By Ed Han
Have you ever gotten
into the wrong elevator? In skyscrapers, the buildings are so tall the
elevators serve only some floors and it’s easy to get into the wrong one.
Heaven knows I have. It’s frustrating to look at the buttons for floors, not
see the one you need, and realize you’ll need to go all the way back to the
beginning to reach your destination.
We all know
what an elevator speech is: it’s your 60 second commercial, designed and given
in such a way as to invite follow-up questions. In job search circles, one
hears about elevator speeches often, and there are myriad resources addressing
the subject: a quick Google search produces 1.64 million results. Among those
results are examples of elevator speeches, touted as models.
But often overlooked
is the need for elevator speeches to remain living, breathing things. There is
a sense that an elevator speech is a static thing: once created, once
“perfected”, it does not change. But nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact, the failure to adapt or optimize an elevator speech to suit the
situation could in fact harm your ability to make the desired impression.
So ask yourself
this: what elevator are you in?
Are you in an elevator
with the hiring decision-maker? Is it an elevator with other job seekers? Is it
yet another one?
The elevator
speech for meeting a prospective employer in a job interview is fundamentally
different from the one for a networking event. The audience is different:
therefore, the message should be different, too. And in a job search, there are
many types of meetings in which you may find yourself, many different
elevators.
So doesn’t a
different elevator call for a new elevator speech?
Let me be
clear: I am not suggesting creating a whole new elevator speech on the fly for
every instance. The goal is to customize
and optimize: not to go back to the
very beginning.
Many use an
accomplishment story as a hook to spark a listener’s interest. A lot of sources
I trust and respect describe having one as a best practice for elevator
speeches. But most of us have several significant accomplishments. So be ready
to swap in another one if it will grab someone’s interest or is more relevant
to a listener.
All I am
suggesting is picking & choosing the most appropriate or relevant such hook
and allowing the rest of your elevator speech to grow to fit with it. By
adapting your elevator speech—by knowing what elevator you are in—you will help
keep your listener interested.
Your elevator speech
can be a powerful icebreaker. So use it powerfully by making sure it really
does speak to your listener.
At the end of
the day knowing what elevator you are in will help you stay focused on
connecting in a powerful way with your audience, and thereby forming the kind
of authentic connection that will help you land your next opportunity.
Ed Han is the
former Chair of the PSG Executive Committee
