| |
| |
|
Careers & Employment Information |
|
|
|
Job Interviews and The Secret of Selling Yourself
A very effective and persuasive tactic when selling something is to promote its benefits as well as its features. Very simply, features are what something has; benefits are what those features do for you. For example, if you're selling your used Oldsmobile, one of the features you might mention is its large trunk. If you focus only on the feature, you'll say, "This car has a large trunk." (Yawn) But if you promote that feature with its benefit, you could say, "The trunk is huge. You can get three suitcases and your golf bag in there for a trip to Disneyland and still have plenty of room for all the souvenirs you'll want to bring home!" See how that makes a more powerful impression? The potential buyer can visualize how this car with its large trunk can make packing for his next trip much easier. Use the same tactic for each feature of the car, and (Ka-ching!) you have a much quicker sale. When you're preparing your resume or answering questions during an interview, you're selling yourself, so use that same tactic: sell your benefits along with your features! Here's how: Consider these typical "features" a job applicant might mention during an interview: ? 10 Years of Experience ? Ability to Type 90 Words Per Minute ? Strong Organizational Skills ? Dedicated ? Excellent Communicator ? 2004 Administrator of the Year, Acme International Inc. Those are pretty impressive. Now let's see how you can turn those "features" into "benefits:" ? Feature: 10 Years of Experience. Benefits: "I know what to expect in this type of position; I've handled this type of work before; I won't need much training or supervision; I'll hit the ground running and will start producing right away." ? Feature: Ability to Type 90 Words Per Minute. Benefits: "I can get your 10-page reports done in less than an hour; I will speed up your work flow." ? Feature: Strong Organizational Skills. Benefits: "I'll keep track of your schedule so you'll always be on time and have the materials you need; I will be able to quickly retrieve any document; I will prioritize my workload to ensure the most critical projects are don e first; I will save you time; I'll help you make your boss happy." ? Feature: Dedicated. Benefits: "I will support the company's overall mission and do whatever I can to help achieve it; I won't complain about hard work or long hours; I will faithfully do my job to the best of my ability." ? Feature: Excellent Communicator. Benefits: "I will easily be able to give you and your staff the information you and they need, whether in verbal or written form; I will be able to compose much of your correspondence, relieving you of that duty; I will save you time and effort." ? Feature: Administrator of the Year, 2003, Acme International Inc. Benefits: "I'm very good at what I do, and you don't have to take my word for it - here's proof that others have recognized my skill, professionalism, and outstanding contributions." Even more impressive! See how that works? A "feature" is nice. But even better is answering the hiring manager's unspoken question, "So why is that important?" You do that by selling your "benefits." Make a list of your own features and their corresponding benefits. Learn to promote these benefits to your potential employer. Do this in your cover letter, your resume, and during your interview to make a powerful impression. You will SELL yourself into a new job! Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, "Career-Life Times." Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: http://www.best-interview-strategies.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Employment - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Do You Have a Hotsy-Totsy Resume? I begin this article with a bit of slang description. What do I mean by a "hotsy totsy" resume? I mean one that does the following for you, the job seeker and a possible employer. Dissatisfied With Your Job? Stop Believing The Myths! If you are dissatisfied with your job, you are in a self-imposed career slump!Why are so many of us in career slumps? Bottom line?we are not doing work that satisfies us! No matter what our employer does for us, if we are not doing work we really want to be doing, in a way that fits our desired life-style, we will never be satisfied.What keeps us in career slumps for so long? The number one thing that keeps us in our slumps is that we believe the "myths" we were told!1. What Recruiters Hate About Resumes And Cover Letters Today, I'm going to share with you the awful truth about resumes and cover letters.Here it is: Most of them stink. How Can Qualifications Help Your Proof Reading Career? For those who are looking for a career as a proofreader, it is important to have the right qualifications. It is important to remember that this is a proper job. Master Responding to Selection Criteria and Win Your Next Job! As a human resources specialist for many years, I've seen it all when it comes to job applications. Most disheartening were those applications in which applicants had not addressed the specified selection criteria . Success at Work: Techniques: Computer Literacy It's hard to believe that there are people in today's workforce who don't know how to use a computer. In today's society, being computer illiterate is equivalent to being functionally illiterate. Smokin' Up a Storm: Clothing, Smokers, and the Job Interview You're nervous. You're so nervous that you crave a smoke. The Career Athlete: What It Takes to Manage Your Career Managing your career, just like managing your life, requires preparation and ensuring that your time is directed meaningfully. Don't wait and see; make things happen. Great Salary Negotiation Tips 11 Commandments For Smart Negotiating1 - BE PREPARED. The more information you have about your market value and the prospective employer, the greater your likelihood of success. Discontentment in the Workplace While more people are finding employment, more employed workers are discontent and experiencing frustration. In most cases it can be boiled down to four factors: feeling undervalued, unappreciated and powerless, and world events. Writing a Must-Read Cover Letter If you want to land an interview, you'll need more than a perfectly polished resume, you'll also need a perfectly polished cover letter.A cover letter does more than provide a mere introduction, it gives the employer an opportunity to see why you are the right candidate for the job-before she even takes a look at your resume! By taking the time to customize a cover letter to each job opportunity, you can almost guarantee that your resume will get a good look instead of landing a permanent home in the circular file-or worse, the recycling bin. Rev-Up Your Network! Whether you are looking for a job, new clients or feel the need to expand your list of professional contacts, networking is the answer.So what are you saying to yourself right now? "Yuck, I hate networking. Why You Need To Be An Intrapreneur When a client asks me if I think he or she is a good candidate for starting a new business, I ask several questions (see our free assessment, "Are You an Entrepreneur?"). But the truth of the matter is that these questions are similar to ones that I'd ask someone who wants to move up in an organization or find a new position elsewhere. How To Find A Job As A Copy Editor Jobs for copy editors may seem like they are hard to find, but really you can find them and you can do so with many of the qualifications you already have. But, if you do not have any qualifications, this may be the first step in finding the copyediting job that you have been looking for. Children At Work: Looking at Child Labor in the Victorian Age Today, it isn't that uncommon for some children and teenagers to work. They may earn extra money by baby-sitting, doing yard work, or maybe even walking dogs. Settling Successfully Into Your New Job The euphoria of getting a new job can sometimes be overcome by apprehension about what comes next. After all, you're "the new kid on the block," and there's much to learn--about your new job duties and much more. Integrity At Work - How Do You Show Up? As the business sections of today's papers and magazines read more and more like the police blotter, ''Integrity'' is fast becoming a hot topc of conversation in business boardrooms, around water coolers, and in today's business best-sellers. Integrity is defined as walking the talk when it comes to living one's true values, being authentic. Make Your Résumé Sizzle with Success Stories In today's competitive job market you can't afford a résumé that fizzles. Power up your résumé with solid success stories. Become an LPN, the Fast Path to a Nursing Career Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) CareersLicensed Practical Nurses provide the most amount of direct patient care within the nursing category of healthcare. If you're interested in a healthcare career dealing directly with patients, becoming an LPN is a rewarding opportunity. 5 Steps to Standing Out Above the Crowd at Work Do you feel like one in a million at work - and not in a good way? When you run into your boss in the hallway, do you get the impression she isn't sure who you are? Are the juicy projects always going to someone else?If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you need to raise your work profile. Here are some tips to get you started.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
