Did you know that YOU are your best sales agent? Who knew!? Well now you do!

What would you say if you only had 25 seconds to describe yourself?

In that length of time, your pitch should communicate the following information:

• Name
• Profession, trade, or occupational specialty
• Current situation (presently employed, let go due to downsizing, changing careers, etc)
• What you’re looking for in the way of job opportunities
• What you can offer that sets you apart from other candidates

Here’s an example:

“I graduated from college last June with a degree in business and have spent the past four months temping for a variety of companies. I’m looking for an entry-level position in a corporation that does a lot of clothing business in Latin America. I’m fluent in Spanish, and because I lived for several years in Argentina, I have a good sense of how to do business in South America.”

Remember to pay attention to the sequence of information. Begin with a brief description of your background.

Use this framework:

My name is ___________________. I received your name from ______________________. For the past _______ years, I have been working as a _______________________________ and have specialized mainly in _______________________________. Right now I am _________________________, and I’m looking for __________________________. What I have to offer is _________________________________.

See! It’s simple. You can customize this outline to make it more personal.

Now get out there and sell the wonderful YOU.

Source:

Messmer, M. (1999). Job hunting/networking. Job hunting for dummies. 2nd edition. Wiley Press: NY