How to win at interviews: selling yourself as "the one"

What is the Conquer Your Career series?

The “Conquer Your Career” series is for bold and unapologetically talented professionals who are ready to build more meaningful and fulfilling careers. Each month Chelsea Jay and Portia Obeng will break down some of the most controversial and trending topics related to the job search. We’re excited to introduce our second topic, “How to win at interviews: selling yourself as “the one.” 

If you haven’t read it, we recommend that you take a look at our first article about advocating for yourself while asking for a raise, Everything you need to know about asking for a raise Leave a comment and let us know what you think! 

I’m “the one” 

Interviewing can be nerve-wracking, difficult, and stir up anxious feelings and thoughts. Your mind can spiral into a variety of unpleasant scenarios and “just calming down” isn’t always so easy. But one of the most important things to remember is that the interview is an opportunity for you and the potential employer to decide if you’re a good fit for the role and the company culture. The potential employer doesn’t hold all the power because you also have to determine if this is a place that will help you meet your current and future career goals. 

When you think about an interview from this perspective, it makes it a little easier to approach and helps you focus more on how you’re going to walk in there and demonstrate why you're the best person for the job.

Get those receipts ready  

One of the best things you can do before your interview is to gather all of your receipts that speak to the value and results you bring to organizations where you have previously worked. 

This is why it is important for you to set up a “brag” folder or a “wins” folder somewhere on one of your personal devices. This is where you're going to keep all of the emails that people have sent you that give you props about the work that you’ve done and the emails that you’ve sent detailing the work you’ve done on specific projects and presentations. You also want to save all the feedback from your performance reviews and any special shoutouts and awards you’ve received. If you don’t have any of the above, then it’s even more important that you need to keep track of everything excellent you’ve done in your role. 

This folder can take a variety of formats. It can be a Google Doc where you copy and paste all of the things that people have praised you for, or it can be an actual folder on your personal device that has saved emails or presentations that you've done. Trust us, it will be much easier for you to save this on an ongoing basis, rather than trying to gather all this information right before an interview. Stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready! 

Don’t sell yourself short 

After you gather those receipts, you want to make sure that you are not selling yourself short. An interview is not a time for you to be humble, this is a time for you to talk about the hard work that you have done to get to where you are in your career. We understand that talking about yourself in this manner may feel uncomfortable or unnatural, but if you don’t advocate for yourself and speak to the hard work that you have done, then who will? 

We highly recommend that you practice telling stories about how you deliver results and make an impact before you get to the interview. You want to tell stories that explain that there was a problem or project, you provided a solution, and then, end with describing the results/outcomes from your solution. Practice telling stories that speak to the skills and responsibilities listed in the job posting. For example, if there is a responsibility that requires relationship building, practice telling a story that highlights how fantastically talented you are in relationship management. 

And lastly, we can’t emphasize it enough, practice, practice, practice! No amount of practice is too much! Practice like Beyonce did in the Homecoming documentary when she getting ready for Beychella! 

Answer “that” question like a champ 

“So, tell me why you’re looking for a new job?” 

This is “that” question that can often leave you stumbled on how to respond, but even if the potential employer doesn’t ask you why you’re looking for a new role, you need to have a thoughtful answer prepared. 

To prepare an answer to this question, start by asking yourself these three questions (this will get you started with forming a meaningful answer!)

• What do I dislike about my current role?
• Why do I think the new role will be better?
• Why do I want to work for the company?

The first question helps you gain a deeper understanding of the specifics of what is driving you towards the next role. After all, you do not want to fall into the same type of position again, right? You will also need to demonstrate to the employer that you’ve done your research and you’ve taken your previous experience and learned from it. It is ok to briefly highlight one reason that you are looking for a new role, but make sure that specific reason is a “light” and “relatable” one. 

You don’t need to go down a rabbit hole of reasons that may bring up stress, trauma, or additional questions. For example, if your current role focuses more on data analysis than project development, then it is ok to say that!

Once that is out of the way, your goal is to always focus on the positive side of things including your excitement for the new role, company, and your future there! When answering the question, make sure to highlight two to three things about the position that excites you the most. Then shift your focus to explaining why you want to work for that specific company and department and your hopes for the role.

In one of Chelsea’s recent posts, she provided an outline for an acceptable answer that generated a great discussion. To see it, click below.

As always, remember to be kind to yourself as you navigate your job searching process. It can be challenging at times, but you’re doing the best that you can do. Comment and let us know if you have any other tips on how to advocate for yourself during an interview.  

Who are your authors?

Chelsea Jay is a Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW), Online Branding Expert (NCOPE), and podcast host of “Chelsea’s Career Corner.” She also holds certifications in career and life coaching. 

Chelsea is known throughout the career development industry for her bold, unapologetic, and straight shooter methods when it comes to tackling the job search, building professional brands, and climbing the ladder quickly (with less stress). She helps professionals across the globe rebuild their confidence, improve their mindsets, develop (and execute!) goals and most importantly, building a career with purpose.

Portia Obeng is a social media strategist with nearly 10 years of experience in social media strategy and content management. She started before Snaps were chatted, Instagram had stories, and Tiks were toked; and her current specialties are Instagram and LinkedIn.

 She works to help people and organizations understand how they can use social media, not let social media use them. She encourages them to step away from continuous mindless scrolling and figure out how to use social media to enhance their work, lives, and personal brands. 

 Portia loves being Ghanaian, spicy food, dancing, live music, listening to podcasts, experiencing new countries, and reading a good book (preferably on a beautiful beach in Ghana).