THE BEECHMONT CREST CAREER GUIDE:
SURVIVING AND THRIVING IN THE CORPORATE JUNGLE
Chapter 3: Organize, Market, and Sell Yourself
Put on your sales and marketing hat
As you begin your job search, you might think of yourself as the VP of sales and marketing for a small company. What are you selling?—yourself, of course.
Borrow the mindset of the salesperson
As a group, salespeople tend to get a bad rap. Who hasn’t involuntarily cringed when cornered by a slick-talking salesman while browsing at a car dealership? And what about the guy who calls you at dinnertime to ask you if you would like to switch long distance carriers?
Nonetheless, there is a lot that any job-seeker can learn from the more accomplished practitioners of sales. Consider this sampling of typical salesperson attributes:
1. ) The salesperson is outgoing and assertive. She realizes that the creation of new business relationships is one of her primary tasks. Therefore, she actively solicits customers (rather than waiting for the customers to come to her).
2.) The salesperson is polite, but not timid. She understands that creating new relationships with strangers requires a certain amount of confidence.
3.) The salesperson is always closing. She is sociable, but her ultimate goal is get a signature on the dotted line. At the appropriate moment, she will ask the customer for an order.
4.) The salesperson expects a certain amount of rejection and is not bothered by it. She realizes that it is a numbers game, and keeps going until she hears a yes.
Now consider how you could apply these traits to your own quest for new employment:
1.) As a job seeker, you must be outgoing and assertive. Few potential employers are going to come looking for you. No matter how strong your qualifications may be, you won’t land your dream job unless you actively market yourself to organizations that can benefit from your skills.
2.) Be polite, but not subservient. You have to project confidence throughout the job search. This is true when making your initial contact with human resources window people, as well as during a formal interview situation.
3.) Keep your eye on the end game. Just as the salesperson is always looking to close the order, you are always looking for the job offer. If you have invested a lot of time in interviews and discussions with a particular company, don’t be afraid to gently press them to give you a concrete offer.
4.) As a job seeker, you are going to receive a lot of rejection. Don’t take it personally, and remember that the right “yes” can make all the previous “no’s” seem like so many gnats on a summer afternoon.
Copyright 2006 Beechmont Crest Publishing