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If you prepare for a sales job interview like most sales professionals, you’re probably taking a look back at your career. You may have even jotted down a few highlights – major sales you closed, quarters in which you came out ahead of your colleagues in sales numbers, and other sizable accomplishments.

Building your interview presentation around your best accomplishments is a smart move. But when you’re sitting in an interview, don’t lose sight of the single most important sale you’ll ever make in your career: yourself.

An interview isn’t an interrogation, and it certainly shouldn’t be a monologue. It’s a sale: your chance to demonstrate to an employer the extraordinary value of the services you offer. Sell yourself well, and you’ll land a job that allows you to focus your full attention on every sale you’ll make in the future. Here’s how:

  1. Sell your prospective employer what they need.

Just like in any sales situation, your “customer” – the employer with whom you’re interviewing – wants you to answer one question: “What’s in it for me?”

Answer this question by learning all you can about the company and the position, and then discussing your accomplishments in a way that demonstrates how you can advance the company’s goals and meet its needs. “I noticed that last quarter, sales of your flagship product were down by two percent. When our department faced a similar problem at my last job, I addressed it by….”

  1. Keep it simple.

Human beings remember simple messages, often in groups of three related items. The simpler, clearer, and more streamlined your personal “brand” is, the easier it is to sell yourself in an interview. By connecting a wide range of accomplishments and ideas to your single brand theme, you present a clear, consistent, and forceful portrait of your value.

How would you “brand” yourself in a single tweet or LinkedIn headline? How do your accomplishments support that version of you? Use that short “pitch” to shape the rest of your interview practice, your resume, and even your cover letter. Your recruiter can help.

  1. Ask for the sale.

Just as you’d ask a potential customer to buy a product or service, you should close every interview by asking the employer to hire you. Remind the employer of your interest in working for the company, the value you can bring to the table, and your desire to work with them. Show your enthusiasm: just as customers tend to trust salespeople who genuinely like the offered products, employers prefer employees who genuinely want the chance to work for their company.

At SMR Group Ltd, our experienced recruiters can help you find the sales or marketing position you’re looking for. Contact us today to learn more about our job openings in the biotech, pharmaceutical and medical industries!


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