Let's Get Specific

Two candidates with identical backgrounds sit in front of me, and I ask them the same question: "Why do you want this sales job?"

Candidate 1 answers immediately, with great energy and a huge smile: "I'm just really good with people, I always have been. Plus I'm very competitive, and my dad's been a sales rep for 30 years, so I've always been drawn in that direction."

Candidate 2 puts on an identical smile and says: "I was a bartender for three years in college, and that helped me learn to speak with people effectively, no matter what type of personality they have. I was the #1 bartender for four months in a row at one point, selling 135% of my goal, and I won an award from the district manager for having the most upsells in a quarter. All of this showed me that I need a career interacting with people, that I love not just meeting my goals but destroying them, and that there's nothing better than recognition for being the best at what you do."

See the difference, aside from just the obvious word count? The answer from Candidate 1 could probably apply to most any young candidate looking to start their career in sales, and that's the problem -- it's generic. That answer, or some variation of it, technically answers the question, but it doesn't stick out as unique or memorable in any way. If your answers in an interview aren't going to make you stick out, then why even bother talking?

Candidate 2 has the winning response because she lists specifics. At the beginning of your career, you're forced to be creative in interviews, because you don't have ten years of experience to fall back on. The workaround is finding correlations in what limited work or internship experience you do have, and tying that to the role you're interviewing for as directly as you can.

The bottom line is this: interviewers aren't asking you questions to learn what you've been able to do in the past, they're asking you questions to figure out what you'll be able to do for them in the future. The more specific your answers are, the more clear your projection will be, and the more memorable you'll be as a candidate. 

So how do you do this effectively? The answer is easy, but it takes a little work: preparation.

First, you need to research the company and the role you're interviewing for. If you don't know what your responsibilities will be, how can you possibly pitch yourself as a good candidate for accomplishing them? Do some Google searches, follow the company on LinkedIn, visit their website, check them out on Twitter, call and chat with the receptionist if she has five minutes to kill -- the more information you can get, the better, and there are more than enough ways to get it.

Next, take a thorough look at whatever experience you have that might be relevant. If you've only ever worked at the gas station your family owns, figure out why that experience is valuable for the job you're trying to get. If you're going after a sales role, emphasize the way you managed vendors and formed relationships with regular customers. If you want a job as an analyst, hit on your responsibilities for taking and projecting inventory. Now summarize those points and put them on your resume. If given the proper chance, just about any work experience can be made relevant if presented from the correct angle.

Finally, tie the first two steps together into a pitch that details why you're the best candidate for the job. Even go so far as to ask yourself that question: "Why am I right for this job?" If you can't answer in a specific, detailed, and persuasive manner, you're not ready for an interview. 

It's easy to let an interview intimidate you, especially if you haven't done many of them before and don't feel you have as much work experience as the candidates you're competing with. But with some preparation and focus, there's no reason you can't put a claim on a job that an interviewer will remember long after you've left their office.