Shortly after her initial interview for a new job, I asked a friend if she was adequately prepared for the exchange of questions and answers.

After recalling her responses to a number of the recruiter’s inquiries, she mentioned that she had quickly asked how much the position paid – a common yet critical mistake that many job interviewees make.

Why?  By shifting the recruiter’s attention to her needs so early in the selection process, she failed to understand the goal of the initial interview – to sell yourself first.

In many ways, the job interview is similar to a sales presentation in that you are trying to determine what the employer wants so that you can convey why YOU offer the best solution – and the best fit – for fulfilling their needs.

This requires making an effective and persuasive “sales pitch” by “marketing” the relevance and value of your skills, education, experience and career interests to the position you are seeking.

Given interviewing processes are often progressive in that you must succeed in one interview in order to get invited to the next, I advise my clients to devote the first interview to impressing the recruiter versus seeking specific information regarding pay and benefits.  Should you get invited back for subsequent interviews, there will be ample opportunity to glean this information and determine if it’s a job you really want.

In order to increase the chances that you will be afforded further consideration, first sell yourself as a qualified candidate before placing the recruiter in the position of selling the potential employer to you.

And, even then, never quit selling yourself until you close the deal with an offer in hand.

By the way, my friend didn’t get a second interview.

Matt Durfee is author of “Job Search Secrets from the Reluctant Expert” and CEO of Orlando-based Navigator Institute (www.navinstitute.com), an online job search skills program. Contact him at mdurfee@navexec.com.