Gary Will's WORKSEARCH:
Selling Yourself To An Employer
Chapter 8: (continued)
THE POSITION: How will you make a contribution?
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 8: continued from here
] ...
If you successfully tap into their aspirations, you will leave them with a different picture of what they can expect from the person they hire. This helps to shape the decision criteria in your favour-and in the employer's favour. They will get a fuller understanding of the value they can receive and can make a more informed hiring decision.
The interview is your chance to introduce new issues, new desires, and new "needs"-all making use of the strengths and abilities you offer.
Unfortunately, everyone else being interviewed will have the same opportunity to influence the decision criteria. By the time all interviews are finished, the image that the employer ends up with of how the person they're hiring will contribute to the organization may be very different from the one they started with when the job was posted.
Visualize the requirements of the position
List the skills and traits needed for success in this position, whether you think you have them or not. Imagine yourself in the job and answer these questions:
How would you spend your time during the day? What would you be doing?
What challenging situations would you encounter-either every day or just once in a while (e.g. dealing with an angry customer, working with a tight deadline)?
What could go wrong or frustrate you, and what would you do to fix them?
How much contact do you have with co-workers or customers?
How does the work you'd be doing contribute to the success of the company?
What could you do to attract...[continued here]
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