<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style=""><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="" size="4">Hello NFB membership and friends, </font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"><br></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">Attached is a useful module, "Elevator Pitch," to assist job seekers in preparing for our Job Fair at our 47th Annual National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey State Convention. It is intended to assist you as you meet prospective employers at the fair. Normally you might be asked, "Tell me about yourself." or "Why do you think you're a good fit for this role?" Please review and let this module guide you as you prepare your own version of an elevator pitch. </font><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:large">We anticipate sending additional job seeker modules; stay tuned. </span></p><div style=""><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div style=""><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">Best regards,</font></div><div style=""><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">Job Fair Team </font></div><div style=""><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div style=""><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">****</font></div><div style=""><a name="_Toc144403206" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:large"><b>Elevator Pitch</b></a></div><div style="">
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">If you’re looking for a job,
one of the first tasks on your to-do list should be crafting an ideal “elevator
pitch.” It’s the 30-second to 2-minute speech that summarizes who you are, what
you do and why you’d be a perfect candidate for a specific job.<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">You should be able to reel off
your elevator pitch at any time. During a job interview at a job fair to a cocktail
party conversation with someone who might be able to help you land a position –
or introduce you to someone who can. There are many situations, both formal and
informal, where a small summary of who you are and what you can do can be
invaluable.<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">Sounds simple enough, right?
But condensing 5, 10, or 20+ years of your life's work accomplishments into a
30-second statement that packs a punch can feel as challenging as trying to
stuff a Little League Team into a Volkswagen Beetle.<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">I get that. So, to help you
develop a knockout elevator pitch, I’ve broken the process down into nine
steps:<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"><span class="gmail-Heading1Char">1. Clarify your job target</span>.
As Yogi Berra famously said, “You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know
where you’re going, because you might not get there.”<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">According to Forbes, when you
begin putting an elevator pitch together, nail down the best way to describe
your field and the type of job you’re pursuing. Until you can clearly explain
the type of position you want, nobody can help you find it or hire you to do
it.<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"><span class="gmail-Heading1Char">2. Put it on paper.</span>
Write down everything you’d want a prospective employer to know about your
skills. Include accomplishments and work experiences that are relevant to your
target position. Then grab a red pen and mercilessly delete everything that’s
not critical to your pitch.<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">Keep editing until you’ve got
the speech down to a few key bullet points or sentences. Your goal is to
interest the listener in learning more, not to tell your whole life story. So,
remove unnecessary details that detract from your core message.<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"><span class="gmail-Heading1Char">3. Format it</span><strong>.</strong> A good pitch should answer three
questions: Who are you? What do you do? What are you looking for? Be concise.<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">Here’s an example of how to
begin a pitch that includes the essentials: “Hi. I am Anne Dolan. I am an
accountant with 10 years’ experience in the insurance industry and I’m looking
for opportunities in the Atlantic City area with both insurance and finance
companies.”<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">That speech would take about 15
seconds. Anne would then want to use her next 15 seconds to add details about
her unique selling proposition, special skills and specific ways she could help
a potential employer.<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"><span class="gmail-Heading1Char">4. Tailor the pitch to them, not you</span><strong>. </strong>It’s important to remember that the
people listening to your speech will have their antennas tuned to WIFM (What’s
in It for Me?). So be sure to focus your message on <em>their </em>needs. For
example, this introduction: “I am a human resource professional with 10 years
of experience working for consumer products companies.” The pitch would be more
powerful if you said, “I am a human resource professional with a strong track
record in helping to identify and recruit top-level talent into management.”<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">Using benefit-focused
terminology will help convince an interviewer that you have the experience,
savvy and skills to get the job done at his or her business. In other words,
What’s in it for them?<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"><span class="gmail-Heading1Char">5. Eliminate industry jargon.</span><strong> </strong>You need to make your pitch easy for
anyone to understand, so avoid using acronyms and tech-speak that the average
person or job interviewer might not understand.<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">The last thing you want to do
is make your listener feel stupid or uninformed.<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"><span class="gmail-Heading1Char">6. Read your pitch out loud</span>.
As Fast Company’s Deborah Grayson Riegel recently pointed out in her article “<a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3004484/problem-your-elevator-pitch-and-how-fix-it" target="_blank">The Problem With Your
Elevator Pitch and How to Fix It</a>,”
writing is more formal and structured than speaking. If you’re not careful,
your elevator pitch can come off sounding more like an infomercial than a conversation. Reading it aloud then tinkering with the
words will help you sound more authentic.<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"><span class="gmail-Heading1Char">7. Practice, practice, practice (then solicit feedback).</span><strong> </strong>Rehearse your pitch in front of a mirror
or use the recording capabilities of your computer or cell phone, so you can
see and hear how you sound. Practice with a friend. You want to sound natural
and unrehearsed.<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">This might feel awkward at
first, but the more you practice, the smoother your delivery will be.<span></span></font></p>
<p><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">Try your pitch out on a few
friends and ask them what they thought your key points were. If their response
doesn’t square with your objective, the speech still needs work.<span></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"><span class="gmail-Heading1Char">8. Prepare a few variations</span><strong>.</strong> You might want to
say things slightly differently to an interviewer than to a former colleague.
Also, sometimes you’ll just have 15 seconds for a pitch (kind of a short
elevator ride), other times you may have a minute or two.<span></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"> </font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">On
the following page is an example of my elevator pitch to demonstrate how your
elevator pitch might look:<span></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"><br></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">****</font><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:large"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">My
name is Ed Garcia. I have 20+ years’ experience attaining revenue growth,
increasing operational efficiencies, and increasing capacity to handle sales
and operational demands. I have accomplished this both as a manager directing
customer service and recruiting teams. I have also increased company capacity
by sourcing talent, and becoming familiar with the skills and cultural fit
required by Hiring Managers. I am looking to find a suitable position where I
can leverage this knowledge into gaining employment for the blind and disabled
of New Jersey.<span></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"> </font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">I am
a Talent Acquisition professional with experience developing and executing
recruiting plans. I have a strong track record in helping to identify and
recruit top-level talent into organizations. This includes the management of
all phases of full-cycle recruiting, from initial sourcing, screening, and
interviewing through offer negotiations, reference checking, placement and
onboarding. I creatively source high-caliber candidates by leveraging
recruiting software, social media, cold calling and employee referrals. I am
also experienced with new-hire orientation and new-hire training. My strengths
include a Diversity & Inclusion focus, and creating an enjoyable recruiting
experience to enhance internal & external customer delight &
satisfaction. <span></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"> </font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">My
most recent area of focus has been the preparation of blind and other disabled
clients to apply and gain employment. This includes training to create elevator
pitches, resumes, cover letters, and provide mock interviews. My process also
combines a unique ability to interpret management’s strategic goals into
tactical initiatives and exceeding the organizational objectives by
synthesizing the corporate needs with the individual’s growth &
development. <span></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"> </font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4">In
addition, I am Bi-lingual in Spanish. <span></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"> </font></p></div><div style=""><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div style="font-size:large;font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br clear="all" style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small"><div style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>