When self-promotion doesn’t come as naturally to you as product promotion does, here are 5 tips to help you master the most important marketing presentation.
Many gifted salespeople who can effortlessly sell any object or idea struggle to promote themselves. A lack of self-promotion skills can be a matter of humility, or an inability to objectively see the skills and value you bring to the table. By identifying your strengths and knowing your value, you can promote yourself confidently and professionally without coming across as arrogant.
Meet Henry.
Henry is a world-class marketer and Olympian corporate-type, who launched many best-in-class consumer products into the market that went on to become hugely successful. Having worked for the best firms across many sectors, there are very few things that he can’t do.
Through his work, Henry exhibits an impressive set of skills in finding market opportunities for any product he manages, devising the best go-to-market strategies across geographies, and garnering consumer insights to craft winning tactics and extend their target audiences. Needless to say, he is an undeniably gifted marketer and salesman.
So why can’t Henry sell himself?
5 Tips to Selling Yourself at Your Next Job Interview
- Remove the Emotions.If you struggle to self-promote, you must depersonalize the process and capitalize on your product and idea marketing skills. Think of it this way: this time, you are the product/investment. Present yourself as such by making it about what you can do and how you can benefit the company.
- Know the Facts. Know your proof points and base your pitch on facts. Give examples of when you saved time or money for a company. Have you created successful marketing strategies? What are ways that past companies have benefited from your expertise? These facts alone should speak strongly about your performance.
- Know Your “Unique Selling Proposition” (USP). Dive deep into your personal brand anddevelop your USP. What distinguishes you from the rest? Are you an IT professional with a bubbly personality? Being both analytical and sociable is a strong USP. Think through your unique qualities and brand yourself that way. Share those insights and connect the interviewers with how you intend to add value to the company.
- Examine Your Endorsements.What great things have people said about you? Think about how others have praised you, and take note. Look at your online endorsements – what do people say? Use this praise to help strengthen your confidence in sharing what you bring to the table.
- Practice Your Presentation. Once you have depersonalized the process and embraced that you are to be invested in, start practicing your presentation. Rehearse the facts that make you highly valuable to the company, and know your numbers and proof points. Practice incorporating your USP into your job interview. Use your endorsements as motivators to remind you that people respect and praise your work and worth.
Henry testifies now that it was employing this new perspective that catalyzed a change in his job search process, as it led him to seek stretch opportunities in a new sector that he would not have attempted before. He recently applied for a lower-level role and his target company in his target sector is moving his candidacy to apply for a role two levels up, despite his lack of industry experience.
What Henry trained himself to do was rethink his skill set and experiences as if he were reconsidering a product’s opportunities in a new market. By learning to take the emotion out of the equation, he tackled the exact questions that helped him focus on experiences and skills that he already had to fulfill a new role.