A very common question from job seekers lately is, ”How am I supposed to explain being unemployed for a year, or even more than that?” This is where the sales techniques you know come in to play.

The first way is to approach the problem from a standpoint that is very positive, and leave all of the fear behind you. Whenever you meet with a client, or with a hiring manager, speak.

The way that you express yourself is how you are going initially identified. In other words, all of the different ways that you communicate–including your clothes, facial expressions, body language, as well as your manner of speaking to others–build you your own brand.

Given the immense importance of communication, it is quite wise for you to practice telling a short story for you to get the feel of how you are coming across to others. However, when you actually deliver your story in person, it should sound natural and not too rehearsed.

Whenever an ”objection” should arise in one of your meetings, such as you being unemployed for a long period of time, acknowledge the statement with a happy, and true, smile on your face. This is referred to as ”agreeing with the objection.” The person that is interviewing you will be quite surprised by the calm demeanor that you have, and he/she will appreciate the forthcoming open dialogue that you bring.

Now it’s time for you to shine by telling your story in a very honest and open manner. This will help you to improve your brand and your standing. For an example, describe, in your own words, how you took time off to go on a vacation, to rest your mind and do a little bit of soul-searching. During this process you recognized all of your true talents an your new interests. You took it upon yourself to self-educate even further in this new direction that you are on, just to make sure you will have a long career.

The next step is to try and apply the information that you researched about the company, and about it’s entire industry (that should have been researched before the interview) to the job that is being described, as well as your new found interests. Keep your story to no more than two minutes, because you don’t want the interviewer to get bored because you are telling him/her your entire work history.

The final sales tip is to finish your personal story with a good ”buy-in” question like, ”Do I sound like the type of person that can be a candidate you are seeking for?” Buy-in refers to making the other party say, ”Yes.” Sales experts agree that you should have three to five ”buy-ins” or mini-agreement to make a proper sale or to advance forward in the interview. What happens is that the other party, by agreeing with you several times, will begin to talk themselves into seeing that you are the best person for this job.