How to Sell Yourself Effectively

Most of the interviewees in our field share a similar profile. They are young; they went to law school straight out of college; they have little or no work experience; they have good grades from a good school, or stellar grades from a lower-ranked school; or they have experience that makes them a good candidate. There is nothing truly unique about this package, and these qualities alone rarely impress interviewers or make a candidate stand out. Therefore, you must take every interview as an opportunity to distinguish yourself from the rest of the crowd in some way, whether it is by your level of preparation, your witty charm, or your strong communication skills. If you approach every interview as the most important 20 minutes in your life, your efforts, time, and preparation will help you succeed.

What you must remember is that there was something about you that got you this interview in the first place. All you need to do now is go beyond that “something” and show the interviewer that there is more to you than your resume. Interviewers see so many qualified candidates that sometimes it becomes difficult to tell them apart. This is why who you are matters—you have an opportunity to be remembered as someone interesting, unique, or outstanding. Focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses, and give the interviewer every single reason you can think of for him or her to hire you.

QuickReview

• • Sell yourself to the interviewer by demonstrating the unique qualities that distinguish you from the pool of interviewees.
• • Approach every interview with the utmost confidence in your ability to get the job.
• • Remember that there is usually a good reason why you received an interview in the first place.
• • Emphasize your strengths during the interview, starting with your strongest points.
• • Your ability to discuss your strong points during an interview signals to the employer that you can get the job done without being babysat.
• • Do not talk about your weaknesses unless you are asked to, and never dwell on them.
• • Do not discuss prior mistakes, or employers may think of you as liability.

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