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Creating Key Messages to Tell Your Own Story

Whether in a job search, or speaking to someone about your career goals, it is important to have a solid communication strategy in place.  The most powerful way to connect to that next great job opportunity (internally or with a new company), is to have meaningful conversations.

"If you know of someone who is hiring, let me know!"

We’ve all said it. In these days of economic downturn, we are all hearing people say it far more often than we like. But unfortunately, this request often goes unanswered.

The challenge is how often do we really know exactly how to help that person make a meaningful connection to a job?  Do you truly understand what that person does professionally? Do you understand where they want to go next? And more importantly, how often do you actually know of open jobs unless they are on your own team? Even though you have the best intentions, you may agree to help, but then just move on in your daily life.

When seeking new job opportunities, most people sit down with hiring managers, networking contacts, or even friends and just “wing it” when telling their own story and asking for help. It pays to think through this three-part communication strategy so that you are telling your own story well, and asking for connections in a way that helps others understand how they can assist.

Step 1: Positioning Yourself

This is a brief summary of your professional life. When asked, "What do you do?" or, "Tell me a little about you," have this positioning statement at the ready. Keep these ideas in mind when crafting this key message:

Keep it short.  When sharing your career history, keep it under one minute of speaking time.  Think of it as a sort of "elevator pitch."

Be specific and relevant! It doesn’t matter if you worked on a fishing boat through college if you are interviewing for a Finance Director position. The more relevant and specific you can be, the more likely the listener will understand your experience and how it relates to something they need or how to connect you to someone they know who may need you. In addition, this statement allows you to position yourself with the interviewer so he or she understands how you may fill a specific opening or fit within an organization.

Personalize it! Use your own words and personality to show some enthusiasm about what you do.

Example: "I am a recruiter for marketing and corporate communications roles. I had a full career as an award winning public relations professional before becoming a recruiter nearly 15 years ago. Because of the variety of industries I’ve worked in, I have an extensive network that allows me to make successful placements of top-level candidates at a number of great companies."

Step 2: The Transition Statement

If you’re having a conversation about a potential job opportunity, there has to be a reason you are willing to consider it. Whether by choice or by chance, think about what has brought you to this moment with this specific person.  The question you are answering may be, "Why are you looking?" or "Why are you considering a move from your current position?"

This transitional time may not have been your choice (in the case of a layoff or reorganization), or you may be approached by a recruiter and you are just open to hearing about a new opportunity. Whatever the case, when creating this key message, remember to:

• Answer this question in a succinct manner that allows the listener to be satisfied that the question was actually answered.
• Be honest.
• Be positive.
• Keep it short and simple and segue into the next part of your communication strategy.

Example: (For someone in job search who was recently layed off)  In a recent downsizing of our company, my department was restructured and my position was eliminated. (For someone approached by a recruiter): I would be open to hearing about opportunities that allow me more operational scope and responsibility.

Step 3: Your Professional Objective

The Professional Objective is your opportunity to describe what it is you want to do next in your career.  Again, be as specific as possible.

In any networking situation, someone can only help you if you are clear in the direction you are going.  Imagine if someone pulled over in their car, rolled down the window and asked you, "Can you tell me how to get there?"   Your first response will be, "Where?"

So often in networking, we ask our friends, our relatives and our business contacts, "Can you help me get there?" -- or "If you know someone who is hiring…" without explaining, "hiring what?"

For this key message:

• Have a very clear professional objective for yourself.  Often it is not a specific transaction you are requesting (like a job).  You may simply be seeking a connection to someone who can provide information or guidance about a specific target company.
• Define your objectives.  It’s okay to have more than one objective – but be sure to clearly differentiate the paths you are considering.  If you have focus, others will better understand what you need and how they can help.

Example: "I am looking for opportunities to speak to senior leaders in the wine industry to discuss what they see happening in 2009 regarding growth, and challenges in finding the best talent for their needs."

Practice and Be Genuine:

As you create your own communication strategy for your job search, write it down and try it out on family and friends.  By honing your message, you will go from being scripted, to being yourself.   Use your personality.  Say it with passion.  Nothing works better than being genuine about what you do and what you want to do next.