“Selling” Yourself
So — I’ve had a lot a interviews with recruiters, and few seem to go anywhere. I’ve tried taking a “easy going” tone, and tried more of a serious “board room” tone.
Curious to hear some tips on how to best position yourself, since I don’t think I’m presenting myself well.
My advice is1) have a tight 5-7 minutes on your background. Practice this until you can say it in your sleep2) slow down. People have a tendency to talk fast in these situations and recruiters are taking notes while you speak.3) pause every once in a while to allow for questions or clarification. Doesn't need to be the whole ("let me pause here for questions" thing, but plan pauses, like after you speak about a position, pause before going to the next one).4) have your standard list of questions. Things I always ask recruiters about:a) team/company structureb) timing of hiringc) compensation (they pretty much always bring this up first so just know what you want)d) anything that is specifically important to you (right now the most common is location/WFH/COVID stuff)
Also, always be excited to speak to them. I get notes from recruiters all of the time and they always say something about attitude/interest.
This is helpful, thank you.
I think my tone can sometimes come off as too calm. How can I show enthusiasm without coming off as “junior.”?
In a blind scenario where the recruiter has reached out and you don't know too much about the position, then it is easiest to show attitude/passion while talking about your past experiences. Focus on what made you happy in those jobs or what you learned and how that got you to where you are now. Be excited about your past career and how it has led you to that moment.
If you got a job description ahead of time, then I would focus on interest in the company/job. Excited to be speaking to them, think the opportunity is interesting, that kind of stuff.
Definitely soft skills and the more you practice the better you will be. But if you prepare for the stuff you know is going to happen like taking about your background, it should give you more space to think on your feet about the other stuff
5-7 minutes? Time yourself and stay below 3 minutes.
Don't do the board room thing. But you gotta know who YOU are and also understand the type of role. I lost out on some middle and back office roles back in the day cause I was friendly but very obviously a sales type guy lol. Be yourself but be the best version of that self for the type of role if that makes sense lol.Also sometimes it helps to go into a room thinking "will I like them?" Instead of "I hope they like me" that's not to say be cocky but be more confident internally and natural about it.
Think about it this way, this might be the only time in your life you are talking to this person. They have no idea who you are and don't know what you do at your current job. So what does that mean for you? You have to be able to explain your job and highlight areas that will be of interest to potential future role. Another tip is make sure your caffeinated to keep up the energy. Again this goes back to you might not ever talk to this person again, and they are probably talking to other candidates before and right after you so be the most energic and charismatic person they talk to all day.
Know your story, don’t make it about you and know that you’re there to help them. Hear their words and fit your story to match. The more you’re prepared with questions or know the role the better you’ll perform. Just be yourself
Something that I try to keep in mind, which was briefly mentioned above, is to be yourself. It's a pretty vague tip, but I think it has helped me a lot. As long as you're intelligent and have some it most of the skills they are looking for, it really comes down to fitting in with their culture.
The more you can show who you are, the more they see if you are an actual fit or not, and same goes from your perspective. You will probably be rejected from a lot of places, but hopefully you will end up at a place where you really fit in, which has been my experience.
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