THE ART OF SELLING “YOU”
Matthew Cowley, M.Ed.
Career Resource Center
About Me
Networking
Professionalism
Professionalism & Your Brand
What is a brand?
A brand tells us what to expect when we interact with
a product or service
Professionalism & Your Brand
Personal Branding is making the best use of your
attributes in order to project an image that is easily
recognized and associated with anything you do
Is professionalism a part of your brand?
IT SHOULD BE!
Professionalism
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Firm handshake
Punctual
Appropriate dress
Communicates Professionally
The Elevator Speech
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE- Before writing any part of your elevator speech, research
your audience. You will be much more likely to succeed if your elevator speech is
clearly targeted at the individuals you are speaking to. Having a ʹgenericʹ elevator
pitch is almost certain to fail.
KNOW YOURSELF- Before you can convince anyone of your proposition you need to
know exactly what it is. You need to define precisely what you are offering, what
problems you can solve and what benefits you bring to a prospective contact or
employers
Answer the following questions:
 What are your key strengths?
 What makes you special?
 What adjectives come to mind to describe you?
 What is it you are trying to ʹsellʹ or let others know about you?
 Why are you interested in the company or industry?
The Elevator Speech
OUTLINE YOUR TALK- start a simple outline of your material using bullet points.
You can use the following questions to start your outline:
1. Who am I?
2. What do I offer?
3. What problem is solved?
4. What are the main contributions I can make?
5. What should the listener do as a result of hearing this?
FINALIZE YOUR SPEECH- The key to doing this is to expand on the notes you made by writing out each section in full.
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To help you do this, follow these guidelines:
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Take each note you made and write a sentence about it.
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Take each of the sentences and connect them with additional phrases to make them flow.
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Go through what you have written and change any long words or jargon into everyday language.
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Go back through the re-written material and cut out unnecessary words.
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Finalize your speech by making sure it is no more than 90 words long.
The Elevator Speech
Let’s Practice!
Networking
Why Network?
1.
2.
3.
4.
To be educated about your field or industry
Many jobs and internship opportunities simply go
unpublished
Many publicized opportunities are given to the
networkers
Building a professional network is a lifelong
investment
Getting Started
You are already winning!
Your Network
 Peers
 Professors
 Advisors
 Gator Nation
 The CRC!
LinkedIn is a great tool to meet new
people easily. You can even connect with
UF alumni using LinkedIn.com/alumni.
Many of the same recruiters come to
Career Showcase every semester.
Building a relationship can give you a leg
up in the job search process.
Networking is not…
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Manipulation of others
Obligation to others
Keeping tabs on what people do or do not do
Putting someone on the spot
Being demanding
“Brown nosing” or “kissing up”
Getting Started
As you begin building your network…
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Know what you know
Know what you want to know
Be open-minded
Do Your Homework
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Research organizations
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Know the names of “entry level” positions
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Be knowledgeable of trends and hot topics
LinkedIn
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Research organizations and see the people you
may know
Find new organizations similar to the ones you
already know
Look for jobs and internships
Join groups to find great connections
Share articles with your connections
Let your connections know about academic or
personal accomplishments
Need Help?
Upload or create a
resume for employers to
be see!
Search full-time jobs,
part-time jobs, internships,
and research
opportunities in four
databases
Find out about
workshops,
information sessions,
and fairs that the
CRC has JUST FOR
YOU!
The CRC Can Help!
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Career Planning Appointments/Walk-Ins
Certified Gator Professional
CHOMP
Employer2Student Programs
Gator Launch
Career Showcase