What Every Job-Seeker Needs to Know About Selling

For years we’ve heard that you’ve got to SELL YOURSELF as a job-seeker

But what does it mean?

Sometimes we think it means we have to grovel and beg for a job.

Forget that!

We call that kind of job-search approach the Sheepie Job Seeker method.

That’s beneath you!

Also, it doesn’t work. If you were a hiring manager, who would you rather hire: someone who practically begs for the job, or someone who knows who s/he is and knows his or her value?

As a job-seeker, you have to know what problems you solve!

Every organization has problems. Every hiring manager (your future boss, that is) has Business Pain™!

You have to figure out what kind of Business Pain™ you solve, and be ready to talk about that when you meet your hiring manager. No one cares about Skills! No one cares about your experience UNLESS it’s framed as “Here are the kinds of problems I can solve.”

Selling Yourself on a Job Search doesn’t mean telling the hiring manager how awesome you are.

You don’t have any credibility with your hiring manager yet. You can build credibility by doing these two things:

• Taking your hiring manager’s point of view to see the world through his or her eyes, and

• Asking thoughtful questions to understand your hiring manager’s Business Pain™

Forget about your skills, and focus on the answer to this question: What pain do I solve?

How do I take my hiring manager’s point of view?

You’ll take your manager’s point of view by learning as much as you can about the organization and your specific target department, and asking yourself “What kinds of things would be keeping me up at night, if I were this manager?”

Business Pain™ costs hiring managers a good night’s sleep!

They worry about problems at work, the same way you and I do!

Prepare a Pain Hypothesis™

You’ve put yourself in your hiring manager’s shoes to try to imagine his or her life at work. Now, prepare a Pain Hypothesis™ to offer your manager at your job interview. What do you think is bothering your manager the most?That’s your Pain Hypothesis!

What is the purpose of my Pain Hypothesis™?

When you guide your hiring manager to talk with you about the Business Pain™ hiding behind the “Help Wanted” ad, you’ll be able to have a more substantive and useful conversation. Otherwise, you might be stuck answering lame interviewing questions like a Sheepie Job Seeker.

Is that a good use of your time (or a good way to hire someone)?

Hell, no!

But you knew that already.

You’re going to interview your hiring manager as much as s/he interviews you.

• You’re going to ask your manager a series of questions in order to understand the Business Pain™ he or she is facing.

• Your Pain Hypothesis will kick off that conversation, like this:

Pain Job Interviewing is the Best!

Begin your interview this way:

MANAGER: So, tell me about yourself!YOU: For sure. I’ve been working in Purchasing for about five years, and I’ve been at my current job for two. Say, could I ask you a question about the job, just to make sure I’m understanding what you need?MANAGER: Sure!YOU: (here comes your Pain Hypothesis™):

YOU: I saw in your job ad that you’re looking for someone with a lot of Supplier Quality experience. I wanted to ask you about that. At my last job, Supplier Quality was a constant issue. Is that one of your bigger issues here?MANAGER: Definitely. We have three goals in the department for next year, and one of them is to drastically improve Supplier Quality.YOU: (in your mind) Bingo! There’s the pain.

How does it help you to know your manager’s pain point?

Now you can share stories about solving the very same problems your manager is facing. We call them Dragon-Slaying Stories™!

Now you can talk about the real situations your manager is facing, instead of answering stupid , scripted interview questions that have nothing to do with the job!

Grow your job search muscles!

Human Workplace 12-week and four-week virtual courses begin on January 3, 2015!

Learn how to Interview with MOJO, How to write your Human-Voiced Resume, how to Launch Your Consulting Business or how to Job-Hunt While You’re Working!

Our newest 12-week virtual course, Land Your Six-Figure Job, guides you through the high-altitude Six-Figure Job Search process!

Grow Your Flame With Us!

Visit us here or write to Michael Wilcox, Human Workplace Operations Manager, at michael@humanworkplace.com

Take a big step on your path in 2015!

Take a Big Step Up in 2015!