Every job seeker is first and foremost a salesperson, they are charged with selling themselves to recruiters and employers.  While most people are terrified of sales, the job seeker who understands they need to master sales is best positioned to win over hiring managers.  Below are the four pillars of sales each job seeker should master:

Attracting Attention

Job seekers must have the ability to attract the attention of recruiters and employers if they ever hope to land a job.  This is accomplished with resumes, cover letters and an online presence that helps the job seeker stand out from the competition.  A word of warning: Avoid gimmicks.

Stimulating Interest

Once you get eyes on your resume or a face to face encounter with someone who has the power to hire you, you need to stimulate their interest in what you’re offering.  You won’t achieve this by only talking about how great you are and what you’ve accomplished.  It’s better to focus on them and how you can help them achieve their goals.

Igniting Desire

Does the hiring manager even realize that they need you?  If not, you may need to awaken the desire to have someone like you on their team. How do you accomplish this?  Identify their problems and then help them understand how you can help them solve those problems.

Prompt Action

Just because a hiring manager knows they have a problem and recognizes that you can fix it doesn’t necessarily translate into them taking action.  As any job seeker knows, hiring delays are more the norm than the exception. To solve this problem, make it easy for the hiring manager to bring you on board and make sure you remain on their front burner by following up on any meeting or interview you had with them.