Summing up your career in 30 seconds or less

What are your strategies for summing up your career in 30 seconds or less?

Your Rant: No one has time to listen to what you have to say anymore. How do you make a point in 30 seconds?

911 Repair:

I’ll make a bet with you. Researchers from Ireland recently told a medical convention in Chicago that two-thirds of the patients who received injections into the buttock muscle hadn’t received a full dose of medicine. Not because of mistakes with their prescription, but because the existing needles aren’t long enough to reach beyond all the fat.

Unfortunately, it’s often no different at work. We load down our descriptions of ourselves with so much fat that potential employers or colleagues don’t get the medicine we’re trying to deliver. That’s why it’s important for each of us to create our own elevator pitch (think of a pitch you could make during an elevator ride). I’ve listed some tips below. For more, check out Andrea Nierenburg’s book “Million Dollar Networking” (Capital, 2005).

Does your opening statement make the other person say “tell me more”? Nierenburg tells of a techie who described himself as someone who knows how to make computers friendly. Think of a short description that you can use to entice a person to want to learn more.

Are you enthusiastic? Recently I was on a plane and the guy sitting next to me started talking about his job. He was so beaten down by what he did for a living that it sucked the life force right out of me. How you say it is often as important as what you say.

Do you give benefits and solutions? Most people tend to talk about their careers like they are a laundry list of employers and tasks. Hardly anyone has time for that today. People want to know what value you can bring to them. An easy way to do this is to think of the problems that you’ve tackled in previous jobs — cutting costs, increasing revenues and creative solutions are all more memorable ways to show your value.

Do you tell them what makes you unique? I’m in Rotary and it seems every week we hear the introduction of a new member. This has taught me that there is nothing like an odd fact to make someone more memorable — there was the guy who put himself through school playing poker and another guy who played the bagpipes. What odd bit of your past can you strategically deploy?

Do you make it easy for someone to follow up with you? Anyone who has met with me recently will find this bit of advice slightly ironic. I think it’s important to always have a business card available so you can make it easy to find you. It’s ironic, because I never carry them. This is definitely a case where you should do as I say and not as I do (and you’ll probably be a lot more successful).

Cut the fat out of the way you talk about yourself and you’ll get that job, no ifs, ands, or butts about it.

911 Pulse:

How able are you to sum up your career in 30 seconds?

• I can’t even clear my throat in less than a minute, 15.1 percent
• Only if the situation is right, 27.1 percent
• I do it all the time, 57.7 percent

User strategy:

“My key is to practice all the time. I do it at dinner parties, meetings and phone calls. Instead of droning on, I try to keep my mouth going for no more than two minutes. I try to plant enough seeds that the other people will then ask me follow up questions. I’ve found that a dialogue is much better than a long speech. So the key to me about elevator pitches is to practice, practice, practice.”

Bob Rosner and Sherrie Campbell author the weekly internationally-syndicated workplace911 column. Bob’s a best-selling author and award-winning journalist who has personally responded to over 50,000 emails. Sherrie’s a relationship expert and award-winning comedian who has offered quick, intuitive and humorous responses to over 30,000 people. He’s been called “Dilbert, with a solution.” She’s the counselor with a kick. Watch our 911 team of consultants, authors, counselors and comedians—namely Bob & Sherrie—tackle the nastiest work wrecks in organizations and via seminars, TV, radio, newspapers, books, web sites and live on workplace911.com.