Many times, you’ll find that when in an interview setting, your interviewer has glossed over your CV but wants to know more about particular experiences, and you’ll probably be asked questions about said experiences. Then what? This is where an elevator speech comes in!
What is an elevator speech? It is an interesting, memorable, and succinct speech explaining your organization or experience and why it has value. Most importantly, it conveys what you feel is most significant about your experience.
How do you create an elevator speech? Easy—just follow these 5 simple steps!
- Define who you are and why you wanted said position/experience. (1-2 sentences)
- Describe your role. (2-3 sentences)
- This is a good time to use your “experience statement.” (See previous blog post)
- Explain what made the experience unique. (2-3 sentences)
- What were you able to do for others with this experience?
- How was this experience of value? Be specific in those examples.
- State what will happen next. (1-2 sentences)
- How is this experience going to bring value as a resident and future physician?
- Put it all together and you’ve got an effective elevator speech for interviews!
Now for some tips for successfully execute your elevator speech
- Tip #1 = PRACTICE!
- Remember, practice makes perfect.
- You don’t want it to sound overly rehearsed.
- Natural pitch, smooth tone, conversation-like.
- Tip # 2 = It’s not the time to be modest; be proud of what you’ve accomplished, but do so in a respectful manner!
- Tip # 3 = BE YOURSELF!
I truly hope you’ve found this personal branding series helpful as this is something I’m really passionate about and proud of—good luck personal branding!
