8 Sneaky Sales Techniques to Try in Your Next Job Interview

8 Sneaky Sales Techniques to Try in Your Next Job Interview8 Sneaky Sales Techniques to Try in Your Next Job Interview When you think about it, closing a abverkauf deal and scoring a job offer really arent that different from one another. In both cases, you have to identify the right contacts, thoughtfully reach out to them and convince them that you, above all others, are the right person to help them solve their problems. The only difference is, while salespeople pitch prospects on a product or service, job seekers are pitching prospective companies on themselves as a candidate.Given the parallels between the two, job seekers can learn a lot from salespeople. In fact, there are a number tips, tricks and best practices that have emerged in the sales world over the years that those in the market for a new job should keep in mind as they start submitting applications.We reached out to a handful of sales and career experts for their favorite examples of sales techniqu es that can also be applied to the job search - try them out today to set yourself apart from the competitionWhether youre trying to sell a product or apply for a job, you need to take the time to do some research on the opportunity at hand first.No salesperson would ever call into a prospect without thoroughly researching the company and tailoring their approach. Your job search should be no different, says Jeff Monaghan, absatzwirtschaft Lead at staffing firm Akraya, Inc . Your resume, deckblatt letter and any emails you send should have content specific to the company and position you are applying for.Novice job seekers and salespeople often think this will take longer, but a generic mass blast will yield far less results than an informed, targeted approach.In my 20 years in the staffing business, I can tell you that you will get better results taking the time to customize 10 resumes and cover letters than submitting 30 that are generic. You might spend mora time on the 10, but it will result in a shorter amount of overall time to land that perfect job, Monaghan adds.Salespeople often talk about prospects in terms of gatekeepers versus decision-makers. Decision-makers are those who will have the ultimate say in whether or not they will purchase a product or service, while a gatekeeper is somebody who serves as an obstacle in the path to the decision-maker (think an Executive Assistant compared to a CEO). In order to streamline the process, salespeople often try to reach out to the decision-makers from the get-go.For job seekers, recruiters are gatekeepers, Monaghan says. Sure, they source and screen candidates, but they rarely have the final say in the hiring process. For that, you need to reach out to the hiring manager (or above).Figure out who runs the department of the job you are applying for and email them directly. Cant figure out who that person is? Go even higher. Are you applying for a marketing position? Check the website to see who the VP of Marketing is and email them directly, Monaghan advises. Chrome extensions like Hunter will help you find email addresses. Just make sure your email is short and to the point and really showcases why youd be a great fit. The VP will likely refer you to the manager. You have now been referred to the decision maker and are on your way.One strategy savvy salespeople use is the SPIN technique (Situation, Problem, Implication, Needs-payoff). This is a way of engaging a prospect by identifying what their pain points are, and discussing how you can address them.SPIN selling is a proven sales methodology and is based off a comprehensive study of over 35,000 sales calls, says life and career coach Nick Hatter . Hatter recommends that job seekers wishing to leverage this technique ask the company what the situation is with the role, what are their key problems as a company and how those problems affect the company (eg. time, money, stress, etc.). Then ask them how the company could benefit if those problems could be solved. Finally, ask them that if you could help solve those problems, what would stop them from hiring you.One thing the best salespeople and the most effective job seekers have in common they both prioritize building relationships with others. As the old saying goes, its not about what you know - its about who you know. One easy hack for developing an instant rapport with your interviewer is to mirror them.Mirroring is a technique in which one person actively adopts the behaviors and mannerisms of another person, attempting to become their mirror image. It is based on the premise that individuals subconsciously trust and like people that exhibit similar qualities, says Mollie Moric, career