Williams, LinkedIn’s career expert and best-selling author says, “On a job interview, your attire makes a statement about yourself before you even open your mouth,” she says. “A scuffed shoe, a messy bag, or a low cut shirt can speak volumes.
So, what should you wear to an interview? See the tips below to help you ace that next job interview and make an excellent first impression.

What to wear

Males:

• A suit in black or grey is generally the accepted attire for most companies. It makes you look professional and ready for work. Business shirt with collar and buttons. It must be ironed before you attend your job interview. 
• Matching tie. Don’t be that guy who turned up in a tacky tie with “fun” pictures of Looney Tunes on it. Stick to a colour that matches your shirt and a neutral pattern that looks business-like. Leave the outrageous ties for parties. Shiny dress shoes. Scuffed shoes or sneakers are a definite no as they project a “don’t care” attitude which will not increase your hire ability.

Females:

• A neat business skirt/pants and shirt ensemble with a blazer is the best option. Don’t confuse nightclub attire with business attire. If you would wear it out partying, it’s probably not appropriate for the workplace. 
• A knee length skirt is professional and chic. Showing your thighs while sitting down is not.  
• Keep the shoes conservative and looking neat. Don’t go in with sky-high stilettos or bright, sparkly flats. This looks unprofessional and may suggest to your employer that you are not a good fit for the workplace. 
• Neat make-up, tasteful jewellery and clothing that looks good on you to give an overall impression of competency and professionalism.

Quick tips

• Good grooming:  Men need to be clean shaven or their beards closely trimmed and neat. Clean clothes, trimmed fingernails, fresh breath and your hair neat are essentials for everyone.
• Consider wearing a jacket. A blazer or suit jacket adds polish and dresses up an otherwise more casual outfit. 
• If you’re really stuck you might want to swing past the office a few days before your interview to check what the other employees there are wearing and use that as your guide. Even sitting in the lobby or café for a few minutes and watch who walks into the building will be helpful. However, it is always better to be over-dressed than under-dressed.
  

What not to wear

Males:

• Scruffy or baggy clothes are unacceptable and unprofessional. Graphic t-shirts are also a no-no.
• Keep your thongs at home no matter what other people in the workplace wear on daily basis.
• The same goes for jeans. Turning up in jeans will show an employer that you didn't bother to dress up for the interview and therefore do not take it seriously. This is not the image you want to present.

Females:

• Keep the skin-showing to a minimum. Low cut tops and short skirts are inappropriate and will detract from the ideal employee look that you are going for. 
• Invest in stockings that are ladder and hole free. A little extra effort can go a long way. 
• Do not have a messy hairstyle. It can ruin the rest of your outfit.

Quick tips

Don’t:

• Don’t have your sunglasses on top of your head and your headphones on when you arrive. Remove them before entering the lobby as you never know who you will meet in the elevator.
• Don’t wear too much perfume/cologne or a scent that is overpowering. Many people are allergic to certain scents and it is not the thing that you want your potential employer to remember you by.
• Don’t look like you have been in your clothes all day. Make sure they are as clean and as wrinkle free as possible to show you are professional and prepared.

Using leadership to attract the best…and keep them

One of the most frustrating aspects organisations face in recruitment is the risk taken in hiring someone, who for some reason or another, is not a good fit and soon leaves the organisation. So how can this be prevented? The key lies in optimising your hiring steps to not only attract the best candidate for the role, but also to ensure they stay on board and remain active participants that contribute to your organisation’s goals. We will show you how you can actively utilise some of these strategies with leadership qualities in mind, so that as an employer you can attract (and keep!) the best talent.

Attracting the best through your job description and screening

Consider the thought process of a talented candidate on the hunt for a new job; they scroll through hundreds of job vacancies only to see the same, dull outline of a position. These organisations in no way reveal any incentive or passion for this prospective employee. However, you can change that.  The best way to ensure the right people are applying for your position vacancy is to perform the ‘screening out’ process. For example:

Rather than focusing on clarifying that the requirements for the position vacancy you have is for someone who possesses “5 years experience” and a degree in your respective field, it might be more advantageous if your advertisement conveyed the following, “Use your degree and professional training to work within a highly trained team to provide an elite level of service, as well as focus on your individual career development.” This will certainly draw higher quality seekers to your campaign.

Encouraging the top candidates through the interview process

When planning to process potential employees onto the next phase of hiring, make it a priority to approach each candidate with the following thoughts in mind: “How will I be offering the candidate a CAREER, rather than simply a job within this organisation?” and, “Can our team values and vision translate to their own values and strengths?”. That way you can ensure that the candidate selected is a good fit culturally, possesses adequate knowledge and competencies to fulfil the position, and also can be a valuable asset that is focused on their own development pathway.

Keeping successful candidates through effective leadership

It widely known that job satisfaction and engagement of employees are imperatives for the success of not only individual productivity, but also the organisation’s as a whole. Recently, a study known as Project Oxygen was initiated by Google and endeavoured to identify what made leaders within their organisation the most effective; and the results, although very straight forward, can be applied to any leader in any workplace.

  

The key strategies effective leaders need:

• Identify a clear vision and strategy for their team 
•  Provide employees with a career, not simply a job 
•  Be goal-oriented and productive

To shift the type of candidates who apply for your next job vacancy, it is imperative to move away from the traditional job descriptions, emphasising the minimum skills required, and a focus on describing compelling career opportunities to hire effective team players who are competent, motivated and excited about their career. After that, employing key leadership strategies will ensure these top candidates will remain engaged and dynamic participants of your team.

Are you utilising clear and efficient screening practices?

Core hiring metrics such as time to hire and retention can be significantly improved by using innovative online screening systems. Psych Press’ Voice Advantage allows you to quickly identify the true voice of the talent you need by pre-recording interview questions, and then allowing you to review the best video or audio responses in your own time. Our psychologists can also work with you to generate an online screening system to filter out unqualified candidates then create behavioural styled interviews for only top candidates to use.
See how Voice Advantage works.

Happy hiring!

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/business/13hire.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0