You may have never thought of yourself as sales oriented but when it comes to looking for employment that is a concept you should embrace. In the competitive job market that exists today, if you are not willing to sell yourself to an employer another person will. But for most, selling themselves is not something they look forward to.

But don’t equate selling yourself with using the latest buzzwords and other hype typical of a sales “pitch.” On the contrary, with the right approach, selling yourself will feel more genuine and less contrived than you may think. You have a life story and a proven track record to show employers.

Own your success

The most important step you can take is to own up to your success. The interview is not the time to be reserved for fear that you may come across as boasting. This is the time to make sure you can articulate your prior responsibilities and achievements in a clear and concise manner. You will inevitably be asked “What do you do?” or “What have you done before?” This is the crucial opportunity to sell yourself. However, this is where many job seekers tend to falter. They fall prey to two interview faus paus. They shut down and keep their answers extremely short or worse yet, they begin rambling on aimlessly, leading the interviewer on a confusing and disjointed conversation.

But distilling down years of experience into a simple compelling answer takes forethought and practice. To help you achieve that goal, answer these following questions. Read the questions and then write out your answers.

What is the job?

Write out in one to two sentences what best describes the job and how you fit into it. What role are you seeking to fill? It should read like a short personalized mission statement of the position.

Why do you want the job?

Here is where you express your passion for the position. Write down in a single sentence what is motivating you to seek out this job. It shouldn’t be about the money.

Why are you meant for the job?

Think of the personal talents you will bring to this position. Consider which of your strengths that will help you perform the job better than other applicants. Are you creative, a people person, or a great communicator? Of all your strengths pick the top three that will benefit you most in this position.

Why are you relevant?

Finally, establish your credibility. Consider all of your professional successes and narrow them down to a list of three that will show the interviewer why you are the person to hire. If you have years of experience it may be difficult to only choose three. But any more and you won’t have time to give each one justice in an interview. Choose more and you run the risk of losing the interviewer in a rambling conversation.  If you lack experience then here is an opportunity to think broadly and creatively. Tie in your past accomplishments with how you will succeed in this position.

Think of the interview process as a chance to tell your story. You are unique and bring your own set of talents to the table. Don’t be bashful about them. Plan ahead and craft your own unique narrative of experience that will compel the interviewer to hire you.

Authors Bio:

Aaron Newbold is a communications specialist that helps individuals through the job search process. He currently writes on employment related topics from resumes to online personal online branding for  Resume  Edge.

Follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/RecruiterCori

Recommended Links:

Resume Writing EBook
Straight Talk from a Recruiter: Resume Writing Strategies and Easy To Follow Techniques
(Kindle Edition)