SELL YOURSELF

Make Money For The Organization

When we think of making money for an organization, the emphasis is on increasing revenue. Ask yourself in what ways you have increased revenue for your past employers. An engineer who has personally designed successful products, or has consistently been part of teams that have developed successful products, has made money for an organization. People in marketing, advertising, and public relations will find obvious ways that they have made money for the organization.

There are several ways you can generate revenue for an organization.

Sales: If you were in sales and added new accounts, increased sales with existing accounts, or increased your market share, that is an obvious form of making money. If you are in inside sales and through solid product knowledge cause customers to purchase additional products that they might typically purchase elsewhere, you’ve made money for your organization.

Improve quality: If you can identify and implement ways to improve the products your organization sells, improve the service your organization delivers, or improve any internal processes, you will have generated more revenue. A shipping person who found a way to cut the average delivery time from three days to two days will have helped gain new customers and will have preserved existing customers.

Provide outstanding customer service: The 1990s were the decade of the customer. Good companies have always cared about their customers, but beginning in the late 1980s, it became a passion as organizations looked for every way to gain a competitive advantage. Organizations realized that providing great service to customers did not cost more money; it merely required hiring the type of people who were willing to deliver it. Companies that deliver great service hold on to existing customers even when they are not so competitive on price, and they gain new customers through referrals. Show that you truly care about your customers and you’ll have an employer who is willing to pay a premium to get you to join their firm. Look for opportunities to share how you provide great service to customers. It should be an example where you went above and beyond the call of duty. The result might be that a customer has remained loyal for many years despite strong efforts of competitors to gain a foothold, or it might be a person who has continued to use your organization’s services after moving to another company. If you know that your company has received referrals at least in part due to your efforts, mention that as well. If you have received verbal thanks from customers, quote them during an interview. If you have letters of thanks, either quote them or show them to the employer.

Save Money For The Organization

Saving money is just another form of making money. Employers love people who can save them money. Every dollar saved goes directly to improving the bottom line. If you came up with an idea that saved $10,000, that is equivalent to increasing sales $100,000 (assuming a 10% profit margin). Except for very large organizations, increasing sales $100,000 is not an easy thing to do. When it comes to saving money, nothing is insignificant. If you found a way to cut two hours a month on the production of a particular report, that’s 24 hours saved per year. If everyone sought ways to save money, American corporations would be more productive, would be more competitive internationally, and would be able to provide you and your coworkers with raises.

Increase productivity: A client operated a very expensive piece of machining equipment at Boeing. His machine, along with the 20 others just like his, frequently experienced downtime. He began to experiment by replacing a two-dollar part about every eight weeks. His downtime was reduced significantly. Eventually all of the machine operators used his technique. He received an award of $4,000 for saving $40,000 per year with his idea.

Cut costs: Wise managers rely on their entire staff to identify ways to cut costs. Some organizations even form committees to identify new ways. Such a group at a local hospital recommended obtaining all of their disposable items from one source. By purchasing from one source they obtained a better discount, and the supplier agreed to stock each department on a daily basis. As a result the nurses devote more time to patient care and the supplier has a guaranteed revenue base. Making the system work required over 200 staff hours of discussion and planning, but it will pay for itself in less than six months.

Show that you are the type of person who is always looking for ways to cut costs. If you found ways to cut heating or energy costs, reduce overtime, cut the number of units that failed to meet specs, or any of hundreds of other ways to cut costs, share it with the interviewer.

Motivate others: Some people just have that ability to motivate others. Good supervisors have the ability. They hire good people and then provide them with the tools they need to do the job. They encourage them, reward them, praise them, and give them more responsibility. The staff in turn works harder and smarter and is always looking for better ways to do things. If you’re that type of supervisor, describe situations where your ability to motivate people made a difference. Perhaps it was a really tough assignment where morale declined, but you encouraged and motivated them to give their best effort and they delivered a top quality product on schedule.

