The Right Mindset for Selling Yourself

To land a job, you gotta sell yourself. Period.

This idea of selling yourself might evoke mixed feelings, especially if the idea of 'selling' conjures up negative images.

People associate "selling" as bad. But it's only bad if your approach and attitude about it is wrong.

Do it right, and it could be the best thing that can happen to you in your job search. The biggest insurance you can build for your career.

Because when you can sell yourself well, you're no longer tied to a boss, a toxic workplace, or a repetitive problem. Hoping that there is no turmoil in the company or fearing immediate problems.

It gives you freedom in the truest sense.

Let me guide you through a more effective approach to selling yourself, one that transcends traditional strategies and places empathy and relevance at its core.

The Misguided Path of Ego

Many fall into the trap of an ego-centric approach. The mindset here is that there are only limited opportunities, no abundance at all. This is the path most people take. And that ends up backfiring for them.

So they think that in order to sell themselves, they should talk about themselves as highly as possible. Pack in as many achievements about themselves as possible.

Not realizing that in the process, you're overwhelming the other person, who barely knows anything about you, to begin with, by the way, with so much information that it confuses them.

A question I frequently encounter from IT leaders is how to effectively communicate decades of experience in the concise formats demanded by today’s job market—a two-page resume, a one-minute interview introduction, or a brief networking email.

My take? Less is more. Attempting to showcase every achievement is not just impractical; it's counterproductive. It shifts the focus solely onto you, neglecting the most important perspective in the conversation: the employer's.

Any attempt to give out “as much info as possible” is egoic. It’s all about me me me me.

How can I get something out of this interaction?

How can I get them to like me.

As if the other person is irrelevant here. It’s so unempathetic.

And by the way, it’s the other person that matters. Not you. At least not in a situation when you’re selling yourself.

The other person is the decision maker. The other person is the buyer. Make them feel as such and watch how that interaction changes.

The Power of Empathy and Relevance

So how do you do it? The answer lies in simplicity and alignment. Frame the most obvious alignment between you and the role in your message.

Ask yourself, "What would be most valuable for the employer to know about my background?"

From there, resist the urge to add anything on top of it.

This approach makes your message more impactful and positions you as an empathetic and insightful candidate.

Consider this: when you're on the hiring side, you expect candidates to focus on their most relevant experiences first. Detailed stories of past roles that bear little relevance to the position at hand can lead to disinterest or, worse, dilute the impact of your application.

For instance, if you are an e2e Data leader and are talking to a retail organization looking for a data science leader, talk about how you built pricing analytics and big inventory management models in your previous company. Don’t go talking about how you also have experience building ETL pipelines and data lakes, if they don’t need that stuff.

Or if you are a software developer in a SaaS company, talk about how that product you built brought in 200M+ ARR. Don’t dilute it with your experience managing that $5M+ budget or how you have good project management and stakeholder communication skills. They’re most likely looking for what you have built, and how big of teams have you handled.

The Outcome of Strategic Self-Presentation

By adopting this focused and empathetic approach, you showcase your ability to understand and meet the employer's needs and distinguish yourself as a concise and strategic thinker.

It demonstrates that you value the hiring manager's time and attention, signaling that you're a candidate who avoids unnecessary fluff and focuses on what truly matters.

Speak less, but with greater impact. Show that you understand not just your own value, but also what the employer is looking for. Trust in the power of relevance, and you'll find that doors open more easily than you might expect.