Selling yourself: Interview tips for graduates

It’s a big bad world out there in the land of job hunting. There are a huge number of graduates on the prowl for their first graduate sales role and you’re one of them - but how do you get ahead?

Once you get to the interview process you’re almost there. You want to do your best but attending interviews can feel quite scary, especially if you haven’t had much experience.

We know it’s a cliché but being able to sell yourself in an interview is vital to getting a job. The world of work is extremely competitive but if you are able to pick up this skill, you could find yourself in a graduate sales job in no time. 

Follow our simple steps which will help make what seems quite daunting a lot more straight forward:

1) “Fail to plan, plan to fail”

The more preparation you do before the interview, the more likely it is that you will be successful. Graduates that go the extra mile are showing the employer that they have the key ingredients to be a good sale person – good organisational skills, determination, effort and focus.

A few tips:

• Research the company and the person you’re meeting. Don’t rely on website research; call the company and ask them to send you their company literature.
• Make sure you know where you’re going, how long it will take to get there and aim to arrive early -always factor in traffic disruptions.
• Have the contact number for who you will be meeting and call in advance as soon as you know you may be late.

2) Dress to Impress

You have ten seconds to make a first impression. The employer will be thinking “Does this person look professional?” or “Can I see them sitting in front of my customers?” so it’s really important that you dress smart.  So wear a formal suit with a neutral shirt and tie, and men, make sure you’re clean shaven.

Don’t forget to bring your research with you and also bring a presentation folder with points/ questions you want to raise.

3) Engage the interviewer

It’s often said in sales that “people buy from people”. For this reason it’s important you can build a rapport with the interviewer. Graduates often appear nervous so the more confident and engaging you can be the more positive your first impression will be.

A few tips:

• Always stand up to shake hands and smile
• Ensure you have a firm handshake
• Break the ice, ask them how they are - how was their journey or weekend?
• Don’t take your jacket off unless offered
• Don’t lean on the desk or fold your arms, sit up with your hands on your lap

4) Take control of the interview

Most graduates take a passive approach to interviews, they wait for the interviewer to ask the questions and respond accordingly, however, you must get into the mindset that an interview is a two way process. Don’t go into the meeting without specific points you want to cover and areas of your CV you wish to highlight.

A few tips:

• If you’re asked to talk through your CV ask what info they require so that you know how much detail to go into
• Use “open ended” questions - they get people talking more effectively
• Clarify questions you don’t understand fully
• When you answer a question, ask a question back - this will create a two way conversation

5) Sell yourself

So how can you stand out? Before you go to the interview make sure you’ve prepared points that you can use to demonstrate why you are the right person for the job. You also need to back up your points with real life examples so you can demonstrate the benefits of your skills:

 “You mentioned that you want someone who can really make an impact in your sales team. I’m a highly competitive individual and I don’t like finishing second. For example I have played sport at school and university and all my team mates value my competitive spirit”

“You said that you need somebody who is highly structured. At University I organised my time so that I studied a module a week in my spare time for at least three hours. This ensured that I did extra work and was definitely a factor in me achieving my 2.1”

6) Close the meeting

Professional sales people are expected to close meetings and the interview is a sale so you must do the same. Here are some questions you should ask:

• What is the next step in the process?
• When will you be short listing?
• How do you feel I have performed today?
• What reservations do you have about my application?
• When are the second interviews?

Be bold, sometimes a little boldness on can actually impresses the interviewer and it may just secure you that dream graduate sales job!

So now that you’ve read our interview tips, we hope this helps you feel more prepared and more confident that you can win at the interview process.

Good luck!