Welcome to my 4-part “Pimp Your Career” series.

In Part I, we worked with pimping your personal brand.

In Part II – Pimp Your Resume, I showed you how to put together a resume a recruiter or hiring manager will want to read. 

In Part III – Pimp Your Network, I told you how important it is to spend time building a great network to help you when you need it. 

In Part IV, we’re going to discuss improving your interview skills.

Candidates for sales jobs should already have good communication skills.  Hopefully, these are natural talents that helped lead you to this career area in the first place.  Stepping it up so that you shine in the interview and stand out from the crowd of great talkers is what’s going to get you the job. 

I cannot stress enough:  DO YOUR HOMEWORK ON THE COMPANY.  Know what they do, and what’s currently going on with them.  Check the company’s website and Google them for outside stuff written about them, too, in newspapers, magazines, and blogs.  That should give you plenty of material to discuss, as well as help you direct your answers to what’s going to be of the most interest to them.  And, it gives you material for great questions to ask–it fills in the info you need, and demonstrates your interest in the company.

Preparation and presentation before and during the interview will help you.  Make sure you are fresh and alert, watch your body language, and be prepared to market yourself.  Don’t rely on the interviewer to lead you to the information they need on you.  Not all interviewers are skilled at getting the information they need.  Radiate enthusiasm for the job.  Act like you’d enjoy it, not like you’re desperate to get it.

Go into the interview with a 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day business plan.  This is simply a plan for what you are going to do in that time frame after you get hired (but the links will give you examples).  If you want to get a hiring manager’s attention, this is the way to do it.  It shows that you are serious, capable, and committed. 

A few more tricks to tone your interview skills:  have a few small talk topics ready to go, and remember to be confident.  No sarcasm or self-deprecation.  If you have to give yourself a pep talk before you go in, do it.  Be positive.  Video yourself to learn how you look and sound when you interview.  Ask for feedback from others.

If you’re going to a dinner/lunch interview, please make sure your table manners are excellent.  Get a book if you have to.  I know, it sounds basic, but I had a candidate lose a job because of poor table manners at dinner.

And of course, dress professionally:  conservatively, with nails trimmed, shoes shined, and no overt fragrances or flashy jewelry.

Look at it from an employer’s perspective… they want someone with the skills to do the job as well as someone they can relate to and work with on a day-to-day basis.  Be friendly.  Think of it as a networking opportunity.  Being relaxed and confident, and asking your own questions in a give-and-take session will help alleviate your nerves and result in a great interview.

One last tip – check to see who you are LinkedIn with who has a connection to the hiring manager (or someone very close to them).  What? You aren’t on LinkedIn? You should be!  Didn’t I tell you that way back in the series (Pimp Your Brand)?

You Should Also Check Out This Post:

• How to Answer Interview Questions About the Least Favorite Part of Your Last Job
• How to Answer Interview Questions About the Future You
• How to Answer Interview Questions About What You Could Have Done Differently
• How to Answer Interview Questions About Why You Were Not Promoted
• How to Answer Interview Questions About Going Against Corporate Directives

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