advisor and hiring manager at ResumeGenius .This isnt to say you need to change your entire personality, but even something as small as mimicking an interviewers hand gesture or repeating a phrase you hear them say can earn you points.If done successfully, candi dates form a bond with the interviewer that will make them more likely to be selected from a long list of interviewees. This is an especially helpful technique when candidates are looking for a way to stand out in a crowd of equally qualified and personable competitors, Moric adds.Another classic way of endearing yourself to a sales prospect is complimenting them. After all, people do business with who they like, and its pretty hard not to like someone who makes you feel good about yourself. However, you need to make sure it comes from a genuine place.Flattery really can sell - as long as it is sincere. Perhaps the company did an impressive project a few years ago, or maybe they have a high profile client or they have a prestigious award. Tell them how youre really impressed by the company because of it, and what you loved about it, Hatter recommends. Directors, C-Level and founders love this kind of flattery, as they feel they can take some of the credit for it given they operate at such high levels. It also shows youve done your research on the company, and youre not just applying for yet another job, which makes them feel more special.Many companies with an active sales presence will highlight case studies on their websites to show prospects how theyve been able to help similar clients in the past, which in turn allows prospects to envision how the company might be able to help them. As a job seeker, you wont be expected to produce case studies, but you can share anecdotes that illustrate your prior success.Just as salespeople tell of how their product or service has solved a problem for X number of customers, or how it saved them on average X dollars per year, show how you have advanced company objectives for your previous employers and clients, recommends Christopher K. Lee, career consultant and founder of Purpose Redeemed . Tell stories, and where possible, quantify them to show the scale of your work. At the end of the day, most employers (indeed, most people) are risk-averse. You want to make them feel confident that hiring you is undoubtedly the right decision.Sure, companies want to get to know you - but you should also show that you want to get to know them.Top sales pros listen to their prospects more than they do talk at their prospects. Creating this conversational attribute is unlocked by informed curiosity and asking questions, says Zac Kerr, VP of Business Development at Sales Rabbit .This is especially important to keep in mind when your interviewer inevitably asks if you have any questions for them.Use online research to arrive at a few questions that are from your heart and mind, so when asked they are felt , not just heard. Then, when the interviewer responds, be ready to ask another question that unfolds or unpacks more detail about what they just said, Kerr adds. An easy method to quickly formulate questions on the fly as to ask a what, why, when how question, i.e. What caused that to happen? Why did you f eel that way? What did you do about it? How long did that last?It might not be the most creative or fun task, but following up with a prospect can (and often does) mean the difference between radio silence and a successful sale - and the same is true for job seekers. Follow-up emails offer an opportunity for candidates to ensure their application has been received, thank an interviewer for their time, reiterate their enthusiasm for the role and restate what makes them an ideal candidate for the position, Moric explains.There are two scenarios in which it is appropriate for a candidate to use follow-up correspondence to communicate with a hiring manager. The first is if a candidate has not received a response one week after a company has stopped accepting applications for the position. In this instance, the candidate should send a follow-up email confirming their application has been received and restating their interest in the position, Moric continues. Second, a candidate should send a follow-up correspondence within twenty-four hours of receiving an interview. In this instance, many hiring managers use follow-up correspondences after an interview (or lack thereof) as a way of actively assessing a candidates proactive work ethic.While theres no universal way to guarantee that you get a job offer, there certainly are a number of things you can do to improve your odds. Who knows? Using unterstellung tried-and-true sales techniques might just help you get that much closer to your dream job.

