The MicroTrain Blog

Early one morning on my way to work the booth for a Job Fair in Chicago, I stepped into a quiet, but crowded elevator with a bunch of suited-up-job seekers.   We were on our way up to the 25th floor. Slowly creeping upward (stopping at every floor), the friendly Midwest girl in me soon decides to break the deafening silence, ‘What’s everyone’s elevator speech?’ All eyes hit the floor in the perfect she-couldn’t-be-talking-to-me synchronicity.

‘Seriously’, I continued, ‘let’s rehearse our elevator pitches; after all, we’ll be giving this 1,000 times today.’ I threw my pitch out to the crowd… still nothing but dead air. There were blank stares all around me, people couldn’t wait to get off the elevator; one minute felt like an eternity.

Everyone on the elevator was a job seeker with resumes in hand; yet, no one on the elevator would or could tell me what they were seeking and why I should be interested.

What is an Elevator Pitch?  My explanation is that an elevator pitch/speech is a short statement which should be used quickly and simply to define a person, profession, product, service, organization or event and its value proposition.  Your pitch should get people interested to learn more about you.  Everyone needs an elevator pitch, whether you are employed or unemployed; it is something that can be used on a daily basis.

Your opening pitch should get people interested. It shouldn’t be delivered without value nor should you try to shove all your information into 30 seconds. The goal should be to get others as excited as you are about what you do and to start a conversation.   You know if your elevator pitch is working if the person you are communicating with is asking you a question.  If they don’t ask a question, you don’t have a good pitch.

Here are three things to shoot for when developing your elevator pitch:

Make it Concise   An elevator pitch should be brief and to the point.  You want to come out of the box with something clear and easy to comprehend that doesn’t sound like an advertisement.

Know your Audience   Aim your pitch to the person you are talking to at the time. (Yes, not every pitch will be the same.) Gear your pitch to be all about them and how you can help them.  Everything you say about your product or service should be directed around how it can help them. You will lose a listener if you start talking about the awards you received or your success – no one cares – it is all about what is in it for them!

Convey your Passion   Be passionate and show people that you care. (How is someone going to care about what you do if you don’t care first?) Speak from your heart, not from a manual, as to why you believe in your product or service and why they should care about it. You will stand out from the crowd if you convey passion.

Examples:

Project Manager
Hi, my name is Johnny Torrio, Certified Project Manager and Operations Specialist. I’ve managed successful projects for companies like Kellog’s, IBM and CDW. I help companies in the IT and Management industries keep projects within budget, scope and lead cross functional teams in delivering superior results. I thrive in leadership positions where I can act as a liaison between different project teams, clients and executives to help bring projects to a successful completion.

Network Administrator
Hi, my name is Alisa Thompson and I’m a Network Administrator. I’ve worked with clients such as Google, Motorola and T-Mobile. I help organize IT service delivery, manage help desk associates, monitor systems, and have experience in Microsoft and Unix Server configuration. I have always been able to adapt to different situations and I find Information Technology to be a special challenge to this natural ability. With new technologies and different issues always emerging, the IT environment is both dynamic and exciting to someone like me.

Help Desk Associate
Hello, my name is Al Harrington and I’m an End User Support Specialist. I’ve worked with companies like McDonald's Corporate, Red Box and Schneider trucking, helping them with various IT needs. While providing superior customer service, I can help diagnose and cure various issues with software, routers, systems, and desktop, and ultimately increase your end user's availability. I’ve always been a great technical problem solver, and IT provides me with the ability to put this skill to use on a daily basis in a way that helps companies grow. I like that.

Need help creating your own Elevator Pitch?  Here is a great tool to help you craft your own pitch-perfect Elevator Pitch: Elevator Pitch Generator.

Finally, always be prepared. You never know where you might need your pitch. Practice, Practice, Practice!  Rehearse in front of a mirror, in front of friends and family.  First impressions happen only ONCE!    Don’t wing it; if you wing it, people will know. Arm yourself with answers to the toughest questions that might be thrown at you following your pitch. If you are prepared, you will be confident and ready to wow potential employers.  

Most experts agree that only 15-20% of all available jobs become advertised to the public.   These positions are considered to be “hidden or the “underground” job market. With such a high percentage of jobs going unadvertised, word-of-mouth referral is among the surest way to land a new job.   A study done by CareerXroads finds that a job seeker who gets referred is three to four times more hireable than someone who applies without a referral.  Here are some strategies to get more referrals and to tap into that “underground” job market.

• Network using LinkedIn. Build your LinkedIn network with hundreds of connections and actively engage with them on a regular basis. Optimize your LinkedIn profile and keep it up to date.    Join groups and participate in discussions so people become familiar with your name and may seek you out.  At MicroTrain, we provide monthly LinkedIn Seminars to help all our clients build a professional profile and learn how to navigate LinkedIn to use their network as a referral source.
• The cardinal rule of networking is to give first before you get.   Make sure you maintain an atmosphere of mutual exchange and not just personal gain.  Offer up job leads to others, share ideas, information and resources.  Genuinely help others before asking for help.   
• Research companies that you would consider being a potential employee.   Companies will post on their website and rarely go to job boards.  Most companies have internal referral programs in place, so existing employees can make referrals and thereby eliminate the need for the company to conduct regular searches. 
• Join a professional association within your industry, this will help you network with those in your industry but also help you build a stronger resume.  Volunteer time if they are having an event. 
• Attend local networking events.  Be prepared and practice your “elevator pitch”.   The more specific you are as to the position you are looking for, the better someone might be able to help you.

Building a good referral network requires networking and telling as many people that you come in contact with that you are looking for a new position.   Be patient and persistent, the work you put in will be well worth your investment in time.