Lesson 10: Create a 30 Second Self-Marketing Statement

A 30-second self-marketing statement is also known as the “elevator pitch.” A good way to understand the concept of the elevator pitch is to imagine that you are getting on an elevator, meet a potential recruiter or employer, and you have only 15 seconds to convey who you are and impress him or her enough to warrant a further conversation. In other words, you’ve got to convey “who you are, why you’re interested, why you’re qualified, and what can you do for him/her” in 30 seconds or less. Sounds simple, right?

Four items make up a complete self-marketing statement:

1. Who you are (your educational background and relevant work experience)
2. Why you’re qualified (how your education, knowledge, skills, and accomplishments can benefit the company)
3. What you can do for them (one or two specific areas in which you can help the company)
4. Why you’re interested (you’re inquiring about possible job openings)

Here is an example of a complete self-marketing statement:
Good morning. My name is Donna Smith. I’ll be graduating with an associate degree in audio/visual communications this May. During my fall semester I completed a 20-hour a week internship at XYZ Communications setting up their social media website. I would like to work for your company to improve the effectiveness of your social networking website and was wondering if you have any job openings?

You can use your self-marketing statement in any setting where you have a limited audience with the recruiter/employer such as during a job fair, in a cover letter, during a casual networking conversation, or in a Twitter post.

Assignment 10

Directions: Use this form to create your own self-marketing statement that you can use when you attend job fairs or speak with recruiters: My Self-Marketing Statement.

Now you’re ready to go to Lesson 11.