Career Management Elevator Speech

A really cool elevator speech has its parts deconstructed…on an elevator, of course.

[youtube Tq0tan49rmc Elevator Speech]

While the video from Sean Wise is about creating an elevator speech for investors, if we have a personal brand, the steps are the same for creating your elevator speech to the people in your space as it relates to your career.

Sean notes the following investor orientation, along with my interpretation on career management for cubicle warriors:

Definition of the elevator speech: the two minute commentary it takes to go from the lobby to the investor’s office on the top floor.

Career management definition: the two minute explanation of the unique value you bring to your work.

Two elements to the elevator speech:

• The pain statement - the problem trying to be solved.
  • Career management viewpoint: customer issues your client is facing and having difficulty solving.
• The value proposition - how does your venture solve that problem.
  • Career management viewpoint: how your talents and strengths can help clients address their customer problems

4 key tests for a successful elevator speech

• Succinct - to the point
  • Yup
• Easy to understand - no tech talk
  • Career management viewpoint: what your business benefits are working the problem compared to others.
• Green inducing - investors want to make money.
  • Career management viewpoint: Hiring managers want great production and few employee issues. Deliver, deliver, deliver.
• Irrefutable - less questions from investors
  • Career management viewpoint: Hiring managers want people they know will deliver and not have their hiring judgment questioned.

Career management isn’t just layer upon layer of strengths, polish, long resumes and dressing for success.

It is also about a carefully crafted statement about what you do that will succinctly capture why someone wants you in their fox hole when all the shooting starts.

A big hat tip to Dan Schawbel over at the Personal Branding Blog for the idea of a venture capital elevator speech now turned into a career management statement.

Scot