Nina and Nicole are writing great posts about the Career Fair experience as a whole, so I thought that I'd dig a little more into one of the more confusing and stressful parts of the Career Fair: the talking part. In the professional world, "talking" goes by the fancier name of "networking". And for some reason, giving it a fancier name really freaks some people out. But networking is nothing more than talking with the right people.
At the Career Fair, networking takes on a short and simple form, affectionately referred to as the elevator pitch. The elevator pitch is a brief (20-30 seconds) speech about yourself, your interests, and your goals that you can use to begin a fast conversation with an employer. Given the massive amount of people employers have to talk to in such a limited amount of time, the elevator pitch is both a networking tool and a solution to a classic problem. However, this brevity is exactly what makes the elevator pitch so difficult for students to grasp. How can we summarize ourselves in a single soundbyte?
Fortunately for us, there are Career Center tips and resources that are available to master the elevator pitch. These will come in handy not only at the Career Fair, but in other professional settings in which networking must be done quickly. (Remember, 75% of jobs are found through networking, so this is not something to shy away from!)
Prepare it in advance. As college students, we're no strangers to procrastination and winging it. Most of us probably never even think to practice and prepare an elevator pitch beforehand. But the elevator pitch is one thing you really don't want to improvise. First impressions are everything in networking, and if your elevator pitch sounds sloppy, it could mean bad things for your relationship with employers. Think about yourself, what you want employers to know about you, and how to express these things, and incorporate them into a concise, clear script that you can practice (out loud!) beforehand. You might even want to tailor your pitch to different companies if the fields they come from or the positions they're offering vary.
Check out the Career Center resources. As always, the Career Center can be your best source of information for elevator pitch development. Their networking guide has a section devoted to elevator pitches and how to prepare them. Additionally, there are some great video resources on the Career Center website that you can utilize. These resources, Candid Career and Career Spots, include videos specifically for preparing an elevator pitch and navigating a career fair. Check them out for some great advice from members of the professional world.
Relax when the big day arrives. The Career Fair can be a stressful event. So many students, so many employers, and all of them are talking about the big and scary future. The simple experience of being in Gantcher, with all your suited-up peers swarming around you, can overstimulate you into panic. But don't let it affect you - if your voice comes out shaky and fearful, you won't leave a recruiter with an accurate representation of the suave and confident person you are (when you're dancing alone in your room). Remember that you introduce yourself to people all the time - and it's even easier now that you know exactly what you're going to say.
I talk the talk a lot on this blog - more faithful readers might even fall under the (mostly false) impression that I'm a put-together person who's right on track and has all the career development answers. But rarely do I walk the walk - mostly because it's hard to show walking via blog posts. So, I'll try to change that by sharing with you a sample elevator pitch - one that I crafted for last year's Career Fair (and have since updated) for myself. Although this is by no means a perfect example, or one that you should use a template (everyone's elevator pitch is different), it can give you an idea of what students can say to establish a first connection with an employer. Here it is:
"Hi, I'm Sean Boyden. I'm a current junior at Tufts, majoring in biopsychology and community health. I'm looking to enter the healthcare field, likely a clinical position, and would love to hear any advice you have or opportunities you know about for people in my position."
My elevator pitch is one that's clearly used by a college student - if I were looking for a full-time job, it would probably be more sophisticated (or targeted to a specific position an organization is recruiting for at the career fair). But, this is what I came up with, what I practiced, and what I said (and continue to say) to employers. I hope that, in seeing mine, you realize that an elevator pitch is not some vague, abstract concept - it's an easy little blurb that, while simple at first glance, can really make a difference in your professional development.
So before you trek to Gantcher next Wednesday, make sure that you bring your game face, your resume, and a well-prepared elevator pitch.
Until next time,
Sean Boyden
Class of 2017
