Imagine you are meeting a friend for lunch at a hot new restaurant. This is the first time you’ve been there, and you’ve heard that it’s a nice place, so you’ve dressed up a little more than usual. You are looking good and feeling ready to enjoy a couple of hours of eating great food and chatting with a close friend.

You step into an elevator that will take you directly to the restaurant from the attached parking structure. You press the button and look directly at the only other person along for the ride. Suddenly, you realize, much to your great excitement, that the person in the elevator with you is the president and CEO of the organization for which you have been trying to land a job interview. You have 30 seconds with the most powerful person in this particular organization, perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Your dream job lies in the balance. Are you ready to take full advantage of this unexpected gift from the career gods?

If this happened to you, would you even know what to do next? If your answer is “no,” don’t feel bad; you are not alone. Most of us would stand in the corner and look down at the floor, cursing under our breath, wishing a day late and a dollar short that we had said something, anything, to make a memorable first impression that could quite possibly help us take the first step toward making our dream job a reality.

Now, while you may not find yourself captive in an elevator with someone in a position to change your life, you may meet that person at a party, in a meeting, through a family member, through a community organization, or through some other chance encounter. Stranger things have happened, so don’t dismiss the idea that the next person you meet could be important. The main thing to remember is that in order for your encounter to be valuable, you need to be prepared to quickly and clearly communicate something about yourself that will not only make an introduction, but will also leave a lasting impression — which may open doors previously locked to you.

In our scenario above, let’s say our lunch goer had been prepared and knew exactly what to do. She had prepared an “elevator speech” — a 30-second introduction that expresses key points about yourself personally and professionally, designed to grab the listener’s attention and leave them wanting more.
Our lunch goer, now job seeker, takes a deep breath. Then she says something like this:

“Hello, my name is Jill Newhire. I am a great admirer of Company X, and it’s my pleasure to meet you. As a graduate with a degree in Environmental Education, I have a sincere passion for the work you do. I am proud of my own accomplishments and professional experience writing dynamic environmental education marketing materials — including an award-winning piece, directing comprehensive social media outreach, and providing excellent customer service in my current job. Given the kind of work and values Company X upholds, I’ve always believed my skills and values would be an excellent match for your marketing division.”
Wow! Now that’s the way to make the most of 30 seconds. Things to keep in mind when trying to prepare a similar speech for yourself:

1. Prepare for a Particular Audience

In this example, our job seeker knew who she was talking to, and it just happened to be someone connected with a company that she had already done research on. If you were to meet someone and didn’t know much about their company or organization, it’s okay to keep your remarks simply focused on yourself.

Remember that you are highlighting your personal and professional strengths. What adjectives can you use to really describe yourself? Carefully craft a statement that clearly “sells” what you are offering and leaves the listener with an obvious opportunity to ask questions. In the example above, the listener might have said, “Tell me some more about what personal values you bring to your job?” or, “That’s great, but from what you’ve said, I think you might be more valuable on our sales team,” and so on.

2. Make an Outline

What must you cover to deliver the best possible elevator speech?

3. Create Your Speech

Take your outline and fill in the blanks. Write complete sentences from each point and make sure that they flow logically and naturally. Then edit your piece down to no more than 30 seconds when read out loud. Less is more.

4. Practice, Practice, Practice!

The key is to make this pitch sound natural and sincere, as it should be. Let it flow from the heart, and your sincerity will shine through. Being yourself is always best. This is a tool that helps you communicate your best “you.”