Here at Appointments, we conduct many interviews on a daily basis and the one thing I’ve noticed over the years is that most candidates feel very uncomfortable about taking the opportunity to market yourself at interview.

It’s understandable that for those who consider themselves polite, trying to persuade a stranger that they are the best person for the job can feel very awkward.

They often perceive talking about their skills, personal attributes and experience as bragging and although wish to put themselves across in the best possible light, don’t wish to create the impression of bigheadedness or an over inflated sense of self importance.

However, with such increased competition for jobs the ability to market yourself effectively it is essential that candidates begin to search for their inner salesperson and convey their best points at interview.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a training course on self marketing for interviews and some candidates are more comfortable with the idea than others. That’s why I’ve put together a few tried and tested pointers to get you started:

Know your audience
Think, in detail who you are marketing yourself to and make sure you learn and use the language they use. Consider the key aspects of the role you are being interviewed for and try and incorporate this when discussing your strengths

Do your homework
Take the time to research the company and look closely at their particular values and culture. When talking about yourself, try and communicate how your ethics and values mirror theirs.

Keywords
Various roles often have key or buzz words that are often used in interviews so it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with them and drop them into conversation where suitable.

Know your CV
Be armed with examples and evidence of when and how you have added value to previous roles and be ready to discuss your CV in depth. This shows you’re confident in your ability and have the ability to communicate your experience and skills in a professional manner without constantly looking down at your CV.

Competitive advantage
Self marketing is also about the benefits of what you can bring to the role which appeal to the emotions as well as your previous experience. Relax and allow your personality to flow whilst adding in anecdotes on particular behaviors (such as management, time or people skills) that make you the best person for the job.

Confidence
In order for the above point to show, you have to believe in your talents and that you are worth marketing because if you don’t, why should anybody else? Practice talking about yourself and your skills with a friend and you’ll soon become more relaxed with the idea of self marketing.

For further advice on marketing yourself, contact us today on office@appointmentspersonnel.co.uk or call 01782 338787.