Aaaarrgh! Why you should think more like a pirate in your career

Aaaarrgh Why you should think more like a pirate in your careerAaaarrgh Why you should think more like a pirate in your careerMaking an impact at work is harder than ever. Companies know they need innovation to continue to be relevant, but many have a hard time creating an environment that fosters change from within. The two main corporate strategies for dealing with disruption seem to beNon-Aligned Alignment where team members agree on radical transgestaltation in meetings, but become silent saboteurs the moment they realize the threat/cost/effort involved.Permission-Based Change where well-intended New Thinking is sent to an early grave in PowerPoint charts and email threads, suffering the death of a thousand thoughts. Perhaps todays businesses are just broken or maybe many in the C-Suite fear that transformation would force them out of the company. Either way, a new path is needed that doesnt follow current rules. Its time for Professional Rule-Breaking.Before I get attacked by ma nagers across the country, this is not about chaos, this is about change. The art of rule-breaking is in the rule re-making. Knowing that most of us are hard-wired to follow the rules and aware that I was entering dangerous territory in already fractious times, I searched for role models who meet the needs of a workforce looking to break out of stasis and break into their future.I examined the leadership of the Civil Rights Movement, the Suffragettes, and all the movements of the sort of scale and significance that the challenges of our times demand. To my surprise, I found the role models we most need in the form Id least expect - in the Golden Age of Pirates. I discovered the romantic rogues we know in Jack Sparrow and Captain Hook are only half the story, the other half being of dynamic organizational structures that rewrote the rules of a broken system and stood up to a self-interested establishment to help change it forever.The lesser-known story of Pirates was omitted from th e history books by the establishment it threatened. But it demands your attention today. These Pirates were the Millennials (average age 28) of the early 1700s, facing huge disruption, industrial innovation, and a lack of visionary leadership. The similarity in context is interesting, but its their response that makes them essential reading.My new book, BE MORE PIRATE How to Take On the World and Win, is the case for the relevance of pirates to 21st Century professionals. BE MORE PIRATE shows how Pirates became pioneers of open systems, self-organizing teams, facilitative leadership, fairer workplaces and a raft of even more surprising organizational innovations with an eerily contemporary ring. For example, there was no gender pay gemeinsame agrarpolitik on board a pirate ship (or any pay gap for that matter, regardless of gender or ethnicity).Pirates were prescient on many more business challenges we face today. They had a system of agile networks for smaller organizations to oper ate at scale without the drag of infrastructure the average diversity ratio stood at around 33%, and their early Holacracy and open decision-making dynamic meant every member of the crew had a voice in shaping strategy.BE MORE PIRATE is now a bestseller in the UK, where my Call To Arms for a modern mutiny at work has been met with a wave of enthusiasm. But its not just facilitating Rule-Breaking at a current job. If the rules wont bend enough, its also giving people the power to jump ship, and rewrite their entire rulebook.At first, I was terrified. What have I started? But gradually Ive begun to talk to the mutineers, and the message Ive heard is of relief, not just the perspektive to forge your own path, but the most important rebellion of all - liberation from our own self-imposed limitations. And the same will work for you, even for those of you in the largest, most constrained corporations. As soon as you find your crew and start to rewrite the rules that need it most, youll f ind a deeper responsibility to your own rules and strength to prove your way works.And if youve chosen the right rule, and broken it just enough, then hold fast, because when it comes to being a Professional Rule-Breaker, Ive decided that the best indicator youre being genuinely disruptive, is nearly getting fired at least once a year. NEARLY being the important word.Sam Conniff Allende is the author of Be More Pirate. He is a multi-award-winning social entrepreneur and cofounder and former CEO of Livity, Dont Panic, and Live magazine.

