You need to be able to tell a potential employer who you are and how you can help, usually in 30 second or less. It’s known as the elevator speech, the quick description of yourself you’d give someone while riding in an elevator with them.

“So many go about it the wrong way. They talk about the glee club.’ It’s fine to be authentic and discuss your interests on an interview, but not at the expense of missing your message. ‘If I don’t know how [what you are saying is] going to help me, you’re not going to get the job,’” Mark Grimm, a public speaker and messaging strategist, says in a recent article on TheLadders.com.

Work on that elevator speech.

“The trick to mastering this type of effective communication in the job search is to prepare that message and make sure it’s tailored to a particular person.

“The first question is always, ‘What does the audience want?’ ” Grimm tells The Ladders.com. “Delivering value to the listener is the most important idea.”

Know what the potential employer is looking for and tell how you will deliver that, and deliver it better than any other candidate.
John N. Frank