No doubt you have heard of the “elevator speech.” It is the 2-3 minute speech you would give if asked about your brilliant business idea on an elevator ride with a potential investor. But have you ever considered what you would say in those 2-3 minutes if asked about your personal brand? Imagine that you are at a networking event and someone you truly want to impress walks into the room. This person could introduce you to new clients, business partners, or mentors. She walks up and says, “Tell me about yourself.” What do you say? The 2-3 minute response should include who you are, what you truly care about, and why the individual should hire or work with you. Your personal brand statement is a snapshot of who you are. It can make or break an interview, and it can help forge important business relationships.
But writing a personal brand statement is not as easy as just saying who you are. You need to stand out. These 7 tips will help you create a personal brand statement that captures all the important qualities you bring to the table without leaving your interviewer bored and uninspired.
1 – Say Your Name
Ok, so this one is a “gimme.” But it is still important. If you are in an interview, the person will already know your name. But if you are at a networking event, and you are interrupted halfway through your statement, you want the person to at least know who you are and how to find you again.
2 – Say What You Do Now
Give a brief explanation of your current position and tasks. This should give the listener an idea of your abilities. But this is not the most important part of the statement. Presumably, what you are currently doing for a living is not what you ultimately want to do. So, make sure to cover it, but then move on quickly.
3 – Transition to Your Goals
Now that you have said what you do for a living, transition to talking about your goals. Why do you want to work for this new company? Why should people align with you? Where do you want to be in five to ten years? What is the ideal next step for you?
4 – Target Your Audience
Focus on whatever part of your goals will be most beneficial to the person you are talking to. If you are talking to the Sales Manager, talk about your skills form a marketing perspective. If you are talking to the Lead Accountant, explain how your services save the company money.
5 – State Your Value
Why are you an important asset to your company, and what can you bring to a new business? Does your skill set improve the bottom line? Do you help keep existing customers? Do you improve the reputation of the business? You can say things like, “I build long-lasting relationships with my customers,” or, “I evaluate the organizational structure of businesses to make their processes more efficient.”
6 – Show Enthusiasm
Smile! Shake the interviewer’s hand. Give them a business card, if you have one (and you should have one). Tell them you would like to work with them. Make sure it is abundantly clear when you leave the interview that you are interested in the opportunity. Many people will interview for this job or talk to this person; make it clear that you want to take the next step.
7 – Ask for Help
Depending on the complexity of your personal brand statement, you might consider seeking help from outside professionals or writing services. Some people specialize in writing branding statements. It may be worth it to hire a professional to really make your personal brand stand out.
Here are a few examples of strong personal brand statements:
I’m Jane Doe. Currently, I am a Marketing Associate for XYX Corporation. I engage our customers on social media and help improve our CRM. I want to work for ABC Organization as a Digital Marketing Associate. My experience with digital marketing will allow me to increase customer retention and improve customer satisfaction. This will improve the bottom line.
My name is Henry James. I am an Editor at WriteWords Inc. I improve my clients’ words so they can more properly convey their message. I improve the web traffic and commentary on their pages by making their writing as engaging as possible. I want to work at SEO Now as a Lead Editor. My editing skills can increase the organic SEO for the company, and improve the click-through rate of the company’s articles.
Now that you know how to make a strong personal brand statement, practice it. Commit it to memory. The next time you are in a situation where someone says, “Tell me about yourself,” you will know exactly what to say.
About the Author
This guest article has been provided by Kenneth Waldman.
Photo credit: Ryan McGuire
