Create Your One-Minute Elevator Speech
Employed or unemployed, everyone needs a one-minute elevator speech describing their job or career goals.
On Thursday evening, I met several impressive executives -- both employed and unemployed -- at the annual holiday open house hosted by Shields Meneley Partners, a leading Chicago-based career transition consulting firm (a.k.a. C-suite outplacement). An impressive array of executive recruiters, employment attorneys, job-seekers, and recently re-hired executives mingled and chatted about the economy and jobs.
During my 90 minutes at the party, I met no fewer than 30 individuals, most of whom were in the job market. Each had an impressive one-minute "elevator speech" about their backgrounds and goals. Doing it well requires work, but it's essential to open doors for further conversation. You can hone your own one-minute introduction by following the 4 P's recommended by Brent Peterson, creator of job-search tool Interview Angel.
Here are Brent Peterson's 4 suggested P's to keep you focused:
1. PASSION
People like to hear passion in your voice. So ask yourself what are you passionate about? If you don't believe it, neither will the other person. If you're passionate about project management, for example, be up front about it.
2. PROFESSIONAL VALUE
What value do you bring to the employer? Or the community? Remember, it's not about you (e.g. avoid statements that start with "I am seeking a position..."). It's always about what problems you can solve.
3. PERSONAL INTERESTS
If you want to be memorable, you have to go beyond your professional achievements. Identify one or two activities or interests (non-controversial) that make you more human and interesting (e.g. "I enjoy cycling in the countryside with my daughter").
4. PITHY
Whatever you say, keep it succinct. If you talk for over a minute nonstop, you have spoken too long. If you meet someone at a reception or in an interview, your brevity will speak volumes about how well you communicate in a professional setting. From my perspective, job interviews are an indication of how candidates (if hired) would respond to questions in a meeting with executives. At the Get Hired events, each person will have one minute to deliver his pitch. And yes, there will be a one-minute "hour" glass at each table so that participants do not cut into each person's time. Everybody at the table gets one minute.
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