When a person is in an elevator at a hotel, it's not uncommon to strike up a conversation about their trip or where they're from. While it may be easier to talk about their trip or vacation, what if the individual was a supervisor at a company instead of a vacationer?
Anyone an individual comes in contact with could be the person who changes their career. Networking is everywhere and it can be developed during something as simple as a 30-second elevator ride. It's important to be prepared with a brief introduction that includes a person's skills, experience and career goals.
Just like planning a vacation, a job seeker wouldn't go to an interview without researching the company, verifying the location, developing a resume and dressing appropriately. The preparation should be the same for networking. Meeting any individual is an opportunity to expand contacts and future careers. Being prepared to do so could make or break a job seeker's next career move.
An "elevator pitch" is a 30-second speech that highlights a person's career experience and is meant to be said in the time it takes to ride on an elevator from the bottom floor of a building to the top floor. Elevator speeches are a great way to condense military experience in order to answer the question, "Tell me about yourself." While this question is most commonly asked in an interview setting, it's an overall great networking starter for an event, or for those surprise elevator rides.
To become better prepared for the military-to-civilian transition, all transitioning Soldiers are required to attend the Soldier for Life -- Transition Assistance Program, or SFL-TAP. This program is mandatory for all eligible transitioning Soldiers with at least 180 days of continuous active duty service.
As part of preparing for a civilian career, SFL-TAP covers civilian transition topics such as setting goals, researching civilian companies, creating resumes, the interview process, evaluating job offers, and even how to create a 30-second elevator speech. It's important to take the skills learned at SFL-TAP and practice them. By rehearsing the 30-second speech, Soldiers will be far more prepared for networking opportunities and the introductory questions asked along with it.
Transitioning Soldiers are encouraged to start SFL-TAP 18 months prior to their transition or 24 months prior for retirees. This gives Soldiers time to network, understand their skill sets, apply to jobs and create resumes. To get started, visit Caution-www.sfl-tap.army.mil or contact a local SFL-TAP center.
Originally posted on social media May 23.
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