Gary Will's WORKSEARCH:
Selling Yourself To An Employer
Chapter 13: (continued)
Anticipating employers' concerns
From the book How to Prepare for an Employment Interview.
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This book shows you how to sell yourself in an employment interview.
[Chapter 13: continued from here
] If the problem is a lack of experience, be ready to talk about any similar experience or transferable skills you have, along with evidence that you're a quick learner. And be sure to mention any relevant skills you do have that others might not-and how they would benefit the company.
Initiating discussion of your perceived weaknesses
Employers will often not confront you with their concerns. They may just write themselves a note about how they think you are deficient in some key way and say nothing about it to you. This is consistent with the "keep the interviewees in the dark" school of thought that so many interviewers subscribe to.
It might not seem like a good strategy to open a discussion of the employer's concerns about your abilities. After all, you want to showcase your strengths and the value that you would bring to an employer, not your weaknesses.
Unfortunately, their concerns aren't likely to go away if you just ignore them. Leave them unaddressed in the interview, and they'll still linger in the employer's mind when the time comes to make a hiring decision. If they're aware of their concerns during the interview, they may not even pay full attention to what you're saying because in their mind they've already decided you're not the person they want.
If you know that some aspect of your background is probably going to be a concern for the employer, you should bring the subject up yourself and show how you'll still be able to achieve the results they're looking for. Or show what else you'll bring to the position that others are not likely to offer.
Come right out and ask the interviewer...[continued here]
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