A friend of ours, Rachel M. Esterline, from Central Michigan University, writes one of the more impressive blogs we follow. Her blog gives students some wonderful advice on job seeking, networking and the public relations industry as a whole and we are pleased to share one of her posts here today.
For the full benefit of all Rachel has to offer visit her blog at http://www.rachelmesterline.com/astepahead/. You won’t be disappointed.
July 23, 2008
Today I read an article delivered in PRSA Issues and Trends about elevator pitches.
They are tougher to write than you might think. If you’ve ever been to my Website, you have seen my bio, which is several paragraphs long.
I think having an elevator pitch will give me an edge, especially if I happen to run into a president of a PR firm while at the PRSSA National Conference in Detroit this October.
Below you can read my first draft of my elevator pitch. I say first draft because I’m sure I’ll edit it and shape it depending on who I am telling it to. This one is more so targeted towards those questions of “what do you want to do when you grow up…and graduate?”
I’m Rachel Esterline, a PR major with minors in journalism and communication. I’d like to work at a PR firm because I like the variety and fast pace. I’ll be good at it because I can juggle multiple things at once well. This fall, in addition to taking a full course load and working part-time, I am the chair of two committees, an account executive of our student-run firm, a freelance writer for an online magazine, and involved in a PRSSA national subcommittee. Here’s my card.
I think having business cards on hand will also be important. Networking is a huge part of public relations.
Can you tell me who you are in just 30 seconds?
Why Network? 