Just as job candidates qualify the best opportunity for themselves, the same happens on the other side of the table. You are being reviewed for the best-qualified match to help the company achieve its goals.
Whether you are applying to be a short order cook at a fast take-out establishment or desire to be the next CEO of a company, speaking to the vision and mission of the company as well as their defined goals will give you greater credibility.
The credibility comes from demonstrating you did your homework upfront, know of what you are speaking and sounds as if you are motivated to do exceptionally well. This would result in you establishing a leading advantage because most people are not familiar with doing the proper research ahead of time or how to express their findings in follow-up communication to get the interview. Your personal brand may well include “self-starter“.
Do your research
Research as much as you are able about the company. Read all of the pages of their website, press releases and anything else you might find. Determine if the company is private or public. If public, find where there stock is selling currently as well as its highs and lows. People love the thought of one day becoming very wealthy through the company stock, and so it may become a friendly talking point during a subsequent interview.
While reviewing the company website, look for repeated phrases or keywords; these are of importance to the company. Should any appeal to you, use the phrasing in your initial conversation whether a phone screening or actual interview as it applies to why you are interesting the available position.
Familiarization
Using the keywords or phrases is referred to as “Matching”. It helps the interviewing parties understand your answers better as they already have familiarity with what you are saying. People buy from people they know, like and trust. The comfort level needs to be in place first in order to get to the liked and trusted stages. Matching serves to build the relationship.
Familiarize yourself with the management team. If you attended the same University as the CEO, let it be known. This one fact alone enabled a young graduate to get a lucrative job just as the stock market feel dramatically and no one was hiring.
Now that you familiarized yourself with the facts, consider how your talents match the required qualifications. Consider ahead of time your answer to the questions of how will you be able to benefit the company and why they should hire you. What do you bring to the table?
Highlight your accomplishments
Another sales technique is to make it easy for the other party to say, “Yes!”. On your resume, highlight special status such as awards or achievements as it pertains to what they are seeking. For example, the use of a colored font helps those to stand out. Salespeople use the color green as it indicates revenue. Keep the points brief but noticeable. Creating some intrigue and clearly indicating a good match are among the keys to getting called in for an interview.
Should a recruiter be involved with your search, sell to that person too. Ask what type of information they believe is important today and what else they might recommend. If they do not promptly return an email or phone call, wait a few days and then politely follow-up. Express appreciation for all they are doing on your behalf. By doing so, you will encourage the recruiter to further help you. View the process as a team effort and you will be likely to find the right job much sooner.
Using the sales techniques outline above should help you find what you want more quickly and it will seem as if it were a Smooth Sale!
Author:
Elinor Stutz, CEO of Smooth Sale, LLC, (800) 704-1499, was honored by Open View Labs with inclusion in their international list of “Top 25 Sales Influencers for 2012.” Elinor authored the International Best-Selling book, “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results”, Sourcebooks and the best selling career book, “HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews”, Career Press. She provides team sales training, private coaching and highly acclaimed inspirational keynotes for conferences. Elinor is available for consultation.
