How to Sell Yourself in an Interview

Turn Your Job Interviews into Job Offers


"You have to sell yourself in an interview" is advice you hear all the time. However, it is rarely followed up with any useful instruction on how to do this. This book by Les Fenyves, a highly-experienced recruiter, salesman, and sales manager, corrects this deficiency. In it, Les describes the most important steps to take to sell yourself effectively in every interview, especially if you have no sales experience or training. The skills he teaches will enable you to:


• Get job offers from a higher percentage of your interviews.

• Get an offer even when your qualifications for the position are not ideal.

• Benefit from the interview even when you don’t get the offer.

• Approach every interview with confidence.


It is not the intent of this guide to turn you into a professional salesperson. Instead, it is meant to introduce you to only those basic selling skills that will be the most helpful to you and have the greatest positive impact as you interview for the next step in your career. This book will teach you some of the most important skills that successful sales people possess; i.e., how to:


• Know your product thoroughly, and you are the product.

• Prepare yourself for each interview in exactly the same way as a salesperson would.

• Control the interview through the skilled use of questioning techniques. An interview is not simply an oral exam where you passively answer questions that test your knowledge.

• Close before you leave; namely, ask for a commitment, or at a minimum, for feedback.




About the Author


Les Fenyves is a trainer and consultant on all matters related to looking for a job and to hiring. He teaches interviewing, resume-writing and job search skills to individuals, plus he advises startups on how to attract, select and retain key talent. 


Les has an extensive background in both high-tech search and in sales and sales management. As the founder of James Moore and Associates (www.jamesmoore.com), the Silicon Valley’s longest-established search firm, he was its Managing Director and also a senior recruiter for over thirty years until his retirement in 2018. Previously he held positions of Branch Manager and Regional Vice President at, what was then, the largest international search firm dedicated to the computer field. Early in his career, he worked in technical and sales positions in the computer industry.


In addition to personally helping thousands of professionals to improve their careers, Les has hired and trained dozens of successful sales professionals. He has culled his personal experience plus those of his associates for the advice contained in this guide.