Some nonsupervisors also have this ability. Through their own high energy and willingness to take on even the grungiest tasks, they lead by example and cause others to put forth their very best effort. Look for experiences where you were the spark plug and share it vividly during the interview.

Managers love motivators. Not everyone has the ability, so if you are one who does, sell that fact throughout the interview.

Solve Problems

No organization has a shortage of problems or challenges. Even the most progressive and advanced organizations have problems and challenges because things change so rapidly. The system that was implemented three years ago and worked so well may be obsolete.

Some people just have the reputation of being problem solvers. They have the ability to identify problems early, when they are often easier and less expensive to solve. Others have the uncanny ability to put out fires. They develop such a reputation that even when they lack appropriate experience, they are still given major projects. Some are effective because even when they lack the expertise, they know how to assemble the experts and get the job done. They are known as doers.

Managers do not like problems. When their departments have problems, their bosses want to know when they’ll be fixed. They don’t care about the reasons and they don’t want to hear excuses. They just want it fixed. You will make the life of your boss much easier if you are a problem solver.

The ability to put out fires is certainly a great skill to have, but to be a problem solver can also involve smaller problems as well. A problem solver can be one who knows instinctively what to do in a crisis situation. Karen was overseeing a fundraising auction and had hired a high-priced auctioneer. Just as things were about to begin, the hotel’s sound system went dead. The egotistical auctioneer was ready to walk out, saying he would not participate without an adequate sound system. His solution was to reschedule the whole event. With more than 200 well-heeled people in attendance, that was not an option. Karen had the auctioneer sit tight for a few minutes as she discussed the situation with the hotel. Their only solution was to use a portable sound system. While the auctioneer balked at such an inadequate solution, he agreed to try it. As the setup was taking place, Karen entertained the troops and supplied them with more wine. Despite the less-than-perfect sound system, everyone had a good time and the auction set a new record for fundraising. Karen now has the confidence that she can handle virtually any crisis.

Effectively use technology: Some people know how and when to introduce technology. If a manual system works well, they won’t seek to install a computerized system. When the old system doesn’t measure up, however, they know how to estimate costs, bring in the experts, and make sure that the technology is installed on schedule and within budget. Whether the technology is a computer, a sophisticated communications system, or state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, the person who can introduce technology effectively is highly regarded.

Being innovative: The innovative person sees ways to do things that simply do not occur to others. Some engineers, computer programmers, architects, and surgeons are known for their innovativeness. They are always looking for better ways to do things, often by making use of the latest technology. Others, however, are innovative because they come up with great solutions by using simple methods and low technology. If you are an innovative person, recall two or three experiences where you took a different path and made it work.

Reduce The Stress And Pressure On Your Boss

Every boss faces stress and pressure from various directions. Demonstrating that you can reduce the stress and pressure your prospective boss is facing will make you a highly desirable person. Start by selling your reliability, responsibility, and resourcefulness. By having confidence that responsibilities can be delegated to someone of your caliber, your prospective boss will actually visualize a life with less pressure.

Suppose your prospective boss attends a weekly two-hour meeting because he lacks confidence in any of his staff members to adequately represent the department. The boss feels his time could be better spent on other projects, but decisions are made at this committee meeting which sometimes have a major impact on the department.

During the interview you strike the employer as someone who can argue a strong case, and stand up to attacks from other departments. It quickly becomes obvious that several key responsibilities could be turned over to you. Suddenly this employer is feeling a great deal of weight rising from his shoulders. Maybe he could leave work an hour earlier a couple of nights a week. Perhaps he’ll have time to work on that project that will establish his reputation in the company. It feels good to have some of the pressure off. “So what if she doesn’t have experience with Excel. She’s got so many other things going for her,” he says to himself as he actually begins visualizing her acting on his behalf at that committee meeting.

