techslog

Hiring managers don’t hire the most qualified person. They hire the person they want to work with the most. Whether this is fair is not up for discussion, because the philosophical and de facto practices of corporate hiring aren’t going to change any time soon. However, we can discuss how to get hired when being qualified is a small factor in the decision. * While what you just read may pertain to corporate citizens, sales people are hired because they can sell, and the more qualified and proven; the better. However, sales managers do hire the person they want to work with, and also who would be best on their team.*

Too many people have had slews of interviews with no offers. To be sure, you need to work at getting interviews, but you also need to work hard at turning an interview into a job. (Closing the sale) The skills to turn an interview into a job have little to do with having the skills to do the job, * UNLESS YOU ARE A SALES PERSON. If you can't sell yourself, than how will you possibly sell their product or service? This is your "test sales call" and how you handle this process will demonstrate your salesmanship and charisma.* People use resumes and phone screens to make sure someone has the skills to do the job. When you get to the interview, it’s usually about other things — such as the unquantifiable but all-important likability factor.

Here are six steps between landing the interview and actually doing it that will help you get an offer.

1. Research the company. * Research their Competition*. Comb through every section of the company’s site and memorize it as if you were cramming for a test. Unlike a test, though, you won’t have a chance to spout the six facts you learned about the company during the interview. * as a Sales Person you might want to develop a value statement to throw out there to show that you understand the company and the value they have in the marketplace*

Rather, there will be a random, fleeting second when a relevant fact you gained from the site will be the perfect answer to something the interviewer says. To find the right comment for that fleeting moment, you’ll need wide knowledge and good judgment. * as a sales person you will be impacting the bottom line, so learn more about their the finances of the company, as well as their past sales figures and their projected sales figures. Also learn more about their sales goals, and how the CEO wants to grow thier business.
The overall goal is to seem as though you are intimately aquainted with their area of business and you monitor the company independently of your desperate need for a job.

Favorite places to do reasearch about companies: TechCrunch (for startups), TechDirt (gossip for intellectuals), Fortune (to know what everyone else knows).
* also Information week, Computer week, and Techslog of course!*

*BEFORE THE INTERVIEW- Prepare your past financials- W-2's, Quotas etc. Companies are checking these like never before, hiring private investigators and other services to verify information. Be clear and concise and honest, as you maybe eliminated based on false information. *

2. Get the right outfit. Corporate America has a uniform; wear it. People like to hire people who look like them, and clothing is the easiest way to make this impression. An interview is not the time to dress to express your true self. In fact, no one needs to know your true self at the office. You will fit in and work best with others by keeping eccentricities to a minimum. Each company has a variation on “the uniform,” so loiter near the office ahead of time and spy on its workers to get a sense of the corporate dress code.

3. Prepare stock answers. Most interview questions are standard, and surprisingly enough, have standard answers. Take the question, “Why did you want to leave your current job?” The correct answer incorporates phrases like, “I am looking for a company like this one,” and “Your company offers a unique opportunity that is a perfect fit for me.” Learn these answers before the interview and be prepared to deliver them with a special flair, so they don’t seem rehearsed. *Practise answers to questions that might raise concern- quota issues, etc. Rehearse how you might answer having a job for less than a year issue etc*

There are three or four good books that list interview questions and how you should answer them. The one I have used successfully is, The Complete Q&A Job Interview Book, by Jeffrey B. Allen. Also, Perri Capell points out that your aswers should always be on message — speaking to most important points you want to make about yourself.

4. Go to the gym. Taking charge of the first 15 seconds of an interview is critical. An interviewer will judge you first and most significantly on non-verbal cues, and having a great interview outfit alone may not be enough to make the best impression. This is because thin, good-looking people are more likely to get hired than overweight, less attractive people. *Heck as a sales person your being judged the minute you get in the door. Treat everyone there with respect, from the janitor to the CEO- everyone loves a charming sales person.*

If you have scheduled the interview already, it’s probably too late to drop forty pounds. But go to the gym anyway. By using your chest and back muscles to life weights, you’ll stand up straighter in the interview - which shows poise and self-confidence. Also take a ride on the treadmill. The more energy you expend now the more relaxed you’ll be at the interview, and being calm will help you seem more confident.

5. Prepare to close the deal. Leave nothing open-ended when you walk out of the interview. This means saying at the end, “I would really like this job. Do you have any reservations about hiring me?” This is scary to say because the interviewer might have reservations you can’t overcome. But closers get the contracts, and you need to be a closer in interviews. Risk hearing any reservations about hiring you because it’s better to confront them and fail than to never try. You have nothing to lose. * This is a given in a sales interview- always be closing, even through the interview- even if you don't want the job. You can always decline later. Also confirm with them the hiring process- is there a background check, drug test etc. Set it up that day or ask to meet with the person responsible.*

When I tried this, the hiring manager told me her reservations (which were large). After I countered them one by one, she was so impressed that she offered me a job on the spot. But I also had done my homework. I knew what I wanted from a job and what were dealbreakers. And I had prepared extensively for the interview. Which leads me to my last point….

6. Practice, practice, practice. Maybe your friends will be helpful in a mock interview situation. Even if your friend does a terrible job pretending to be an interviewer, you get practice interviewing with someone who doesn’t know how to do their job. You can bet, though, that someone in the career counseling office of your college knows what they are doing in this regard. Career centers are evaluated based on the career success of their graduates, so most centers are happy to field your phone calls, no matter how long ago you graduated. Ask someone there to do a mock interview with you. The feedback you get will probably be very useful. *Also have someone work with you on objections and issues that you know you might have to address. Handle them cooly and calmly and keep closing.

*One more item I might add is follow up. A proper thank you is always in order. While you might not take this position, you never know where this sales manager will end up in the future and can be of service to you later. *

Brazen Careerist article