Are you struggling with “tell me about yourself” question every time you go to a job interview, or you have to introduce yourself in a professional environment?
In this post you are going to learn how to structure your ideas and master your pitch about yourself to get your dream job.
The objective is that you can learn how to write a script for your pitch and present yourself with confidence with a 60 seconds pitch technique.
Does it sound easy? Well, it is indeed, but whenever it comes to a real practice, it becomes more difficult. Here we help you to overcome that uncomfortable feeling when introducing yourself in front of other people.
Now, let’s get started with the first question…
Who are you?
Your personal brand should represent what you offer with your values, passion, strengths, and experience.
If you still don’t know how to get started, we recommend you to do a personality test such as the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). This test is based on the ideas about perception and judgment from the well-known Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung.
This evaluation, also known as the 16 personalities test, can help you to understand your kind of personality better and get inspired by the careers recommended to your type of personality.
Read the results carefully. Do you feel related to it? Read about your strengths, weaknesses and the recommended professions for your kind of personality.
After that, write down ideas and reflections. This will help you to have a clear vision on what you want and how can you get it.
Now that you have clarified your ideas… let’s start with the script of your pitch!
The 60 seconds pitch
Having a structure, writing it down and practicing it, might help you to communicate better the message you want to transmit and have more confidence when talking.
You should tell a story or a structure with that makes sense. It is useful to present yourself in a timeline:
PRESENT
1. Start by introducing yourself.
Give your full name, smile, outline your expertise and your purpose.
2. Provide a summary of what you do and why you do it.
As the leadership expert and author Simon Sinek says, Start with Why.
There is a reason why you do what you do, a situation and a deep motivation. Define yourself and what is your expertise and what is the impulse that made you take this path.
PAST
3. Explain what you want and why you deserve it.
Here is the moment when you explain what is your vision.
You should also describe what do you want to achieve and what are the next steps to take.
Put also into words what is the value you are offering, what have you accomplished and what are you capable of.
FUTURE
4. Finish with a call to action
A call to action is an invitation to take some desired action: why are you here today?
You will customize this according to the situation. If you are in a networking event, this could be something you can offer to this person and exchange the contact, so you can maybe collaborate now or in the future.
For example: I would love to keep in touch to learn more about what you and your company do.
If you are in a job interview, you can express what would you love that happens next. Another example would be: I’ve always admired your company because of its principles, and I would love to bring my project management skills to your team.
EXAMPLE:
“Hello, my name is …… I’m a (your job position or expertise) with a wide (or how many years) experience in….
I love… (what is your purpose), for that reason I (which steps did you take to get until here, which path are you following and give real examples with outcomes. What have you done and what have you accomplish for you, your organization or society in general. Give numbers too or mention awards).
I am a …. (Adjectives, what are your strengths) with a strong interest in… (what is your passion). I am here today because… (what do you want) and I think I am a good fit… because.. (call to action)
Practice, practice, practice
Getting ready is crucial. Now that you wrote the message that you want to communicate, the only way to nail it, it is to practice.
You should read the message and pitch it for yourself. It is also very helpful when you observe yourself, so you can record yourself with your mobile and watch the video to help you understand what you can improve. We are not only talking about the message, but the ton of your voice, your posture, etc.
A very good practice is to pitch in front of other people to expose yourself, gain confidence and get their feedback.