CREDIBILITY

To interview effectively, you must convey your credibility. You accomplish this by showing that you are truthful, sincere, and genuine. Your truthfulness comes through by your not exaggerating your role in any of your accomplishments. It’s hard to explain how, but many people can sense intuitively when someone is exaggerating. Your sincerity comes through by truly meaning what you say. Most employers will quickly see through a less than sincere, “I really like your tie,” or some other comment that you might make. Genuineness comes through by showing that what you see is what you get. A genuine person does not put on airs or a false front. Of course you are trying to be your best, but you are not trying to appear to be something you are not. The great benefit of credibility is that once it’s established, whatever you say from that point on tends to be believed. In fact, what you say will be believed unless you give the employer a reason to doubt you.

That’s why you should do nothing to jeopardize your credibility. Consider, for example, how you might answer the question, “What is your biggest weakness?” Job hunting books written in the 1970s frequently recommended that you work out your answer so that your weakness really comes across as a strength. One recommended answer ran something like this, “I’d have to say that my greatest weakness is that I work too hard. My wife complains that I’m not around enough, and I guess sometimes I work my people too hard too.” The employer was supposed to think, “Well, isn’t it nice that if this guy is going to have a weakness it would be something like this.” The problem is that the answer is so planned and contrived that it sounds insincere and thus lacks credibility.

Once you lose your credibility, everything you said before and everything you say after will come under greater scrutiny and there will always be an element of doubt about you. This is not the way to start a relationship. So do everything possible to establish credibility, and then do nothing to lose it.

PROJECT AND SELL A WINNING PERSONALITY

On a conscious and subconscious level, employers will be evaluating your personality and asking, “Do I like this person and will we work well together?” When considering two people with equal qualifications, the one with the most pleasing personality will always be hired. A job is similar to marriage in that the two of you may “live” together for many years. Work will be a lot more enjoyable if you like and respect each other.

In order to adequately sell yourself, you need to know your personality skills. Such skills include being appreciative, cooperative, energetic, loyal, mature, tactful, and emotionally stable. Employers highly value such qualities. Even someone seeking a CEO position must sell personality skills.

Your Actions Speak Loudly

During an interview you won’t just rattle off claims of such characteristics as enthusiastic, energetic, tactful, or self-confident—you will demonstrate each one. In just twenty minutes, a perceptive interviewer can accurately assess you in each area—both by what you say and by what you are. The famous saying, “Your actions speak so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying,” is especially applicable to the ways in which employers assess a job applicant’s personality during an interview.

Imagine you are interviewing with a company that just fired an employee because he was uncooperative. You might be asked, “In this organization cooperation and teamwork are absolutely essential. Are you a cooperative person?” You might respond:

Yes, I am very cooperative. When we were developing prototypes, I would have to coordinate the project with people from four or five different departments. We always got the project completed on time. None of us got our way on everything. We worked out our differences and we felt good about the results.

This example, which would be expanded upon in an actual interview, clearly illustrates that this is a cooperative, team-oriented person.

Reveal Positive Attributes

Your goal during the interview is to reveal as many positive attributes as possible. While your competitors are busy merely describing their technical strengths, you will be selling your personality skills as well as your technical skills.

Hiring Decisions Are Made On Emotion And Justified With Logic

There is a saying that sales are made on emotion and justified with logic. When you go to buy something, you start by liking it at an emotional level; you then look for ways to justify spending the money on the purchase. This process can be so subtle that few are even aware that it’s taking place.

Hiring decisions are very similar. Your challenge is to get the employer to like you and to begin leaning your way. You do this by projecting enthusiasm, potential, and a winning personality. The employer has an emotional reaction—she begins to like you and feel comfortable with you. She senses your potential. Once you have hooked the employer emotionally, she will find a way to justify hiring you.

USING PERSONALITY SKILLS IN INTERVIEWING

Personality skills are skills that have become part of your personality. They are part of who you are. The tactful person does not wake up in the morning wondering if she should be tactful that day. Instead, when a situation arises which requires tact, the person spontaneously becomes tactful. Personality skills develop early in life and can be continually refined through experience.

Employers want evidence that a candidate is already strong in the personality skills deemed critical for a particular job. This is because it is difficult to improve people’s personality skills through training. If you’ve never used a computer before, you can attend a two-day introductory course and begin navigating around with some confidence. It is extremely difficult, however, to send a tactless person to a one-week tactfulness workshop and expect the person to improve significantly.

