final meng elevator speech

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Session Goals

Define the Elevator Speech and why it is important

Review primary components of an Elevator Speech

Practical Dos and Donts

Practice Practice - Practice

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What is an Elevator Speech?

Elevator Speech: A brief introduction of yourself , focusing on your accomplishments and value, deliverable to someone you encounter in an elevator

rising 30 floors in 120-seconds.

More likely, it will be used with people you meet at career fairs, campus events, meetings, and even via telephone and email, etc.

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Why is an Elevator Speech Important? The impression you make in the first 2 minutes can determine a potential employers interest in pursuing you for available jobs

You will have limited time to present your skills and accomplishments to employers at career fairs

Alumni who can help with your job search will have little time to get to know you at on-campus functions

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What Do I Say in my Elevator Speech? State your name, your degree and major at Cornell

University, and your mission to be employed doing X

Detail qualities or experiences that make you unique

Relate how your background can help solve problems in your target industry or job function

Offer a short story that shows a successful outcome

Keep it short focus on what you want the other person to remember about you.

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In More Basic Terms.. Focus on:

Who you are

What you have done

What you want them to remember

Your goal to make an impact on your most passionate career field

Get organized Know Yourself, Know Your Industry

Memorize your elevator speech by heart, but keep it conversational

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A Weak Elevator Speech

Hi,

My name is Mary Smith.

I am a student at Cornell majoring in computer science.

Im looking for a job in computer science and understand your firm is a software company.

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A Better Elevator Speech My name is Mary Smith. I will complete my Masters Degree at Cornell University

in May, and would like to use the skills I have developed in a full-time software design

position after I graduate.

I read about the advanced technologies your company used to develop the Isis App,

which I used on a software design project I worked on with Harry Johnson, one of

your recent hires. We went on to win an annual Microsoft competition to design

code in Perl and Javascript to track worldwide retail purchases . I applied the Isis App to fortify advanced algorithms I developed in my Web Systems class. (you would give more detail here)

I noted that youll be interviewing on campus next month and have submitted my

resume in the hope that I can obtain an interview for your Database Systems Analyst

position. Im very interested to know more about your needs for this position.

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TIPS TO DEVELOP YOUR SPEECH

Write it out eliminate unnecessary words and any sense of awkwardness in presentation

Memorize it by heart, but make it sound conversational and effortless, rather than mechanical

Make it memorable and sincere; show your personality and motivations by talking about your accomplishments

For each point, be sure to answer the So What? question

Include something that leads the listener to ask questions that may lead to further conversation

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TIPS TO DEVELOP YOUR SPEECH

Dont get stuck with industry jargon or use of acronyms

Dont focus only on yourself, but do include your unique traits and accomplishments

Dont continue rambling if you sense the listener is no longer listening you may need to end your speech earlier than you expected

Dont hesitate to create slightly different versions for different scenarios

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TIPS TO DELIVER YOUR SPEECH

Practice, practice, practice be sure to express your most important points, preferably through story telling

Smile and deliver your speech with warmth, confidence, passion, and enthusiasm while maintaining eye contact with the listener

If you are appealing to a particular employer, research and demonstrate that you know something about the company

Ask for a business card or other means to follow up

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For Whom Might You Use Your Elevator Speech?

Employer Reps at campus career fairs and company information sessions or events

Alumni of Cornell and your undergraduate institution, found through LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com)

Presenters at university or department functions

Faculty Referrals Significant knowledge base & industry contacts

Contacts at religious organizations, social clubs, team sports

Friends of family and their spouses who work

Family of friends and their spouses who work

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SUMMARY Start early

Practice Practice - Practice

Memorize without being obvious about it

Make it memorable tell stories

This is a time to sell yourself dont be modest! Give yourself credit for your accomplishments, but show how they can benefit your listener

Practice Practice Practice especially if you create variations or need to end prematurely

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See you soon We encourage you to attend the career workshops during the College

of Engineering/EGSA Orientation on Saturday, August 27. You will have a chance to refine your elevator speech and practice it at the welcome reception.

After Orientation, make an appointment at Engineering Co-op & Career

Services, 201 Carpenter Hall, for individual consultation.

Visit us at http://www.engineering.cornell.edu/resources/career_services/index.cfm.

Good luck!


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