When you attend a job fair or meet people that ask "What do you
do" or "Who are you" do you stumble over your words? If you are shaking
your head "yes" you are not alone. Many people do not know how to state
who they are or what value they provide a potential employer. You must
get comfortable reciting your elevator speech. If you do not know what
you do how will someone else know that you are the right fit for the
job?
Your elevator speech can be broken down into three easy to relate items.
1. Who are you? - state your name followed by - are you a military veteran, business owner, college graduate? Think about what words describe you. Example - I am Jaynine Howard, a military veteran with over 20 years administrative and leadership experience and over ten years experience as a Domestic Violence/Rape Advocate. I have my Masters Degree in Psychology.
2. What job do you want? Example - I am seeking a job as a Director of a mental health facility or I am looking for a job in the defense industry or medical field.
3. How do you help - what value do you bring to the company? In this statement you will want to be specific on what you can do to help the business. This can be in the form of increasing revenue, developing strategies, managing personnel etc. If possible try and quantify your statement. Depending upon your industry it may be that you bring your outgoing personality and zest for life to the job each day. Example - I am really good at revamping office procedures so that production is increased and manpower is reduced bringing added revenue to the company.
The most common mistakes job seekers make are being nervous, unprepared and lacking confidence in stating what they do; this is why you need your elevator speech. You will want to practice it and refine it until it is comfortable and authentic for you to say. Do not be embarrassed to sell yourself. Also, be sure and make eye contact and SMILE as you present your elevator speech.
If you are job hunting in a few different areas you will want to have an elevator speech prepared for each niche. I suggest researching the company and the job openings so you can tailor your elevator speech to the company and the job opening. Again, the goal is to present you as the only ideal candidate for that job.
You can also recycle your elevator speech and type it out and use it as your email tagline. Place it below your signature line along with your point of contact information such as your email address and phone number. This will allow others to see that you are job hunting, learn who you are and provide job leads.
Your elevator speech will help you rediscover who you are, what job you want, and the value you will bring to the employer. When you master your elevator speech you will be prepared to attend job and career fairs with confidence.
Your elevator speech can be broken down into three easy to relate items.
1. Who are you? - state your name followed by - are you a military veteran, business owner, college graduate? Think about what words describe you. Example - I am Jaynine Howard, a military veteran with over 20 years administrative and leadership experience and over ten years experience as a Domestic Violence/Rape Advocate. I have my Masters Degree in Psychology.
2. What job do you want? Example - I am seeking a job as a Director of a mental health facility or I am looking for a job in the defense industry or medical field.
3. How do you help - what value do you bring to the company? In this statement you will want to be specific on what you can do to help the business. This can be in the form of increasing revenue, developing strategies, managing personnel etc. If possible try and quantify your statement. Depending upon your industry it may be that you bring your outgoing personality and zest for life to the job each day. Example - I am really good at revamping office procedures so that production is increased and manpower is reduced bringing added revenue to the company.
The most common mistakes job seekers make are being nervous, unprepared and lacking confidence in stating what they do; this is why you need your elevator speech. You will want to practice it and refine it until it is comfortable and authentic for you to say. Do not be embarrassed to sell yourself. Also, be sure and make eye contact and SMILE as you present your elevator speech.
If you are job hunting in a few different areas you will want to have an elevator speech prepared for each niche. I suggest researching the company and the job openings so you can tailor your elevator speech to the company and the job opening. Again, the goal is to present you as the only ideal candidate for that job.
You can also recycle your elevator speech and type it out and use it as your email tagline. Place it below your signature line along with your point of contact information such as your email address and phone number. This will allow others to see that you are job hunting, learn who you are and provide job leads.
Your elevator speech will help you rediscover who you are, what job you want, and the value you will bring to the employer. When you master your elevator speech you will be prepared to attend job and career fairs with confidence.
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