How Can You Present the Best Version of You?

If you’re looking for a new job, or applying for a promotion, the impression you create of yourself and your visibility are really important elements that contribute to you getting the role. A good application gets you the interview and a good interview, where you can really shine, is what will get you the job.

You build your own public relations campaign with the impression you create, day-to-day, with those around you. Your apparently casual conversations with work colleagues can make a lasting impression and lead to bigger things. Here’s a positive, practical guide to presenting the very best version of you, so you’re ready for your next role change – including the one you’ve been putting off, because you didn’t think you were ready!

“She who gets hired is not necessarily the one who can do the job best, but the one who knows the most about how to get hired.”

Natasha Josefowitz – Paths to Power

There are many stages for applying for a new job or a promotion. Let’s look at some of them.

Applying for the Job

Whatever role you are applying for, internal or external, at some point you’ll need to supply some written material be it CV, application form or letter, and in an interview (even one disguised as an ‘informal chat’) you’ll be asked about your experience. If the job description or adverts are vague or unclear, don’t be put off– take this opportunity to communicate your personal brand and what you stand for, selling yourself into the role.

HR professionals say that many women don’t apply for jobs because they don’t feel they fit the criteria perfectly. They also say that men often adopt the opposite attitude – “If I’ve got one of the requirements mentioned, it’s worth a try.” So is it that women aren’t ambitious, lack confidence or have an unrealistic view of how ready they need to be to be for the next job? Let go of the need to fit all the requirements perfectly and have a go anyway. Ask yourself ‘Why not me?’ You can’t win it if your hat isn’t in the ring. You may surprise yourself by getting the job and then finding that you are good at it! And if you don’t get the role then you can seek feedback, giving you a better chance next time.

If you’re applying from outside an organisation ALWAYS do your homework:

  • Check out their website and social media to get some clues about the tone and style your application needs. Think about their brand, products, services, what they say about working for them and annual results, so you can tailor your application
  • Read the relevant trade or industry magazines or websites, to familiarise yourself with current issues and relevant topics
  • Talk to anyone you know who works there, or who knows someone else who does or who deals with them as a supplier or customer
  • Experience the business however you can. Sign up to their newsletter or buy one of their products.

Promote Your Results

If you’ve been asked to send a CV, many businesses will use this as a part of their screening process. They may take only 15 seconds to review your carefully crafted words and layout. This means you have just 15 seconds to make that best impression! Your CV is the story of your career, so it’s up to you how you write that story, what to put in, what to leave out, what to highlight. Your new potential bosses are looking for the person who is best placed to help them. They want to know what results you’ve achieved in the past. Work on describing your most recent roles in terms of results, outcomes, solutions achieved. Don’t be modest. Use “I achieved” not “we achieved”. Use active verbs. Mention prizes, awards and commendations.

Use the key words from the job advert in your CV. Sometimes CVs are scanned using artificial intelligence to search for key words before they are read by a human.

Remember that the job that your CV, application form or letter has to do is to get you the interview. Ask yourself – having read this CV – do I want to know more about this person via an interview? If the answer is maybe, there’s more work to do on your CV.

So You’ve Made it to the Interview!

Congratulations! Your initial written representation of yourself has worked and you’ve been invited to an interview!

There’s a lot to consider, so here are some key points to help you:

  • Refer back to the job description or advert. Make sure you know exactly who and what they are looking for
  • Don’t be put off if you don’t fit all the criteria. Job adverts are written for the perfect person, who rarely exists. When it gets to the interview, they’re looking for the best person from the ones who’ve applied
  • What will have caught their attention in your application? For example if you’ve put down some very impressive achievements, they may want to know how you went about doing it, or what you enjoyed most about them. Be prepared!
  • An interview is a two-way process – prepare questions to which you can’t find the answers online. Don’t ask questions about anything you should have discovered yourself. Take a notebook into the interview with your questions written down and don’t be afraid to refer to it or take notes on what you are told
  • Be prepared to let them know what you’re good at – that’s what interviews are about. It’s your time to shine!
  • Appear calm, even if you feel nervous. The interviewer(s) may also be observing how you deal with the stress of an interview

Think about the first impression you want to create, when you park your car outside the office, or walk across the car park from the bus stop and into the building. Think about what you want people to see, as you walk into the interview room and shake hands. You need to appear comfortable in yourself and as though you fit the role you’re applying for. You were made for this!

Positive Practice – Start Taking Action

Whether you’re currently looking for a new job or not, it’s time to do some work and get prepared. When the perfect opportunity presents itself, you want to be ready.

What are you going to do now to make sure you project your best self? Here are some suggestions:

  • At your next appraisal meeting, ask about new opportunities or projects you can join
  • Look at the internal job website and note down how you could transfer your skills to any roles that are interesting to you
  • Discuss with your boss next week what you want to achieve next in your role. If your boss doesn’t know what you want, they can’t help you to achieve it
  • Update your CV and find the right jobsite to load it onto
  • Join LinkedIn, if you’re not already on it and write a clear professional profile.

Presenting the best version of you is the best way for you to get the new job or promotion you’ve been dreaming of. There are a lot more nuts and bolts than I can fit into one article, so if you’d like some 121 coaching, to help you do it all and get the best result (the new job or promotion!) call me on +44 07977 072 760 or click here to email me and we can arrange some coaching for you.

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Contact Me

sue.hewitt@develomenta.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)7977 072 760

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