By Bill Zeeble, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-862643.mp3
Dallas, TX –
Texans looking for work in this economy need to be ready for an opportunity, even when it presents itself in an unusual situation. Enter the 30-second elevator pitch. In our ongoing Monday economy segment Bill Zeeble explains what it is and why it's an indispensable part of a jobseekers arsenal.
Here's the scenario: You need a job, and find yourself in an elevator with a hiring manager, who knows a lot of people. You've got to make a positive impression fast.
Don Hoel: My name is Don Hoel, I'm a senior sales manager, 20-plus years experience in the building materials industry
Doug Gregory: specialized in turning around and operating distressed and troubled companies. Over my career I've gotten experience in leadership, operations, business optimization
Navigate the recession with KERA! Get tips on avoiding foreclosure, access job resources and more at kera.org/economy.
Casey Lloyd: Hi, my name is Casey Lloyd I'm a non-profit professional. I need help finding these three companies.
These job seekers just a few among 300 to 400 at this weekly meeting of Career Connections. It's a non-profit networking group that helps people find jobs & advance within their professions. Many are new. Casey Lloyd was here a few years back, found work, but like others, is now looking again. She wants to brush up on her 30-second technique because she says it helps.
Lloyd: It makes people pay attention to you. We get a lot of people that act like its an AA meeting - "Hi, my name is Bill and I've got a problem." That's not what we're doing here.
Trainer Scott Peek is teaching the basics of the 30-second elevator pitch. He says it's an introduction, a conversation starter.
Peek: And helps you to form a relationship with someone who doesn't know you, who asks you the simple question, "What are you doing, what are you looking for?"
Peek says you need to understand and include the basics; Your name; the job you're looking for; how the person you're talking to can help you. He says that last point is often misunderstood. Peek says it took him a while before he finally got it.
Peek: Once you start shifting that - how they can help - by telling them here's where I'm looking, here's what I would like to find, can you help me with these things? I would say greater than 70 percent of the time they either know somebody or know someone who knows somebody.
And suddenly, says Peek, you're a step closer to finding the right job. The 30-second verbal ad alone won't do it. It's just a first step. Think of it, he says, as a 4-sentence ice-breaker, but with specifics.
Peek: I am looking for an Executive Director or Vice President of Development opportunity within a leading non-profit organization in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. That's about as specific as I can get.
End it, says Peek, with a direct request. In other words, close the deal.
Peek: So the last sentence "You know, you might be able to help me. I'm looking to work with the American Heart Association, or Big Brothers Big Sisters in North Texas. And I'm interested if you know anybody that works for those organizations I might be able to talk to."
Peek says 30-second commercials take work. A half minute is shorter than most realize. Sometimes people forget to say what they can bring to a company. They might ramble or sound unnatural. Some insult a past employer. Those kind of negatives, says Peek, are out of bounds. The technique was an eye-opener for Ralph Barnaby, who has handled contracts for construction firms.
Ralph Barnaby: I had been 24 years with the company I had been with. I've never had a resume, I've never done a 30-second. Since I got out of college. I had never needed to. I never heard of a 30-second. Now that I actually have to go out and look for a job, it gives me an introduction, it gives me a focus, an outline, how to present myself. It's like, wow, it's like getting hit upside the head and it wakes you up.
Casey Lloyd says she's always trying to tweak her 30-second pitch to suit her audience. This version clocked in under 30 seconds.
Casey Lloyd: Hi, my name is Casey Lloyd . I'm a field coordinator and volunteer coordinator in the non-profit industry. I'm looking for help with either union organizations or non-profit, obviously the big two like the Susan G. Komen and American heart Association. But on the union side I need help with SEIU and Alliance AFT. Thank you so much for your time. My name is Casey Lloyd.
Scott Peek calls Lloyd's commercial a work in progress. He would like to hear an "ah-ha" moment that makes you want to spend more time talking to her. Lloyd actually has one - she just didn't mention that, through some of her past organizational efforts, she met candidate - now President - Barack Obama four different times. She'll consider adding that the next time she's in an elevator and that unexpected CEO strikes up a conversation.
If you'd like a career trainer to review your 30-second job pitch go our blog. You'll find information on what to send us. We'll choose a select number to record and critique with a trainer. You'll also find additional tips for your job pitch on the blog at economy.kera.org