So you read my post on the 5 traits BDR managers look for in an interview. But how do you effectively communicate that you have these traits?
"Yeah I've worked hard in life & dealt with a lot so I have grit", isn't going to cut it. That's boring and not specific. And anyone can say that. You don't want to just tell them you have grit, you want to show them you do. But...how? You guessed it...through stories!
You have to visualize your story. You want them to feel like they were right there with you. You are not the only candidate they are interviewing for this role. If you tell bland, generic stories, you won't be remembered. And you won't move on to the next round. So the more you can share the stories that are unique to you, the more novel your answers will be. Which means you're more likely to stand out from the pack.
Every movie starts by hinting something needs to change. The character has to confront a flaw they've had all their life. Or they're down in the dumps and they're trying to rise to the top. Maybe they go on a journey and realize something they never understood about themselves before.
To give you an example, I've always hated writing online. I'm still early on, so I cringe at everything I type & publish. But it's critical to my business that I write online. It helps clients see I can teach them something valuable about tech sales before deciding to work with me.
Whatever it is for you, the purpose is to show growth. Show how you used to be a certain way & how you made a positive change in your life.
Did moving all the time make you overcome rejection and help you approach anyone to become their friend? Did you miss a career/personal accomplishment that made you push 10x harder the next time? Have you started from the bottom in life & clawed your way up?
PS - I may have quoted Drake, but < Kendrick.
The beginning and end of your story might sound similar to others. But the middle is where you can set yourself apart from the pack. You do this by being specific.
You help us visualize all the shit you crawled through, how your mind thought through different scenarios to make a decision, and all the different ways you tried to navigate this situation. Going back to our example, I'm doing a lot to overcome my hatred of writing online.
I'm starting by writing on topics I feel like an expert at. That way when I write, I know people will actually learn something, implement my advice, and see results. That makes me think I have to overcome my hate of writing online because it helps people!
But I bet I'm not the first person to go through this fear before. So I'm consuming all the content I can from experts at online writing, like David Perell. I talk with my brother about online writing, who wasn't a huge online writer till about a year ago. That gives me the confidence that I can do this too.
And lastly, I'm holding myself accountable. When I know I need to write, I write it down as a weekly goal. That way I see it every single day, until I finally do it. And if I don't, I know I'll be pissed at myself for missing my goal, rather than justifying in my head why I didn't need to do it. This helps me develop a habit of "eating vegetables". And I know if I do it for long enough, it will become easy peasy.
You see that? You just got a detailed understanding of what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. That helps you go a layer deeper into understanding my decision making process:
Now I seem less like some random person, and more like a human. Which is one of those intangible pieces that is key to interviewing. The hiring manager doesn't want to hire some robot. They want to hire a person they'll enjoy spending the majority of their day with.
So get in the details, but don't go off track. Every sentence should have a purpose that relates to your story. That helps build this visualization of who you are. Which makes you stand out from the rest.
Now that you've gotten through your story. You have to reflect. And share what this experience taught you.
Life experiences are pointless if they:
This is a chance to show you are self-aware and objective. Where did you go wrong? What could you have done better? What did this teach you about yourself? This is not your chance to blame others for what they did wrong.
You might be thinking, "but Sameer, how am I going to show how awesome I am if I'm talking about all the ways I went wrong!?"
This is not the time to show how smart you are. When you were taking us through the middle of your story and being specific, that was the time for that. Now is the time to share what mistakes you made and how that helped you change your behavior for the better.
No one is perfect. Startups reward those that are vulnerable, humble, and honest. Remember that you want to make yourself seem less like a candidate, and more like a human. You do that by opening up in this way.
So now we know how Tech Sales Mentors students tell effective interviews answers:
So what's next?!
Well, we get our students offers from multiple companies. And when they do, the tables have turned. It's now their turn to interview the employer.
We'll walk through what Tech Sales Mentors students look for in a company, how to negotiate your salary up & what questions to ask the hiring manager. This makes sure you don't a dumpster fire of a startup. This increases the chances of you joining a company where you can get plenty of opportunity & make tons of dough.
You can read it here.