Self Promotion

No matter what your industry or level of experience, job searching is about sales and the product you are selling is you. During your search you will be asked to sell yourself over and over again. The very mention of the "s" word makes many women's skin crawl—we cannot help but picture used-car guys and overzealous commission-crazed department store clerks harassing you in the dressing room. Erase these stereotypes and revise your image of what it means to sell because during your job search you will be selling yourself 'til you are blue in the face. You may as well learn to embrace it.

Why is the concept of sales particularly unappealing to women? Perhaps it is because we have been socialized to act reserved and polite in public. We don't want to appear to be too pushy, overly aggressive, or money hungry. Many women shy away from careers in sales for these reasons, but remember that sales drive all businesses. You cannot have a company if you can't sell your product, and you can't have a job unless you sell yourself.

Selling oneself is both the hardest and the easiest form of sales. It is hard because it feels immodest and self-promoting. But think about the positives: you know the product better than anyone else, you can answer any questions about it, you can adapt it to various situations, and you are in control of its future performance. Also remember that you have sold yourself many times before: from selling maturity and trustworthiness when negotiating curfew with your parents and ambition and aspirations when applying to college, to selling charm and affection when accepting a first date and skill and passion when going after previous jobs.

How can you get over the negative issues you may associate with selling yourself? Our best advice is to practice on friends and family. We all know that the cold call—selling to someone you have never met before—is the most challenging form of sales, so start with an easier audience. Next time you meet your best girlfriend for coffee, tell her about your achievements, your ambitions, and your experience. Tell her why you are the best person for the job you want. Sell yourself with words, enthusiasm, and specific facts. Then ask her to critique your sales pitch. Would she hire you on the spot? What aspects of your "product" are most convincing? Least convincing? Professional salespeople make hundreds of sales calls a day—they know their pitches backwards and forwards and this constant repetition makes selling less scary. The more you practice, the better your pitch and the easier selling becomes.