Tips for Adding Visuals to Your Resume

Tips for Adding Visuals to Your ResumeTips for Adding Visuals to Your ResumeHelp your resume stand out from the crowd by adding unique visuals. Before deciding to add visuals to your resume in any way, you should first consider if it is appropriate for the job you are applying for. This specific way of spicing up a resume is geared toward more creative jobs, where working with visuals is important for day-to-day functions. A great example of an industry where visuals would be rewarded would be graphic design. Typically, creative fields are just more receptive to candidates who can think outside the box. More traditional industries, however, are going to give more pushback toward using visuals in any form. If you are searching for a career in this type of industry, using visuals could actually harm your chances of securing an interview or position.If youve come to the conclusion that using visuals on your resume would enhance your job prospects, follow these tips to get the fruchtwein out of your resume.Try using an infographic resume. Infographic resumes typically present all the information that is in your regular resume, but in a more visually appealing and inviting way. Setting up a resume in this way can draw an employers eye to the fruchtwein important parts of your resume that you are trying to highlight. This is a good way to show off a wide range of information about yourself as a potential candidate. You can add your own career highlights, statistics about projects from your past jobs, personal interests, and even testimonials. Whats great about using infographics is that they are highly customizable and can be shared across your ansprechbar job-binnenseeking platforms, such as LinkedIn.Use a presentation to tell a story.Another type of visual resume that many users agree is effective is the presentational resume. These are typically created with a slide-show software, such as Powerpoint. You want these presentations to consist of 5 to 8 slides. The mo st important aspect of the presentation is that you want to get a story across to the watcher of the presentation- that story should be why you are the best candidate for the role. To do this you should include photos and images, videos and movie clips, as well as charts and tables. This is also a chance for you to show off your technical capabilities. The presentation should flow seamlessly, without any flaws, and should be inviting and engaging.Re-vamp your current resume.If you are looking to move into adding visuals to your resume, but arent quite ready to turn your whole resume into a visual spectacle, then consider making small changes to your current resume to make it more appealing to the reader. This can be done with some very simple changes. You are able to stray away from using Times New Roman as your go-to font. There are many fonts that can be used that are equally professional. Make your resume skim-able- this is typically done by making sure there is a good amount of spacing in your resume. Your eyes should immediately move to specific parts of the resume that you are trying to highlight- such as experience or education. Using color is also okay. While most resume are typically black and white, there are professional ways to add color. For example, consider adding a color monogram, or changing your headings to a dark blue instead of black. Using simple lines, such as underlining your name and address, can be a great way to separate the resume and make it more visually appealing.Creating links within a resume.A new way to make your resume stand out without going out of your way creatively is by creating links within information. For example, you can link to previous work that youve done by inserting hyperlinks. You can also use this as a chance to link to an online portfolio that you may have previously created. Some common websites used to create online portfolios are Behance, Carbonmade, and Shownd. Again, if you are looking for a job that is i n a more creative field, you can take it a step further. Some people are now adding QR codes to their resumes. QR codes can be scanned, and then link to a specific website or image.Consider a personal landing page.A personal landing page is an all-in-one option that unites all of your online profiles and content. It can be a way to promote your professional self, and highlight the projects that youve worked on or the companies youve dealt with. If you do freelance work this can be a chance to sell your services as well as showcase your work. A landing-page is not a full-fledged website, its more like a profile page that you can create for yourself. From here you can link to all of your work, any portfolios you might have, your profile on LinkedIn, and more.Break out the big guns with the video resume.This is probably one of the toughest forms of visual resume to accomplish. Thats because, with a video, you are going to be front and center. Think of the video resume as you filming yo ur job interview, but youre the only one present- you want to sell yourself. Dont just read out your resume- the point of a video is to give employers a better insight to who you are as a candidate. Tell them why you would be the right person for the job. Tell them what you can do for them if hired. If you chose to pick things from your resume, make sure they are particularly relevant- such as your experience and skill set that would specifically help you for the position. Think of your video resume as a movie teaser trailer- you want it to be short, sweet, and gain interest. Dont forget, this is also a chance to highlight your technical skills. Employers dont want to see a sloppy video recorded in bad quality. They want to see that you know what youre doing.