You start the process by selling your personality skills. To identify and become more acquainted with your personality skills, rate yourself on the following 44 key skills. Rate yourself on a scale of 1–10, where 10 is excellent and 1 is poor. Be sure to give yourself a range—not all 8s, 9s and 10s. Avoid over-analyzing here—go through the list as quickly as you can.

For more on personality skills return to the exercise you completed on personality skills. You will find useful descriptions of the skills and sample statements for selling those skills in an interview. See chapter nine for full descriptions and definitions of the following personality skills.

Writing about your personality skills will prepare you for interviews. So once you’ve rated yourself on all these skills, pick out your top ten personality skills and write a short paragraph on each one describing how you are that way. This is a quick exercise; you’re not trying for polished writing. Using your own shorthand, list an example for each skill. The example should illustrate your ability to use that skill at a high level. Your descriptions might read something like this:

Although some may say I seldom get excited, I do have a high degree of enthusiasm in many areas. It is not a gushy enthusiasm, but a strong, deep enthusiasm that comes from conviction. Example: Motivating the team on the Baxter project.

I am very efficient. This quality has been my worst enemy where I am now working. A difficult, demanding job appears so easy because I am efficient. No one fully recognizes my worth. Example: Cut the time it took to get month-end reports out from 8 days to 3 days.

I was diplomatic when I had to discuss accounting irregularities with the client’s accountants. Example: Especially on the XYZ account, when we suspected fraud.

THE UNIVERSALLY DESIRED PERSONALITY SKILLS

Although all of the personality skills are valued by employers, only some of them are universally desired. For example, you can’t even imagine an employer not wanting someone who is reliable. The universally desired personality skills are cooperative, effective under stress, efficient/productive, energetic, enthusiastic, reliable, responsible, and resourceful. Concentrate on these when you sell yourself in interviews, in addition to others that you rate yourself high in.

Complete descriptions of each personality skill with examples of how to sell them in interviews.

BEING WELL LIKED

Whenever a new person is being added to a department, there is always the question of whether the person will fit in. The employer has worked hard to create an effective team and now a new person is about to join the department. It is like a cook who has developed a delicious soup but now is considering adding a new ingredient. The new ingredient may provide just the right flavor or may completely spoil it. Of course the wrong decision with a soup is not nearly as serious as hiring the wrong person. The concern is whether the person will work effectively with the team and with the boss.

In an interview you will want to sell the fact that you have been well liked by colleagues and bosses in the past, but that is not enough. You must indicate the reasons you are well liked. That requires selling the skills that make one well liked: being appreciative, cheerful, considerate, cooperative, discreet, emotionally stable, friendly, loyal, optimistic, sincere, and tactful. You might indicate that you are the type who can get along with just about everyone, and then explain why. You would then describe some of your personality skills, using an example or two to verify you really do possess those qualities.

In interviews do not feel limited to using these specific words. Each of the words has synonyms which may be more appropriate or feel more natural for you. Sometimes a phrase will work better. Instead of saying you are joyful you might say, “I’m basically a person who enjoys life and people seem to like working with me.” Or, instead of saying “I’m basically a very friendly person,” you might say, “I’m the type of person who gets along with just about everyone.” You could continue with:

I like people and I try to find something good in everyone. I’m the only person who gets along with one particular coworker. She can be difficult, but she and I get along. I just ignore her idiosyncrasies. I’m cooperative and many colleagues ask me to join their task forces.

Selling Personality Skills And Transferable Skills

Once you’ve identified and described your personality skills, it’s important to consider how you might best sell these skills. There are four primary ways: 1) State the skill and then give an example to back it up; 2) State the skill and describe how you use it; 3) While selling a skill using a specific experience, describe the experience so vividly that some of your other personality and transferable skills are clearly evidenced; and 4) Be it. That is, demonstrate that you possess the skill.

