Archive for August 26th, 2009

Posted on August 26, 2009 - by Alex

Time For the Interview

2 Interviews This Week

My job hunt has yielded 2 interviews so far, and I’m writing this having just gotten out of one. No one referred me to this employer, rather, the company noticed I had worked with Dell in past, who is one of their key partners. Overall, I think the interview went rather well, especially with the two Senior Account Managers that spoke to me before forwarding me to the Sales Manager… but we’ll see.

How to Interview Well

Having been a student of the craft of selling for many years now, and I’ve learned that perhaps the most important things in an interview are first impressions (your confidence, eloquence and how you carry yourself), and selling the interviewer on howYOU—the sum of your experience and character—will best suit the vocation. Sounds logical, right? Well, the next thing I would ask you is: how do you do that?

1. Determine the employer’s needs by reading and re-reading the job description. Print it out, highlight the key parts that you feel you’re strongest in, and prepare a punchy statement about how you can be an asset in that area. Circle the responsibilities/qualifications that you’re less competent in. Now figure out how you’re going to handle questions that the interviewer brings up them.
    

   Example: When I was looking at the job description for this position, I noticed an emphasis on consultative selling and account planning. I refreshed my memory about the corporate definition of consultative approach and how that compares with other types of selling. Sure, enough, I was asked to give my definition of what that is. Also, drafting “account plans” was not my forte. I spent much of my prep time looking at examples of account plans and how to structure one so that I could speak confidently about them.

2. Prepare all the materials you’re going to take with you. Typically those include: directions/map to the interview location, a folder with your resume and any questions you want to ask (always have questions—to the interviewer, not having questions about the organization means you don’t really care about working there).




3. Get a good night’s rest.




4. In the morning, prepare mentally for the interview and reassure yourself that you’ll do fine. Tell yourself often that you’re worthy of that job—even more, you’re an authority on that type of work. Vision yourself walking out of the interview having nailed it, with a smile on your face.
5. Show up for the interview 10 Minutes early and ready with a smile, ready to go!

I’ve got another interview to do this afternoon, but this one I’m more confident about since I knew a few people working at this Telecommunications company. Wish me luck!