“Quick, tell me who you are and what you do in less than a minute.” This is the topic of Barbara Rose’s article, Learn to Sell Yourself in 60 Seconds. A three step strategy is used to develop an effective “elevator pitch”:

1. Say who you are
2. Say what you do
3. Say why you do it better

Rose suggests avoiding generalities like, “I enjoy helping people.” It sounds weak and has no impact. It does not stick. It is a concept that needs flushing out. Adding a brief story to illustrate your customer service expertise drives home the point. It is punchy and it sticks. You have caught the hiring manager’s attention and they want to hear more.

This three-step strategy is powerful. However, it requires discipline, restraint and little practice. Too often, the tell-me-about-yourself question is answered in excess. People try to hurry through their whole resume. This is sad, because in the first few minutes of the interview you loose the interviewer and more importantly – the job. On the other hand, creating concise high impact stories that “combine a picture with your words…doubles the amount of time people remember you.” This is critical, because once you leave the interview, there are dozens of distractions to blur their impression of you. Pick stories that will help them remember you and the value you will add to the organization.

Here are two examples from the article: A woman shares that she is a versatile customer service and operations professional whose travels through 48 states gave her valuable experience with diverse people. A financial controller who loves the game of  golf linked his precision and follow-through of his swing to the qualities to brings to his work.

Take time to craft your three-stage presentation. You’ll want to practice aloud to work out the bugs and make sure you are staying under the minute mark. As the article states, “Polishing your pitch the cheapest and most effective way to get or keep a good job in a tough market.”