State the skill and give an example: During an interview you might be asked to describe your strengths. You could respond by saying:

I’d have to say that one of my strengths is my ability to work effectively under stress. A good example would be when I was working on the Otis account. Out of nowhere our client told us that they needed a new ad campaign for a product that was not doing well. We had only two weeks to develop a campaign that would normally have been a two-month project. My staff and I practically lived at the office, but we got the campaign out. It was a very successful campaign for the customer.

If warranted, you could expand on this by taking two or three minutes to explain the details of the project.

State the skill and describe how you use it: Sometimes providing an example is not possible or not appropriate. Instead of giving an example you might say:

I have a reputation for being reliable. People at work know that if a tough project has to get out on schedule, it should be given to me. When I agree to take on a project, my boss knows it’s as good as done. I’ll get it done no matter what.

In this instance a specific example was not used, but the person did everything possible to prove she is extremely reliable.

Describe an experience so vividly that other skills are evident: You may have indicated that one of your strengths is your flexibility and then offered an example which clearly illustrates your flexibility, but reveals other positive traits as well. When you describe your experiences vividly, even a halfway perceptive person will pick up other positive qualities without your having to label them. Of course you can also choose to state what some of those skills are.

Be it: Don’t just say it, show it. For instance, you can demonstrate your energy level through the way you walk and talk, your body language, facial expressions, and your voice inflection. I can sense a person’s energy level within the first minute we are together. Cheerfulness, insightfulness, joyfulness, open-mindedness, optimism, self-confidence, enthusiasm, sense of humor, and sincerity are all traits that can be demonstrated. Identify which skills you intend to demonstrate and determine how you will do so.

Practice: Practice telling your stories. Only by doing so can you really hone them down to their most important points. Describe the experiences so vividly that the interviewer forms a mental image. Mental images can last for weeks or months in an employer’s mind; mere words may last five minutes.

Sell Exposure

If you know you lack certain skills or experience, look for ways to sell your exposure. In an interview your order of priority is: 1) Sell the experience you have that is identical or nearly identical to what is being sought; 2) Sell your related or similar experience; and 3) Sell exposure. Exposure means you have observed that task or skill being done by others, you worked closely with people who used that skill, or you assisted someone performing that skill on one or more occasions. People don’t get hired because of their exposure to certain skills, but exposure can tip the balance scale just enough to make the difference. When all you have to sell is exposure to a skill, do not apologize. Rather, move straight ahead and make the most out of what you have to offer.

Let’s assume that a person, who is currently a shipping and receiving manager for a medium-sized company, is interviewing for a management position with a smaller company in which he would be required to function in a variety of roles. Halfway through the interview he is asked, “Have you ever handled inside sales?” His response might be:

As head of shipping and receiving, I had contact with the inside salespeople every day. By getting out rush orders for them, I saved their bacon a lot of times. Frequently, when customers had a question about a part and the inside salespeople were busy, the call would come to me. I know a lot of parts were sold because I was able to answer their questions.

This is selling exposure.

Notice there were no apologies and no saying, “Well, no, I’ve never really done it, but I have observed it.” The person unabashedly and convincingly described his exposure to inside sales without giving any apologies or excuses regarding his lack of direct sales experience. He comes across as confident and aware.

Sell Yourself At Every Opportunity

The primary principle in interviewing is to always go for it. When the job you are interviewing for is fully described, and it seems to be less than what you really want, go for the offer anyway. People often consciously or unconsciously sabotage their own efforts, and as a result, don’t get asked back for a second interview. My belief is that you never know whether you want the job until an offer is made, money is on the table, benefits have been covered, and you have had a chance to negotiate in the things you want in, and to negotiate out the things you want out. People have negotiated for amazing things—and gotten them—but only because they had sold themselves so well that the employers were willing to do almost anything to bring them on board.

Sabotaging your efforts means that, somehow, you have failed to do your best. Consciously or unconsciously, your answers are not as sharp, or not as well thought out, or the zip in your voice is missing. The interviewer picks up on these cues.

