It doesn't happen by chance. It doesn't happen because you have a superior resume. It doesn't happen because of your excellent work history and track record. And it certainly doesn't happen because of what you did for someone else.

Job finding success depends upon how good a salesperson you are.

Any professional salesperson will tell you that, in the final analysis, customers don't buy products. They buy the salesperson. Nowhere is that more true than in marketing yourself to a prospective employer.

For example, a good salesperson doesn't ask for the order the moment he or she lays eyes on a potential customer. A good sales presentation usually starts with informal information-gathering that establishes rapport and helps that salesperson get a feel for what the customer is like . . . their needs, expectations, and mindset.

Then, the salesperson can begin to guide the customer's thinking about the benefits and features of the product with the goal of turning need into want.

When you are job finding in today's sophisticated job marketplace, you are the salesperson for your product, i.e. YOU. Becoming a sales pro will guarantee your success. It's also the reason why you must avoid traditional interviews.

In a traditional interview you are a passive participant . . . answering questions, trying to prove your job worthiness, jumping through hoops to show you're right for the job.

YOU must be in control of your relationship with a prospective employer. That means an "interview" becomes a "dialogue" in which both sides exchange ideas and needs with the goal of arriving at a mutual interest. It's only when there is a meeting of the minds that you are positioned for a job offer.

Essentially it's a matter of becoming a sales pro. Like a customer, a prospective employer will buy because he/she likes you . . . because you've taken the time to develop rapport and chemistry. Don't forget. An employer is not going to hire you on the spot. When you're job finding, you will be weighed against other candidates. And, most likely, a decision-maker will have to sell you someone else.

Representing yourself in assertive, high-impact sales language is critical because you need to provide an employer with the ammunition he/she needs to take a hiring decision to the next level. It's the ultimate secret to job finding success!