15
5
Part One: Draft one to two sentences that include your name, and an interesting fact relevant to the circumstances of the moment. For a job interview, it might be a skill, for a networking event, it might be your most recent project, or something that lets you get your line of work into the conversation. If you’re having trouble coming up with one, you can use this worksheet: http://www.heroesgethired.com/hgh/downloads/3words-WORKSHEET.pdf
Example: Hi, my name is Amy Rossi. Did you see the game last night—the Human Resources fantasy football league will be going crazy this morning.
Part Two: One sentence that builds on the information you revealed in part one, keeping in mind that you need to listen to the person who’s speaking to you.
Example: Yeah, I work on a really dynamic team. Our latest project led to fifteen new Veteran hires, which is a real passion for me; I’ve been working toward ending Veteran unemployment for the past seven years.
Part Three: One to two sentences that give them a sense of where you want to build yourself professionally.
Example: Over the past seven years, the Veteran hiring market has gone through some interesting changes. I’m really interested in growing training and entrepreneurship
resources for Veterans in partnership with other companies—does your company work with Veterans?
Think about it this way, most 30 second commercials only have 15 seconds of actual text. The mind needs time to absorb and process new information. Don’t stress yourself out thinking that you have to distill your whole life and your vision for the future into one convenient, elevator-sized speech. Instead, focus on giving your audience what they need—what they can write down, remember, and call you about on Monday morning.