I ask this on the heels of two very different experiences last week. Both were related to people I have known since college. Which for me is a very long time ago! In the first encounter the individual I bumped into for the first time in years was incredibly positive. He introduced the individual he was with in a business meeting, explained how we knew each other and asked a few questions about my work. He also shared very succinctly what he is doing now, why we should keep in touch (despite being in completely different industries), and pulled out his business card.
In the second encounter I bumped into another individual I have known for 20 years, but fallen out of touch with, and this person provided one-word answers for every question I had about job, family, and personal life. I actually never got a solid answer for what they did for a living currently. While there is nothing wrong with that, it shows the subtle differences of a person prepared for a 30-second elevator speech and someone that wasn't.
Why is this important? I argue it is hugely critical for both an organization looking to hire as well as a candidate looking for a job. If you cannot easily summarize what your company is all about and what it looks for in a new hire, that will tend to get around. On the other hand, if you are a wayward job seeker with no true direction, your elevator speech is going to be bland and devoid of any color. Your next job may be as close as someone you run into you haven't seen for a while or even meeting a complete stranger who might have the Kevin Bacon six degrees of separation from you that you'll never know if you don't provide some detail on your end first.
So how can you refine your 30-second elevator speech? One quick easy way for companies is to create, maintain, and foster a healthy mission statement. Why are you in business? What customer to you serve and why? What does the typical employee profile look like? My clients are all in insurance. But why? Are you protecting risk? Are you just trying to make commission off of the average Joe Six-Pack? Are you trying to cater exclusively to one particular type of risk. If you don't have these concepts hammered out before an interview or before a possible candidate even visits your website or hears about you word of mouth, you will be doomed when they show up on your doorstep asking you what makes your company different than all the others competing in the same space.
For candidates or prospective employees I would argue the process is even easier. You either love what you do and love telling people about it, or on some level you don't like it at all and you want people to know you are seeking new career opportunities. I suppose a third category is the employee that hates their job, but has no motivation to do anything about it. We all know these people as their 30-second elevator speech sounds more like a whiny broken record about an employer or boss they hate, but are not willing to ever leave. So let's focus on the other two categories. In the first you still want to have a good introduction to what you do. You may be able to influence others to join the organization you are working for you if you love it, or you might be able to outline in a small advertisement what you would like to see in a new employer.
I had a great candidate a few weeks ago tell me that they absolutely love what they do, but they felt like they were doing it for the wrong company. Within a very short period of time I knew exactly which client they would be perfect for. I made an introduction, a first interview was scheduled within a day, a second meeting later that week, and an offer within ten days of first meeting this person. That is an effective 30-second elevator speech!
Have you thought recently about what your 30-second elevator speech would sound like? If not, it might be time to go back to the drawing board and see what you can do to perfect yours.
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