How To Successfully Sell Yourself

By PAMELA ROBINSON

Last week I gave a speech to a group of latino film makers & producers. The speech covered the areas of resumes & interviewing... which seems to be much in demand lately... not that these two topics aren't always important, but with the business world in such a state of change everyone wants to be armed with the best information as possible.

One of the questions that emerged during the Q&A and stimulated a lot of conversation was this... "How do I keep an executive's attention during an interview?" This, of course is the key to a successful meeting. You must engage the executive in a way that ensures he or she will stay focused on you. Let's face it... Most corporate executives do not know how to interview. It's not their skill set, it's not taught anywhere, it's definitely not something that's enjoyable to most busy executives. It's just a necessary evil along the path to hire the right person. So, it's a chore and generally an interruption during a busy day. I know because more often than not, the interview time needs to be squeezed into a busy agenda, and is generally scheduled & rescheduled several times before the candidate & executive finally meet. So, given that landscape, what happens when you walk in the door and you have a finite amount of time to sell yourself?

Here are some key points to think about & incorporate into your own style & sales presentation:

When you walk into someone's office, try to notice the environment. Look around for conversational hints. By this I mean are there family photos on the desk? Are there trophies from a golf or tennis tournament? Books that would indicate a hobby? Paintings or photographs that would indicate someone is a collector or art or music aficionado? Pay attention to the surroundings, and when you walk in, choose something of interest and comment on it. Use that as an icebreaker to start a conversation that is more on the personal interest side. Beginning a meeting that way is always a fresh & more stimulating way to start a conversation than merely launching into the formal interview. It may also give you a point of commonality, especially if you see some aspect of their life that you have some knowledge or interest in. I know for myself, that when a candidate walks into my office for their initial interview and comments on the venice art walk posters on my wall or the italian posters from my travels, it gives me an indication of their awareness and ability to segue from personal to professional - a good barometer of their poise & self confidence.