How to do deep work when youre up to your elbows in email

How to do deep work when youre up to yur elbows in emailHow to do deep work when youre up to your elbows in emailWe pay a small price every day for the constant distractions in our lives and in our work. While it may only take a minute to reply to an email or instant message, ansicht moments add up, and unfortunately, the total value is much greater than the sum of its parts.As a consequence of our always on, always connected work style in the digital economy, deep work is becoming almost non-existent.Deep work, which is an extended period of highly-focused work, is essential to reaching our peak performance. Studies show that when people are distracted from cognitively-demanding work, their performance drops once they return to that work, likely because it takes time to re-engage. This so-called attention residue inhibits optimal productivity and efficacy.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience , and moraAccording to Cal Newport, author of Deep Work, Rules for Focused success in a Distracted World, research shows the most productive people make an effort to regularly cut themselves off from distractions, isolating themselves to allow solitary thinking.No ones ever made a fortune by being really good sending and receiving emails, he quips.And yet, far too few of us are following their lead.In his book, Newport explains just how detrimental even small distractions, like email, are to our focus. These brief checks can have a massive negative impact on cognitive performance. Its the switch itself that is negative, not the amount of time spent on checking something else, he explains.By giving in to the constant back-and-forth, we sacrifice effectiveness for convenience and simplicity. As our economy continues shifting to one that uses more and more brainpower to produce value, this matters.Even as communications professionals who are expected to transfer information at lightnin g speed, we must learn to reshape the way we communicate to preserve our cognitive fitness. The brain, after all, is our most powerful resource.Here are my top recommendationsPrepare for deep workMeditate or visualize your day before work. Ask yourself, what are the top items I need to complete for the day or the week? Then organize your time to make these a reality.Make the timeWork in blocks of time. Turn off your phone, email and any other notifications during this time to minimize your risk of distraction and to maximize deep work. If you tend to get invited to several meetings a day, consider blocking hours or even days far in advance to make sure you save time for yourself.Change your routineTry working at a different time or in a different place if you have the flexibility to do so. Deep work often requires us to put structures in place and plan, but having structure in your schedule doesnt mean you cant do unstructured, creative thinking. Instead, it protects time for long p eriods of undistracted time, allowing us to be our most creative selves.Break bad habitsStop answering emails immediately. If your client or internal teams grow accustomed to receiving a reply from you within minutes, theyll have a difficult time adjusting when you set aside time to do deep work.Take real breaksRest your brain, just as athletes rest their bodies. This means turning off your email on vacation and taking time away in the evenings. But just as it needs time to rest, your brain also needs food. That means real physical nourishment. Before important work, feed your brain with healthy foods that will allow you to stay alert and focused.The brain is not a computer it needs to be taken care of and coaxed into high-performance. To optimize your success and grow in your career, make sure youre giving yourself time to engage your brain and find your highest potential every day, rather than becoming human network router blindly processing tasks and requests all day.Studies sho w people who focus intensely on high-skill or high-craft targets tend to enjoy work more, which means being engaged in deep work type engagements is also critical to our happiness. For all its merits, the digital economy can be mentally exhausting. Deep work just might be the antidote so many people are looking for in their careers.Abby Trexler is the SVP Client Relations at Hot Paper Lantern.

Lies Youve Been Told About How to Send Resume in Email

Lies Youve Been Told About How to Send Resume in emaille If you ought to be just starting a modest baby sitting supplier, then youre likely going to want wish to run your company out of someones home. If youre likely to be taking care of three or more kiddies you will call for somebody whos acknowledged from their state that enable you to run your daycare. See kids hate to get bored. Your house will be inspected with a family worker to be sure that home is acceptable for kids. The New Angle On How to Send Resume in Email Just Released Explain who you are, why youre emailleing and why you need to work for the business. Knowing the format by which the business assigns email addresses, together with the hiring managers name will offer you an awesome idea about what the email address is inclined to be. Do a little studying to distitelseite the internal recruiters or HR personnel accountable for processing resumes where you wish to do the job. Youve spotted your dream job now, and therefore dont be casual at all but give information as is necessary to create the employers wish to learn more about you. Frequently, employers might ask you to follow instructions so that they can see and answer the email, others might be testing you will read and finish the instructions properly. The recruiter is going to see your mail first when he logs in, possibility of obtaining a response is rather high. There is an assortment of steps involved with sending a resume via email. There are steps that you may take to make your resume email stick out from the rest. Dont use HTML or other formatting options as you dont know which email client is used by the recruiter. Prevent any formatting in the resume email text If you would like your email to be read, its wise to remove all of the formatting. Should you decide you need or will need to incorporate a titelbild letter, its possible to either post the text directly in the email or attach it like a second file along wi th your resume. It is possible to still attach your cover letter in a different file, just make certain it matches the content of your cover email. Why Almost Everything Youve Learned About How to Send Resume in Email Is Wrong Be sure you list your relevant abilities and any certifications you might have, like your cover letter to recruiter Handlers card. How a lot of you have completed the new years resos. All recruiters want to find the ideal candidate. As soon as an opportunity opens up, you are going to be on the front part of the hiring managers mind. What the In-Crowd Wont Tell You About How to Send Resume in Email If youre using mobile phone, you might also utilize menu drawer from browser. 287 cover letter templates youll be able to download and print free of charge. The templates in our section will help alleviate numerous the financial stress that comes with such a huge purchase. Click the New Email button in the top left corner to initiate a new email. That m eans you need to make sure your statement differs. Getting Experience and Training There are tons of means to find experience to improve your acting resume. You are able to keep it short and easy, simply dont forgo formal language. Welcome to your initial 90 days Utilize Sir or Madam after Dear should you dont know the previous name of the man receiving the email. Even in case you craft the ideal email to send a resume, its still true that you require a killer cover letter. Utilize Mr. or Ms. followed by the individuals last name at the beginning of the email. You might believe you learn how to email a resume to a possible employer. The headshot lets the agency know whether you own a look thats marketable. When its by email, you might be advised about what format you need to use for your resume, what things to include in the topic line of the email message, and by once the employer should receive it. Some employers request that you e-mail your resume in the appropriate fo rmat. Agencies dont would just like to know you took a class. The Bad Side of How to Send Resume in Email Since you might not know ahead of time whether the employer prefers an attached document or your text within the body of your e-mail, it can be to your benefit to include both, every time you fill out an application. Moreover, your employer paid that you take web design classes. During the duration of your professional life, you can end up in the distribution policy of forwarding an emailed resume to a third party. So long as youve got the name of the hiring manager and the name of the organization, you will be able to earn an educated guess.

