Blog Post: Have Your "Sound Bite" Ready for the August 28th Jobing.com Career Expo!

In addition to a resume, a key marketing tool you should have is your 30-60 second commercial.   Also known as the 60-second elevator speech. This is a sound bite – a brief description of what you are looking for, the added value, extra goodie you bring to the employer and a specific request.

It is very important that your sound bite be short, concise and contain a “call to action” or specific request. If the listener is left confused about who you are, what your added value is, or how they can help you, you will not get the desired results.

Market research has shown that the average person’s attention span is 60-90 seconds, which is why TV commercials are 30 or 60 seconds long! So your elevator speech should be 30- 60 seconds.

General Elevator Speech

You need to be completely comfortable giving your general elevator speech to anyone at any time. You meet someone at a social event, a conference or a business meeting, and the person says, “What do you do?”  or “What are you looking for?” The contents of general elevator speech include:

• Your value proposition tagline
• What you are looking for – your career objective & target industry/companies
• Experience
• Added value you provide to an employer
• Call to action – which will vary depending on the type of person to whom you are speaking

Sample General Elevator Speech "I’m an international marketing and branding leader and I’m currently seeking marketing opportunities in the technology industry. I have 10+ years of B2B marketing experience in the technology and telecomm industries. My added value is helping companies dramatically increase their brand awareness and market share. For instance, at ABC Networks, I led an international team in delivering consistency in messages, branding strategy and identity throughout the company. This resulted in a seven-fold increase in brand awareness in 14 months. Most recently, I was the SVP of Global Marketing Services for Indio Inc. – where I increased market share 50% while reducing headcount by 25%.  I’m looking for a customer-focused B2B company where I can again lead the effort to build brand awareness and market share. Could I get 10 minutes of your time to discuss companies you know of, which might fit this profile?"

Take time to put YOUR elevator speech together and see for yourself how much easier it will be to approch people at networking events and job fairs and how you will come across more polished and prepared.