#2023JobSearch : How To Sell Yourself In Your Job Search. Not Getting Job Interviews? Read This.
If you’ve been applying to jobs and not getting interviews or offers, chances are you aren’t selling yourself enough. You can have the greatest resume or speak brilliantly in an interview, but if you don’t sell yourself, it can often be the difference between getting a job offer or not.
Before you start to roll your eyes because you think sales is a bunch of surface-level conversations, networking, and coercing, let’s take a step back. Not all sales strategies are inauthentic and ethically questionable.
Sales is crucial in the business world because marketing alone isn’t always enough to turn an interested prospect into an actual customer. Sometimes it takes a bit of a human touch.
Great sales people know potential customers often take time to make a purchase decision. Sales people help customers overcome objections and see the tangible and intangible benefits of a product.
You’ve probably heard the common sales mantra, “always be closing.” But what does closing actually mean? In reality, perhaps a better way to phrase this is “always be connecting.” If marketing is about ensuring people know about you and what you have to offer you then sales is about ensuring they connect the dots and see enough value in the product or service to actually buy it.
In your career, when you apply sales strategies to help communicate your value, you can increase the chances that:
- Your job application is actually read and maybe even flagged as a strong candidate
- You stand out in the minds of people who interview you, even after a long day, or week of interviews.
- You’ll be top of mind when friends, former colleagues, family, or acquaintances hear about roles that might be relevant for you
- And once you’re hired, your boss or manager sees your value and considers you for promotions, raises, or other opportunities
If sales is about connecting, then in your career, you need to focus on building authentic relationships that can help hiring managers and recruiters see your value.
Here are 3 example messages you can send at various stages of your job search to communicate your value. You’ll notice that in all of the examples below, the messages are concise, direct, and clear and don’t use vague requests to have a “coffee chat” or “pick your brain.”
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Before You Apply: Find & connect with people who work at the company
When looking for a new job, it’s important to know that 88 % of jobs are filled through networking and relationships. But what happens when you don’t know anyone at a company you want to work at? You have to find people who work there and reach out to them and start to build a relationship.
Let’s imagine you want to work at Salesforce and you don’t know anyone there. One of the first things you should do is leverage various professional groups and communities you might be a part of to see if anyone works there. For example, you could post something like this.
Hey everyone, I have a quick question.
I’m curious about working at Salesforce and want to learn more about their interview process. If you’ve interviewed there, what was your experience like? How long was the process, and did anything come up that you weren’t prepared for?
Feel free to private message me your answers or leave your general thoughts below.
Thanks in advance!
[Your Name]
This works because with one post in a group, you’re likely to receive many replies from people who work at or used to work at Salesforce or people who have friends or family who work there. These conversations can help uncover useful information about the culture and what it’s like to work there or maybe even offers from people to give you referral links to apply.
When You Apply: Send a cold email or message to the hiring manager
Contrary to what you may think, it’s not a bad idea to cold email a hiring manager before or after you apply for a job. Cold emailing gets a bad reputation because so many don’t know how to write a good cold email. However, a strong cold email can help catch the attention of a hiring manager.
The purpose of a cold email is to let the hiring manager know you applied (or plan to), provide a concise pitch for why you’re a fit for the role, and start a conversation. Think of it like this, if the hiring manager only read your cold email (and not your resume or LinkedIn profile) would it be compelling enough to make them want to learn more?
Hi [Hiring Manager / Recruiter Name],
I wanted to connect to let you know I applied for the Product Manager role at Salesforce that you’re hiring for.
I’m currently a Product Manager at HubSpot with 4 years of experience. Previously I worked as a Data Analyst for 5 years and have a MS in Data Science. Based on the job description, I think my experience could be valuable on the Analytics team.
If you have any questions or would like me to send you my resume, please let me know!
[Your Name]
After You Interview: Convert job interviews to job offers with follow up messages
If you think no one reads thank you emails, think again. According to a study by Top Resume, 68% of hiring managers said that a thank you email or note can make a difference.
The key to writing an effective thank you note is to use is to use it as an opportunity to highlight your relevant skills and experience, especially anything you maybe forgot to talk about in the interview, as well as demonstrate your written communication skills.
Using our example of the person applying to the Product Manager role at Salesforce, here’s what they might write after an interview.
Hi [Hiring Manager / Recruiter Name],
It was a pleasure to learn more about the Product Manager role at Salesforce and the analytics team. I’m excited about the opportunity to use my product management and data science background!
In the interview you asked me about [insert something they asked] and I forgot to mention [something relevant to demonstrate your skills or experience]. Please reach out if there are any other questions you have.
I look forward to hearing from you when you know what the next steps might be.
Best wishes,
[Your Name]
You should try to tailor your message to each person. Sending a generic and vague message that mentions no specifics about the role or company will not help you stand out. In fact, it might do the opposite as it could make you come across as lazy!
If you’re applying to jobs and not getting interviews or job offers, one of the most important things you can do is to leverage the power of connection and sell yourself through fostering relationships and communicating your value to recruiters and hiring managers.
Forbes.com | December 28, 2022 | Sarah Doody
