Have you ever had a chance encounter with someone who could help you achieve your career goals? Were you satisfied that you made the most out of the opportunity to talk with that person?
If you are like most people, every once in a while you have an opportunity to talk with someone that can offer you a job or help your career in some fashion. Sometimes this meeting is a 30-second encounter at the coffee pot in the morning. Other times it is an introduction at an informal gathering or meeting. Still other times, you have the opportunity to introduce yourself to another person and rather than make the most of it, you avoid the situation altogether.
What stops us in these situations? Is it fear? Is it shyness? Often times, we take a pass on these great opportunities because they occur at times when we are not expecting them and they catch us off guard. There may be only a few brief moments to take action and we don't know what to do or say.
I would like you to prepare in advance for these situations. Perform the following exercise to help you take advantage of such situations.
Imagine that you are in the middle of a job search. You and a friend agree to meet for lunch one day. Your friend happens to work at a company for which you would very much like to work. You made arrangements to meet your friend at her office and then go out to lunch together.
As you are walking down the hall together, a person comes walking down the hall the other way. As this person approaches you, your friend stops and briefly introduces you.
"Dr. Hutchins", she says, "I'd like you to meet my friend". Dr. Hutchins happens to be the VP of the department for which you would like to work.
You shake hands with Dr. Hutchins---and then what?
I would like you to think about what you would say. Let's call this "The 10 Second Drill".
The 10 Second Drill is simple in concept, more complicated in practice. Develop a brief yet powerful way to introduce yourself that tells someone a little bit about who you are and what you can do to help them in 10 seconds or less. Come up with an introduction that "hooks" the other person, draws them in, and makes them want to know more about you. Make a lasting impression! Once you develop a strong introduction, practice it with your friends and ask them for feedback. Perfect your self-introduction so that it comes naturally to you when you say it. Consider the following examples:
"Hi. I'm Joe Smith. I love to help people get the most out of life by showing them better ways to manage their time".
"Hello, my name is Janet Johnson and I'm an expert in helping organizations make sure they hire the right people".
"My name is Robert Zimmerman and I have found new ways to increase revenue by designing successful online marketing campaigns".
These introductions all tell us a little bit about these people and what they do. These introductions also make us want to ask a few more questions to learn more about these people. That is exactly what a good introduction should do.
In the field of marketing, we talk about the importance of Unique Selling Proposition, or USP, all the time. The 10 Second Drill is really a strong introduction that communicates the unique selling proposition of your personal brand in just a few seconds. Think about this introduction in terms of it being a headline or just a few bullet points that describe who you are and how you can help others.
Think about how to best sum up yourself in this 10 second introduction. Practice "The 10 Second Drill." A strong and powerful first impression might launch your career or your brand to higher levels of success than you ever imagined.
Until next time...quick...I have to get to a meeting...tell me a little about yourself.
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