7 Tips for Getting the Job You Want!
Doyle Slayton | Feb 19, 2009 | Comments 7
There are a lot of people who have lost their jobs recently… who are struggling to pay the bills… and struggling to find their next opportunity. Lately, I’ve had a growing number of readers ask for help and advice. In addition to the sales, marketing, and management opportunities on SalesBlogcast.JobThread.com, I have been sharing a few tips and suggestions along the way. The following is a list of seven tips for job hunters to take a “professionally aggressive” approach that will dramatically improve your changes of getting hired!
1. Be Persistent and Follow-up, Follow-up, Follow-up – If you were only going to follow one of these tips. This would be the one! There are thousands of applicants who are sending resume after resume and waiting for somebody to call them. Some job posts may even tell you, “Don’t call us… We’ll call you.” Ignore it!
As a sales person you are going to run into prospects, all the time, who give you the same line. Those who sit around waiting for the phone to ring lose the deal. It’s the same principle when hunting for a new career opportunity. You need to call every-other-day, multiple times on that day, at the very least. People who persistently follow-up are the ones who get the job.
Some people might be wondering, “What if they don’t answer or don’t call me back?” Well, in that case, find out where the hiring manager works and just show up! Come prepared to accomplish one of three things. If plan “A” doesn’t work, move to plan “B”, and if plan “B” doesn’t work, then move to plan “C”. Try to accomplish these goals in this specific order:
A. Get an interview on the spot.
B. Get an interview scheduled for the next couple of days.
C. Leave behind a resume packet and follow-up date for the manager to expect your call.
2. Prepare Responses for the Most Likely Questions - The best way to provide great responses is to think of all the questions you are likely to hear, and think of a high-impact, clear response for each. It would even be a good idea to record yourself, and listen to how it sounds from a “3rd party perspective.”
3. Prepare to Ask Great Questions – You will most likely have the opportunity to ask questions. When you hear, “What questions do you have for me?” Instead of saying, “No… I think we’ve covered everything,” or “What is the typical day for this type of role,” you need to come prepared with important questions such as, “What is your vision for your team?” and “Tell me about your top performers, what makes them so good?” The answers to these questions will reveal whether this opportunity is truly a good fit for you. You need to listen closely and be really honest with yourself during this process.
4. Ask to Meet with a Top Performer – Create another opportunity to “stay in the game” and make a strong impression. If you can have a conversation with one of their most successful reps or, better yet, go on a “field ride”… do it! Use it as an opportunity to continue learning about the vision and direction for the team. Gain a clear understanding of what separates this top producer from those who are struggling. Find out what is working and understand the greatest challenges of the role.
Always remember, you are in an interview, not in a peer-to-peer discussion. The top performer is evaluating you closely. Keep it professional and watch your every word.
5. Build Value Throughout the Interview Process – Once you have learned where the organization is headed and what it takes to be successful, be very clear about where you fit in to the big picture. Point out where you bring added value and how you can help accomplish team goals. Show them that you are the solution to their current situation, and describe how you will make them better.
6. Be a Closer – Close the decision maker. Ask them questions like… What’s the next step? What else do I need to do to earn a spot on your team? Can I come by tomorrow to accept an offer and fill out my employment paperwork?
7. Provide an Executive Summary. This tip will put you over the top. You will be part of the very few… probably less than 1% of the people who will include this in their follow-up process. Within the executive summary, express appreciation for the interview. In addition, outline your understanding of the vision, along with the expectations and requirements of the position. Finally, identify the specific qualities that make you a good fit for the organization and what you will do to achieve success in the role.
I think you are ready… Go get your dream job!
P.S. Remember to visit our job board at SalesBlogcast.JobThread.com!
What other tips and suggestions would you add to this list?
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Filed Under: Blog • Leadership • Reader Questions • Sales • SalesTaxi
A really solid article, Doyle. The last suggestion about the executive summary is worth the price of admission. This should help a lot of people.
The best thing about these tips is that they are for salespeople. Securing a new job is the BEST selling opportunity! When you are applying for a sales position, every action you take lets them know how YOU will sell for them if hired. So everything you do/don’t do matters!
A recent blog post gives a little more details: http://www.salesproductivityinsider.com/looking-for-work-two-sales-secrets-to-win-the-job/
And a couple others that can really make the difference:
1. When preparing to answer questions – be prepared with specifics! “I was in the top 10% for my region.” Doesn’t cut it. Know your numbers, % of goal achieved, number of new accounts, retention of your clients, etc. Be prepared with what actions you specifically took to earn your results.
2. Do not speak negatively of your current/former employer OR manager. Having the attitude that “I succeeded in spite of them.” is the kiss of death.
3. Don’t wait for a job to become available. Do your research and prospect companies YOU want to work for. Just yesterday a CEO told me he made an expensive hire and he hadn’t even been looking to add to his team. This sales pro made a compelling case on how she could specifically build his business in an untouched area and they are now both very happy 30 days into the relationship.
Stay positive and make your job search a full time effort. There are still people being hired out there…if they use a GREAT process to sell themselves.
Hank and Nancy,
I 100% agree with the both of you. I am a sales manager and it is shocking how individuals who are unemployed sit and wait for you to call them. I like to be pursued. I truly believe that right now it is an Employers market and prospective employees have to make themselves stand out in this economy. Jobs and budgets are tight…if you’re a superstar…PROVE IT! Best of luck to everyone looking for a new career.
MG
Great article and comments especially the fact that applications should be personalised and followed up. So often jobseekers send off a CV and wonder why nobody has contacted them.
Another tip I would suggest is visiting http://www.careerint.com a job portal for employers only and with 1000s of sales unique vacancies. Job seekers know exactly who they are applying to as there are no misleading ads from recruitment consultancies and you apply directly to leading employers. In these difficult times you can imagine that employers would rather employ candidates who had applied directly rather than spend £/$1000s to an agency! Why not register at http://www.careerint.com/Registration/RegUser.asp
Charles
If you are a recruiter, Join other recruiters like you on http://www.TheHiringGurus.com
Also don’t forget to give an image of how successful you have been in figures in your CV. Put yourself in the reader’s position and make sure your sales ability leaps out of the page. To do this put down the figures, either in terms of turnover and how you were able to increase it or indeed what percentage it increased by. After all this is the sort of success story they will be looking for in their next hire.
That way the reader will be more likely to take note and ask you for an interview.
If you need any more tips why not read some CV writing tips from our career advisor at http://www.careerint.com
If you haven’t the time visit http://www.CV-WritingService.co.uk to have a professionally written service to be prepared for you.
Good luck
“Employment History that is irrelevant (A paper round was the worst one I saw).”
Sadly, people still think that the more experiences they lay down on their CV, the better it is for their profile. Relevancy, that is co-relation between your skills set and the post that you are applying for, is still a huge factor for your successful CV.