Its Not You, Its Me Why Youre Not Getting Hired or Promoted

Its Not You, Its Me Why Youre Not Getting Hired or Promoted Whether its not hearing back about the job for which you applied, being politely turned down after an interview, or being passed over for promotion, rejection hurts.It would be understandableto get angry, depressed, and/or apathetic about it. Eventually, youll move on.Or, you could reflect on the situation to analyze why you were rejected.This is the harder path, but it is much more therapeutic and increases your odds of success for the next time.Letssay you applied for a job. You wereone of five candidates out of 200 applications to get to the interview stage. All five of you are qualified to do the job, or you wouldnt have made the cut. What variable separated the winner from the rest of you? It welches probably soft skills.According to astudy from Harvard University, the Carnegie Foundation, and Stanford Research Center, well-developed soft skills account for 85 percent of job success. Har d skills account for the remaining 15 percent. Broadlydefined as interpersonal skills such as the ability to communicate well with other people and to work on a team, soft skills were first formalized by John P. Fry and Paul G. Whitmore in a 1974 report on leadership research in the U.S. Army.What counts as asoft skill varies depending on whom you ask, but a list published in 2012 by researcher Marcel M. Robles does a good job of summarizing some of the most valuable onesCommunicationspeaking, writing, presentation, and listening skillsCourtesymanners, (business) etiquette, graciousnessFlexibilityadaptability, willingness to change,teachability, adjustabilityIntegrityhonesty, morality, doing whats rightInterpersonal skillssociability, a sense of humor, friendliness, empathy, patiencePositive attitudeoptimism, enthusiasm, confidenceProfessionalismpoise, business-appropriate appearance and behaviorResponsibilityaccountability, reliability, resourcefulness, self-discipline, common sens eTeam workcooperativeness, supportiveness,collaboration,Work ethicloyalty, working hard, taking initiative, self-motivation, showing up on time.Some of these qualities are quite subjective, such as being businesslike or adaptable. Others are more objective, such as taking the initiative and showing up on time. Can you perfect all of them? No. Nobodys perfect.If you think you are, then lets add humility to this list.How can you improve your soft skills? Its the same as getting to Carnegie Hall practice Volunteering, interning, running a blog, tutoring, mentoring, and joining a professional association are all good ways to practice these soft skills, especially those that relate directly to interpersonal communication. For the balance follow the Golden Rule, be well groomed, dress well, manage your time, keep a calendar, and, the easiest of all, set your alarm clockIts hard to landsee ourselves as others see us, so consider asking trusted friends, colleagues, family members, and boss es for feedback on where your soft skills are strong and where they need improvement. People like to help each other out, and theyll likely be flattered you asked.Your education and experiences will get you noticed, but your soft skills will get you hired.Employers know what they want. They hold all the cards. Theyre in the drivers seat. You cant fight city hall. Enough metaphors? The truth is that you must fit intotheirexpectations.Be accountable and realize that when it comes to soft skills, its you, not them. Fix what needs fixing.Ferris Kaplan is founder ofBest of You Resumes.