I realize there are times when you immediately know the job is not for you. If this happens, resist the temptation to tune out. Perhaps the interviewer will also realize this job is not the right one for you and will offer you a different job instead.

You might indicate at the end of the interview that the job is not a good match. If you are highly interested in the company, however, or would especially like to work for this person, say so. There may be nothing else available right now, but the perfect job could materialize during the next six months, and you might be the prime candidate. If the person is impressed, he may refer you to someone else in the company who could use your talents. There is always the possibility that the job could be changed to suit you better. None of these positive things can happen if you stop selling yourself or fail to respond as best you can.

Power Words

Power words strengthen both resumes and interviews. Learn to use these action verbs in your speaking. Describe how you “decreased” absenteeism or “generated” new revenue. Look for ways to use these key words to add punch to your descriptions about yourself: I built a team of motivated staff and introduced new procedures that increased productivity.

SKILL-BENEFIT STATEMENTS

When you mention a skill, plan to turn it into a skill-benefit statement. Adding a benefit after mentioning a skill will double or triple its impact.

Salespeople are taught to emphasize benefits. If a salesperson merely mentions features (the same as skills for an interviewee) a sale will rarely take place. The customer wants to know how he or she will benefit if the product is purchased. It is the salesperson’s responsibility to adequately explain the benefits of the product. It is your responsibility to sell the benefits that the employer will derive from the use of your skills. A customer needs the help of an honest and knowledgeable salesperson, just as an employer relies on the interviewee to make the strongest case possible for why his or her services should be purchased. Benefits are the key.

Review the following statements and notice the impact. These statements may have come in response to numerous questions including telling about yourself and describing your strengths.

I establish rapport well with people. This has enabled me to gain a lot of new accounts. People trust me so they give me a small order and within a short time I usually have the bulk of their business.

I really hear people. This enables me to mediate between groups having problems because they know I truly understand both sides.

I’m an excellent problem solver. Everywhere I’ve worked I’ve taken on problems no one else could fix. I always find a way to fix a problem.

I’m an excellent trainer. That means I can assess your training needs and in a short time have a program in place that ensures people are getting the right training.

What each person has done is state a skill, followed by a statement either indicating how it has helped past employers, or how it could help the prospective employer. Indicating how a skill has helped past employers clearly indicates how it will help a future employer.

In order to create skill-benefit statements, you must list the key skills you want to sell. List the skills first, then work on adding the benefit portion. You’ll probably need to create three drafts of each skill-benefit statement until it is ready for use in an interview. When it is honed it will have the greatest impact.

CREATE YOUR TWO-MINUTE SELL

Every job seeker should develop a two-minute sell. At job fairs, in telephone screening interviews, during on-site screening interviews, or when talking to someone at a professional association meeting, your two-minute sell will open doors for you. A two-minute sell is simply a prepared spiel that quickly covers all of the key things that employers and others should know about you. If you have already identified 30-40 accomplishments and written about your top twelve, your two-minute sell will take 1-2 hours to develop and rehearse. Your competitors, who try to create a two-minute sell without having examined their accomplishments, will not be very effective.

Identify 4-6 Key Points You Want An Employer To Know About You

These points might include:

Your education, degree(s), major

Why you’re interested in the position or the type of work

Why you’re attracted to the organization

A summary of your work/volunteer experience with emphasis on successes

A brief description of your current or most recent position

A brief description of the job you’ve held that is most similar to the one you’re interviewing for

Two or three major strengths with one key example that demonstrates all of them

Contributions you’ve made in jobs, in internships, or in voluntary roles

Quantifiable results

Awards

Paraphrasing letters of appreciation from internal and external customers

A paraphrased description of job reviews, mentioning only positives

A summary of a project that demonstrates key skills

List the points you want to make. Do not write it word for word. Then begin practicing. Hone it until you can give it in two minutes or less. Ask yourself—is it interesting? Will it hold the attention of the interviewer? Is it well organized? Have I instilled a visual image in the person’s mind? Have I sold key personal qualities? Have I convinced them I have the necessary technical skills?