Let your “people” skills break the ice. Introduce yourself with a firm handshake and a sincere smile. Start with some light conversation. “I love the design of your head office. There is so much natural light. It makes the working environment so pleasant!”
Be confident but quiet. Listen actively to the questions posed by the interviewer, rephrasing them from time to time to make it clear that you understand.
Be careful with open-ended questions. You will have practiced your answers. Stick to responses that offer clear and direct information. If you’re nervous you may be inclined to ramble on and on. Be wary of this.
Communicate your confidence and interest with your body language. Maintain eye contact. Lean slightly forward. Smile and nod gently. Sit without fidgeting.
Watch the interviewer’s body language. Is he or she manifesting confusion? boredom? resistance? That is, have you lost eye contact? Has her face gone blank? Are her arms crossed? These cues will tell you when to change your approach.
Present yourself as an attractive employee. This means showing enthusiasm and energy. Focus on the positive and give examples of behavior that shows this attitude.
Since your voice is your primary medium in the interview, make sure it sends the right message.
Enunciate clearly.
Speak firmly when you come to important moments.
Be careful you don’t slip into slang or profanity. And avoid unguarded idiom, such as “so she was, like, whatever.”
Just as you speak carefully, listen carefully. If you don’t listen carefully, you can’t be certain that you have answered the question fully. If you are unsure, ask. Don’t be afraid. Your question will demonstrate your desire to understand and communicate.
Paraphrase important questions back to the interviewer. This will demonstrate understanding, interest, and listening.
Back yourself up with examples. If your interviewer can imagine you on the job, you are one step closer to getting it.
Don’t end the meeting up in the air. Begin the next stage of communication. You might ask something like “What is the next step?” And be sure to end politely. If you’re nervous you may want to sprint for the door. Don’t. Say “nice to meet you,” as you would with anyone else.
Be ready for these questions
Interviewers evaluate potential employees by asking a standard set of questions. You can be sure that some of the questions below will be asked at your interview. Make sure you have answers!
What is your greatest achievement in the last year?
Tell me about your worst blunder at work.
If you could create your own position, what would it be?
If you could design or organize a company, how would you do it?
What are the elements of the work environment that annoy you most?
What motivates you?
What do you expect from this position/company that you did not get in your last job?
What would your colleagues/boss describe as your best quality?
What would they say is your greatest fault?
Self-Confidence
The only place where success comes before work is the dictionary.
VIDAL SASSOON
A salesperson needs self-confidence as much as he or she needs a product to sell. And just as you have to believe in your product, you have to believe in yourself. Are you a risk-taker? Are you willing to take on challenging projects? Do you have what it takes to speak your mind in public? These are the marks of a confident salesperson. We can all improve our confidence levels. Here’s how:
Cheer yourself on. Be your biggest supporter. Tell yourself you’re terrific when you get out of the car in the morning.
Present a positive face not only to others but also to yourself. Smile when you look in the mirror and tell yourself how great you are.
Give yourself some positive reinforcement. Celebrate every success, even if it is not a monumental achievement. It may only be a cup of coffee, but you’ll be training yourself to succeed.
Don’t leave things to nag you. Whatever you’re doing, finish it. And do your very best, no matter what it is. Leaving little things undone or poorly done will sap your sense of progress and triumph.
Look for evidence of your effort and achievement. Ask your boss or your peers how you’re doing. If you’re trying, they’ll acknowledge it and give you a boost.
Never stagnate. Laziness will drag you down. Learn new things and put them to work for you. The results will buoy you up.
Finding the Right Mentor
Mentoring is about giving gifts — gifts of confidence, encouragement and respect.
ELIZABETH HOYLE, VP MARKETING, TRIMARK INVESTMENTS
Life and work are often frustrating. Most people have the ability to deal with the unexpected challenges that face us. But sometimes we don’t cope all that well. In some situations, we can benefit from the advice of someone who can see things from a different perspective or who has experienced a similar situation before.
The right mentor may not be immediately obvious. There are lots of intelligent, experienced people who know what they’re talking about. But they might not be right for you. Ending up with the wrong mentor can slow down your career, so keep your eyes open and look for someone with just the right qualities.
An effective mentor will have these qualities:
She listens without making judgements. She acts as a sounding board and allows you to come to your own conclusions if you are unable to solve a problem.
She is not needy or vain. Such people will want to mold you in their image. A good teacher has nothing to prove.
He communicates clearly and honestly. You want a straight shooter who gives meaningful feedback.
He keeps things upbeat. If your mentor has lots of positive energy, you’ll be able to learn more and enjoy the process.
She respects you as a person. If you are just a chore for your mentor, you will not get the best from her.
She is open-minded. Remember that you have plenty to offer. A good mentor should value that and learn from you. She will not only talk but listen.
He wants to see you succeed.
He keeps the process challenging. The best way to learn is to be walked through the decision-making process. A good mentor will not simply give you all the answers. Instead, he will respond with another question, even if it is simply, “First, what do you think?”
She outranks you. If your mentor is your senior, she will have a “higher” perspective and will see the big picture. That is the perspective you want to have.
She has other unique perspectives. For example, if your mentor works in a different department, she will know and see things that you don’t. A more experienced mentor will have been through situations you have not.
Finding the right mentor is not easy. Talk to your human resources department about your needs. They will probably have some ideas about who would be willing to spend some time with you.
Problem Solving — The Top 10 Principles
Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so.
BERTRAND RUSSELL (1872–1970), BRITISH PHILOSOPHER
Salespeople are sandwiched between the client and the organization they represent. They are seen as having the answers to problems that arise on either side. Apart from having wonderful interpersonal skills to manage conflict and anger, they need to be able to solve problems systematically, one at a time, so that the issues do not keep resurfacing.
While every problem is different and requires its own solution, there are techniques that apply to solving any problem that can arise:
Don’t try to do everything at once. Solve your problems one at a time, starting with the most important. Work your way down the list. You will probably find that only one or two of your problems are significant and that the rest just make the situation look worse than it really is.
Solve only problems that can be solved. People waste precious energy fretting over things they cannot control. Focus on things that can be done and your efforts will have an immediate effect.
Don’t go looking for problems until you are quite sure you have none of your own to worry about. Some problems will require the intervention of others, usually senior management. Leave such concerns until you can focus your attention on them. Or let them go. Besides, solutions over which you have exclusive control are the easiest. Get them out of the way first.
Don’t try to solve a problem in one fell swoop (unless it is small and trivial). Follow a process. This is how mathematicians solve their problems. Don’t make hasty decisions that yield only temporary solutions.
Get your facts straight. The wrong solution is as bad as another problem, so be sure your answers don’t make things worse. The best way to ensure you have the right solution is to be certain that you have the right problem.
Don’t try to do everything yourself. There are lots of people in your company who have an interest in seeing the problems solved — and some of them are paid to solve them. Get these people on board. Look for people who have these characteristics: