Do You Have an Elevator Pitch or Personal Brand Statement

Do You Have an Elevator Pitch or Personal Brand Statement Huh?   Are they different or are they the same?   What makes them different?   Yikes, this is confusing.   To keep it simple, lets just say you need a way to introduce yourself when asked what do you do.   Right? I think job seekers struggle with this a lot because they either dont know what they want to be when they grow up or because they can no longer say I work at XYZ company as a ___________, plus as human beings we generally dont like selling ourselves.   Oh well, get over it is part of the answer.   The other part of the solution is using language and words that are comfortable for you. The other thing Ill say is that youll get conflicting advice on what really should go into the pitch, mostly because you need to adjust it based on the different audiences you use it with.   Ill admit, I have confused job seekers.   But, my disclaimer is, that 5+ years ago it was enough to just state the facts.   Now, because the job market is so competitive, you have to do more to stand out and be memorable. There are good pitches and not so good pitches or perhaps a better way to say it, there are the beginner pitches and the advanced pitches.   Start at the beginning and begin working towards making it an advanced pitch. I am a: With expertise in: My background includes: My unique qualities are: For more on the basic pitch, you can read this post and read Spice up the old elevator pitch For a more refined elevator pitch, read some posts that Ive found to give you some ideas on how to do this. One of my favorite tools is Harvard Business School’s Elevator Pitch Builder.   It helps by prompting you to answer questions about yourself and then analyzes your pitch. (But it is no longer available.) 6 Steps to Building a Great Elevator Pitch by Tim Tyrell-Smith of Tims Strategy Defining Your Assets and Competitive Edge for Your Brand by Heather Huhman on Personal Branding Blog How to Craft a Personal Brand Statement from the Undercover Recruiter If you either have a great pitch you would like to share or one you need help tweeking, please, share it in the comments below!