When you’re at a job fair, you have minutes, and sometimes even seconds, to make a good impression on recruiters. That’s why it’s important to have your elevator pitch prepared and ready to go.
According to job search platform Indeed, an elevator pitch is an “effective way to demonstrate your aptitude, strengths, and professional skills,” which can be used to highlight your cover letter or summary statement on your resume.
Emily Liou, a professional happiness coach, says it’s normal for elevator speeches to be a little “angry,” but if you think about it in a less formal way, you might find it easier to come up with the perfect words to say. .
“When I was in college, people were like, ‘You need a 30-second elevator pitch.’ And I would literally sit down and rehearse and time it, and there was a lot of stress,” Liou tells CNBC Make It. “But if you could think of it as an introduction, like, ‘what do you want this other person to know about you?’ it would be very useful”.
Here are some of Liou’s tricks to tackle her elevator pitch:
make it about them
There is nothing a person can talk about but himself. By tailoring your elevator pitch around the recruiter, you stand out as candidates often talk about themselves and their own accomplishments.
According to Liou, instead of jumping into the field saying, “Hey, I’m a graduate and I’m looking for a job,” candidates should start by first greeting the recruiter, saying something you like about the company or their role within the company. and link that to a relevant scenario in your own life.
Liou says this approach has a “different” tone and shows that you’re looking to see what you can do for the company, not what it can do for you.
By doing proper research on the companies that will be at the job fair beforehand, you can find things about the company and the recruiter that you resonate with on a more personal level.
build confidence
While you only have a short time, it’s important that the recruiter feel confident that you’ll get the job done. This trust is made by having an organic conversation and showing an interest in forming a relationship, according to Liou.
“The best way to form that relationship is not so much to go into it in a calculated way, like what can this person do for me? Or what do I have to offer this person? If you lean in with genuine curiosity and share what’s really on your mind and what you’re really thinking, that’s the best way to start the conversation.”
“Those are the ones that could turn into job or networking opportunities because people want to help others that they like and can trust. Having that trust factor is really important for someone else to advocate and vouch for you.” .
Who, what, why and how
Source: www.cnbc.com