9 steps to build a perfect 'elevator presentation'

1. If you think hard is an essential element to success, you are wrong!

If you are the one who is looking for a suitable job, the first of the tasks to do is to outline a perfect " elevator presentation " for yourself. It is a 30-second speech that summarizes who you are, what you can do, and why you will be the best candidate for the job.

You can use that perfect presentation at any time, from a job interview to a cocktail party with someone they can help you get a job.

Does this sound simple? But think about summarizing more than 50 years of life achievement in a 30-second talk effectively, it's like having to put an elephant in a Volkswagen Beetle.

I understand this. So, to help you develop an excellent " elevator presentation ", I've divided that process into nine steps:

1. Clarify career goals

As Yogi Berra's famous quote: " You have to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you probably won't be able to get there. "

Therefore, when starting to write an elevator presentation, clearly identify the best way to describe the specialty and type of work you are aiming for. Until you can clearly explain the position you want, no one can help you find it or hire you to do it.

2. Write down the paper

Write down everything you want your potential employer to know about skills, achievements, and work experience related to the position you are aiming for. After that, take the red pen to remove all the unimportant parts of the presentation. Just edit it until there are only a few important sentences in it. The most important goal is to make the listener feel excited about being more knowledgeable about you, not the whole life. So, getting rid of irrelevant details can make them distract from the central message you want to convey.

3. Format presentation

A good presentation should fully answer three questions: Who are you? What do you do? What do you look for?

Here's an example of how to start a presentation with some important points: " Hello. I'm Jessica Hill. I'm an accountant with 10 years of experience in the insurance industry and I'm looking for it. get an opportunity to work in Dallas area in insurance or financial companies. "

The presentation only takes about 15 seconds. Jessica wanted to spend the remaining 15 seconds to add details about her unique sales position, special skills and strengths that could make potential employers pay attention to her.

4. Write a presentation to the listener, not your own

It's important to remember that your presentation listeners will turn on their " antennas " and look for answers to WIIFM (" What's in it for me?" - What will I get from it?) this?). Pay attention to focusing your message on the employer's needs, the benefits they will receive if accepting certain requests.

For example, the introduction: " I am a human resources employee with 10 years of experience in a consumer goods company " will increase strength if you say " I am a human resource worker with a good performance record in Help the company recognize and recruit the best talents for management positions. "

Use terms that focus on benefits that will help convince the interviewer that you are experienced, knowledgeable and skilled to successfully complete the work at the company.

5. Eliminate career jargon

You need to make your presentation understandable to everyone, avoid using acronyms and terms that ordinary people or interviewers may not understand. Can it make the listener feel stupid or ignorant is not what you want to do?

6. Read the big presentation

According to Deborah Grayson Riegel of Fast Company recently, in her article "Problems with elevator presentations and how to fix them", writing is more formal and more complex. If not careful, your elevator presentation may sound like a commercial advertisement rather than a conversation. Read aloud and change some words that will help you speak more naturally.

7. Practice, practice, practice (and feedback)

Replay your presentation in front of a mirror or use the computer recording function to listen and see yourself. At first you may feel embarrassed, but the more you practice, the more you will speak fluently.

Keep refining your presentation until it's no longer the same as acting again. When you're satisfied with your talk, try talking to a few friends and asking what they think your main idea is. If they respond differently from your goal, the presentation still has to be edited.

8. Prepare some variations

You may want to express it a little differently when talking to an interviewer or a former colleague. Sometimes, you will only have 15 seconds to speak ( a short elevator presentation ) or you have one to two minutes to present. So focus on mastering some of the main ideas and give yourself some ways to customize your presentation on a case-by-case basis.

Use the calculator's word count function to create shorter or longer presentations; One good rule is that you can talk about 150 words in a minute.

9. Present confidently

The best elevator presentation in the world will fail the carpet if not well presented. When speaking, look at the eyes of the listener, smile and convey the message of confidence and optimism. Create a suitable presentation and you will soon realize that you are taking a real elevator at your new job.

Refer to some more articles:

1. 10 ways to make a good impression right from the first meeting
2. Top 11 skills need to be at age 24
3. If you have these 8 skills, you will never be afraid of robbing your job

Having fun!