Q The Elevator Speech, or Job Interview Speech, is a short summary of an applicant's background, expertise, and education.It is a commercial, a self-promotional monologue which concisely highlights the full range of an individual's suitability for a professional role.Designed to be brief enough to be completed during an elevator ride in a tall office building, it is used for networking to solicit job leads, as well as to showcase one's experience in front of a hiring panel or employment committee. PreparationFirst, think in detail about your next job or your ideal job---not a job you'll try to get right after graduation (unless you'll graduate at the end of this semester), but a job you'd apply for today. Visualize the type of work, the physical working environment, the people you would work with, and so on. This will provide you with a conceptual basis from which to create your commercial.Then, picture yourself standing in front of an interview panel consisting of half a dozen executives and administrators who run the company or organization you want to work for. Imagine they are conducting preliminary interviews for a job you strongly desire. Prepare a speech describing your background, education, qualifications, and abilities that would make you the ideal candidate for the job. When delivered in front of real or hypotheticalgroup, this speech should last one to two minutes. Remember, in a job interview situation it is not only desirable but absolutely crucial that you brag about yourself. An employer will want to know how you stand out from the other candidates, what makes you different or special, and why they should offer you a salary. Elaborate about anything you might be proud of in your education, your working background, or life activities. Talk about your achievements in every contextyou can think of. Tell how you’ve completed an important task or accomplished something meaningful. Include leisure interests, hobbies, or unpaid endeavors where you’ve utilized the abilities that will apply to the job you want. While creating your commercial, consider the following issues:•What kind of skills or abilities will the job require?•How much experience do you have in demonstrating the appropriate skills and abilities?•Exactly what can you do for your potential employer?•What is your primary area of competency?•How do you most want to be used?•Where have you performed recently or in the past, and how similar was that setting to the hypothetical one in which you’re now seeking employment?•What kind of setting would you most liketo work in? When describing what you've done in the past, talk about your activities in terms of these skill categories:•Communication•Critical thinking•Problem solving•Mathematical analysis•Organization•Planning•Leadership•Customer Service•Flexibility•Teamwork 20When you begin your recording, tell about the job you’re applying for. Then, imagining that your audience consists of the members of the interview panel, introduce yourself and give them your sales pitch. Do notread it aloud.Going by memory, and referring to your notes only when necessary, convince them that you are the best person in the world for this job. Write your commercial from today’s perspective, while you’re still in college, not from a few years in the future. Imagine that the chief interviewer has asked, “Tell us a bit about yourself.” Present the information in this order:1. Your profession and degree (actual or anticipated)2. The number of years spent in each of the above, if applicable3. Measurable, quantitative accomplishments in school (GPA, awards, etc.) and at work (any numbers pertaining to achievements).If you wish, you may fill in the following blanks to create a draft of your presentation:For this exercise you’ll be graded in this manner:Forty percent of your grade will depend on content---details and information. Sixty percent of your grade will depend on how well you employ nonverbal skills and behaviors.