Preparing for the Interview

No matter how many sales awards you’ve won or how many times you’ve achieved your sales quota or saved your company money, it’s your interview performance that can tip the scales in your favour. How you conduct yourself on an interview can make a critical difference in whether or not you will get the position. Even if you are top performing salesperson, your resume will not sell you in an interview. Your resume is like a well-designed marketing piece. It’s gotten you in the prospective client’s door, but it’s the interview that actually gives you the opportunity to sell yourself to the employer.

Proper preparation instills confidence and boosts your ability to perform. Here are some pointers:

• Research the company. To gather information about a company check out the reference section and online resources of your local library, or go on the web to learn more about the company, its products/services, competitive position, locations and performance. For more information about sources and where to go to find information about Canadian companies refer to How to Research the Company.
  
  The added advantage is that by doing your homework on a company before an interview you have a ready-made list of questions to ask the interviewer(s) at the end of the interview.

• Have the right answers ready to frequently asked questions. During the interview you will be asked a wide variety of questions by either a single interviewer or a panel. In a behavioural interview there are standard interview questions that are asked by all interviewers which you can prepare for, but be prepared for surprises too. Have answers prepared for the following questions like:

1. What do you know about [company] and our product line?
2. What are your short or long-term career goals?
3. If I were to ask you current employer what are your major strengths (or weaknesses) would be, what would he/she tell me?
4. What are the most significant accomplishments in your career?
5. What aspects of your present job do you like the most? The least?
6. How do you handle rejection?
7. Describe a situation where your work/performance has been criticized. Focus on how you resolved the situation and what steps you took to become a better salesperson?
8. What have you done to improve yourself lately?
9. Why are you leaving your present (last) company?
10. Why should we hire you?
    
    TIP: Practise answering frequently asked questions with a friend or objective partner in a “mock interview.” Ask for feedback on your performance, specifically “naturalness”, facial expressions, posture, delivery etc.

• Prepare questions you would like to ask the interviewer. An employment interview is supposed to be an exchange of information between a prospective employer and job candidate. The following is a list of common questions:

1. Why is this position available?
2. What training and development opportunities are available to the person in this position?
3. What are your goals (sales, quotas etc.) for this position?
4. What obstacles/barriers stand in the way for the salesperson in this position?
5. What types of measures will be used to evaluate my sales performance?
6. What opportunities are available for growth in the next 12 months? Two years? Four years?
7. What level of growth do you anticipate for your firm over the next 12 months?

• Prepare your clothes you will wear to the interview the night before. Make sure you have a clean and pressed conservative two-piece business suit (solid dark blue or grey is best) to wear to the interview. This ensemble looks best when paired with a conservative long-sleeved shirt/blouse (white is best, pastel is next best) and polished dress shoes or pumps. Carry a light briefcase or portfolio case. Make sure your grooming is up to par and don’t wear perfume or aftershave.

• Consider how to deal with “butterflies” and other nervous habits. Practise relaxation techniques to calm your pre-interview nervousness. Go for a walk, listen to soothing music and rehearse your answers to common questions the night before. Don’t forget to take deep breaths.
• Know the time, location and the correct pronounciation of your interviewer(s) names. If you don’t know the exact location or need directions on how to get to the interview, phone the company or check out their website. Many companies have address and directions on their voicemail or on their websites. In addition know the correct way to pronounce the names of the people you will be meeting. If in doubt, phone the company and access the voicemail names directory.
• Have an opening remark in mind.
• Bring a pad and pen along to make notes during the interview. It’s a good idea to ask the interviewer if he/she would mind if you took notes. Not only is this professional, but you can use your notes to remind you of the interview and key points should you want to expand upon your answers in a second interview.

Good luck on your interview!

©Sales Resource Centre, Canadian Professional Sales Association, 2001.