Your Elevator Speech for Networking and Job Fairs

An elevator speech is a 20-30 second summary of your background that you can use to succinctly present yourself to new contacts. It’s a quick overview of who you are.

You can create a few different speeches to use in different contexts. It’s important that it works for you and seems natural. Practice it a few times and tweak it so it does not sound rehearsed.

Here are some examples:

• "I help companies set up their sales systems and improve their processes."
• "I’m a tax accountant. I work mostly with small companies and help them make sure they don’t pay more taxes than they need to."

A job fair elevator speech can be a bit longer. It answers the question, "What do you do and what are you looking for?"

• "I am a tax accountant, and I work with smaller companies for whom workers comp and other taxes are a significant cash drain. I help them make sure that they aren’t paying any more than they are required to. My clients in your industry include ABS Company and XYZ Company. I’m considering a transition from public to corporate accounting and I’m interested in learning more about your company."
• "I am a senior at the University of Maryland and I’ll be graduating with my Communication degree in May. Through my internship experience and coursework, I’ve developed a passion for and skill in public relations, and I’m looking to find a great company to promote through my PR work."