News: It's Not an Interview, It's a Sales Pitch

One of the common mistakes I see a lot of candidates make when they go to an interview is that they think it is a question and answer session. They approach the interview with a mindset that their role is to be prepared to answer a bevy of questions thrown at them. This puts you in a passive role, playing defense. A much more effective approach is to go into the interview with the mindset that you are a salesperson, and the product you are selling is you. You want to convince the employer that you have something of real, tangible value to offer them for their money. You have an advantage in that you know what they are looking for because you have the description of job in your career resume. Now, you need to sell them on why your skills and experience are the best solution they are looking for compared to your competitors.

Prepare and rehearse your sales pitch until it is second nature. You want to have the most compelling pitch as to why you are the best person of all of the sales pitches they are going to get from other candidates. One way to do this is to really dig deep to discover what your one or two major strengths are and how that directly relates to the job description. It might be your 10 years of experience doing exactly what they are looking for (they're getting a proven commodity), it might be your unique and proven approach to the position (I know that successful project management is about people and I know how to motivate people), it might be your passion and drive (I give every project I do my all and hold nothing back). The point is to come up with your selling points for the position and to keep driving them home throughout the interview. These are your consistent message points. It is what you want to leave the interviewer with after the interview. As you answer questions and make your pitch you want to find subtle ways to bring each answer back to emphasize these message points.

You also need to have the supporting evidence to support your sales pitch. You can not just say it; you need to prove it. Use an on-line ePortfolio or Web Portfolio that has examples of your work and your value proposition. There are several ePortfolio and Web Portfolio internet sites available. One of the best ones out there is Apojigo, a Portfolio website. Apojigo has a very easy to use tab based interface that lets you create an online Portfolios that can contain any multimedia material you want to present. You can include your resume, write a biography and samples of your work.

If you approach an interview as a sales pitch it will make the interview more fun and vibrant. It will help to focus your attention and give you a clearer goal. You don't just want to "get through" the interview; you want to win the interview. Remember, you have competitors that are also trying to win this business so you want to out sell them. You want to make the strongest and most compelling sales pitch to win the job.

Check http://www.apojigo.com for more information.