Your impressive résumé and glowing
recommendations may be enough to land you an
interview but they won’t get you the job. Once you
are in the hot seat, it’s up to you to really sell
yourself to the employer. As a job applicant, you
are selling your personal brand to an employer,
hoping they will entrust you with the role.
In a job interview, the way you talk about yourself
is a deciding factor in your success. Every job
interview is different but some general principles
can guide you in just about any interview, for any
job. When you are talking about yourself and your
experience, keep the following six points in mind.

1. Be the Solution

Companies fill or create positions because they
have problems they want to solve, for instance,
ineffective advertising or long customer-service
lines. So prepare for an interview by identifying the
problems hinted at in the job ad. (If there’s no job
ad, research the company and industry.) Then,
prepare examples detailing how you will solve
those problems and how you have solved similar
problems in the past. Practice telling stories about
specific results you have achieved. And if you are
interviewing for a career change, keep in mind that
many problems such as a lack of effective project
management or a breakdown of teamwork are not
industry-specific. Offering solutions to these
problems is a great way to overcome a lack of
directly applicable experience.

2. Be Specific

Avoid empty clichés. Be prepared to back up your
claims about your skills or characteristics with
relevant and specific stories. For example, don’t
just say you “work well with others” talk about the
types of teams you have worked with and what you
have learned from them. Or if you plan to say you
are “detail-oriented,” come to the interview
prepared with a story about how your attention to
detail saved a former employer money (or
otherwise saved the day).

3. Prepare Sound Bites

Prepare three or four effective sound bites that
highlight your skills and past successes. A sound
bite is succinct and direct, so it’s catchy and easy to
remember. For example, “I have designed logos for
three top notch companies” or “My efficiency plan
decreased product-delivery times by 15 percent
without costing the company or “My detailed
reporting and analytical skills have improved
record keeping.” When you are coming up with
your sound bites, ask yourself, “What were my
greatest accomplishments at my most recent job?”
and “What sets me apart from other candidates?”

4. Prepare to Talk About Your Resume

Your resume and cover letter will likely form an
outline for at least part of your interview. Because
a resume has to be brief, it probably says many
things that could be elaborated on or explained in
more detail. Often a resume explains the
“what” (for instance, “supervised two people,
“developed a new strategy”). Use the interview to
talk about the “how,” as well as skills you gained,
praise you received and so on.

5. Be Aware of Nonverbal Communication

You say a lot about yourself with nonverbal
language: your posture and your facial
expressions, for instance. Sit up straight, leaning
forward can make you seem closed off, as can
holding a briefcase or purse in your lap. Maintain
eye contact when answering interview questions,
and smile frequently. Also, practice your
handshake with a friend: An overly aggressive
handshake can be as off-putting as a limp one.

6. Be Positive

Avoid complaining about a former employer or
company, laying blame at a former manager’s feet ,
doing so will likely make you seem difficult to work
with (or disloyal). Even if you quit your last job in a
rage because you had an incompetent manager,
saying something like “I felt I was ready for a more
challenging position, like this one seems to be”
turns a potentially interview-killing situation into
something that makes you look very attractive to a
hiring manager.

7. Be a storyteller

Just as it is for brands, storytelling is crucial in an
interview. Think of an interview as an opportunity
to tell your personal brand story, Job seekers
should present their attributes articulately, in a way
that makes the most powerful statement. Be
animated. Be enthusiastic. Above all, be authentic.”

8. Don’t Burn any Bridges

The last thing an individual should do is burn
bridges with a former or present boss. Doing so
can have a negative impact going forward on your
career, not to mention come across to a potential
employer as negative and one reason not to hire
you.

When you go on a job interview – the bottom line is
simple – Sell, sell and sell yourself.

Remember the interviewers are humans and not gods, They expect the best from you, many people are outstanding at the job but lack confidence at interviews. When you remember that the interviewer is just another human like you, then you should concentrate more on what you want to say/do.

Always think about what you want to say before you say them.

Best wishes at your next Interview!!.

Courtesy: GTB