Creating an Effective Elevator Speech

Do you know how to market yourself? Do you have your elevator speech down pat and can adjust it as appropriate for different situations? Here’s how we helped one of our employees as well as some tips to help you master marketing yourself.

A friend asked how to market himself. He knew what he did for his previous company, but he wasn’t really sure his passion was being translated in his elevator speech so he could find his next opportunity. While listening to his elevator speech, we agreed-no passion. We recommended he talk about the topic first, skills second, actual job third, and then what he wanted to do next. Check this out…”I am very passionate about cancer research, our team works to raise funding for large community events throughout the country. Specifically, I manage those teams and build relationships with vendors to support activities the day of the event. I would like these skills to translate into performing fund raising activities for hospitals or cancer centers internationally.”

Here are a few more tips to master your elevator speech.

- Speak with passion! Potential employers or friends of friends want to understand what lights your fire, what makes you excited about your job and what will excite you about future opportunities. Don’t be blasé.

- Remember practice makes perfect. Call a friend that will be honest, practice your elevator speech in front of them, ask for constructive feedback, and adjust as necessary.

- Know your audience. If you are speaking to the CEO of a major corporation you want to work for, talk about the impact of major projects you have worked on, or if you are talking to an HR professional ask about staffing gaps in their organization.

The more comfortable you are with your elevator speech, the better you will be at marketing yourself. Continue to be charismatic and passionate and you will be on the right track!