Taking advantage of the short amount of time you have with a prospective employer, hiring manager, recruiter, networking contact, etc. is crucial.

A concise, pre-planned statement about yourself, aka an elevator speech, will allow you to use the time you happen to be in an elevator - or similar situation - with those types of key people to your best advantage.

This statement should spark interest, be interesting and memorable, and last no longer than 60 seconds. A good elevator speech will succinctly share what makes you unique.

Here are three tips to start crafting your speech today:

1. Use LinkedIn to Get Started. LinkedIn lists your experience, expertise, core skills and personality traits. These elements paint a clear picture of your strengths. Tie these key points about yourself together by sharing an accomplishment, your career objective and your skill set.

2. Determine Which Keywords You Want to Convey. It’s key to know how you want others to remember you in these situations. Write down the seven keywords you want to convey during your speech on separate pieces of note paper.  Ask your career coach or a trusted friend or relative to listen to your speech then write down the seven keywords that stood out. Compare notes and adapt your speech.

3. Address a Few Basic Questions about What You Do. A good rule of thumb is to have one to three sentences that answer: Who do you work with? What is their challenge? What do you or what role do you play? The answers should fit into this type of pattern: I work with…who are challenged by….What I do is….

All career coaches agree that it’s vital to clearly communicate what you do, what your strengths are and why you’re great at what you do. There’s no right or wrong way to create your perfect elevator speech, providing the end result gets you the results you need!

– IMPACT Group

About the Author: IMPACT Group is WBE-a global career coaching firm based in St. Louis, MO that specializes in relocation support, talent development and outplacement services.