April 9 / In Person Workshop / Please Call 204-989-6503 To Register

May 7 / In Person Workshop / Please Call 204-989-6503 To Register

The question “What do you do for a living?” can cause anxiety, especially when you're either new to the job market or transitioning into a new career. If you don’t have a clear, concise answer, it can feel like you're missing an opportunity to introduce yourself effectively.

Creating a Personal Brand or elevator pitch is such a powerful tool in these situations. Here’s why it’s so helpful and how it can make a difference:

Why a Personal Brand (Elevator Pitch) Matters

1. Clarity in Communication: It helps you articulate what you do and what you're passionate about in a way that's easy for others to understand. A strong elevator pitch ensures that when you introduce yourself, people know exactly what you’re looking for.
2. Confidence Boost: Having a short, direct answer to this question boosts your confidence when talking to new people or networking. When you’re prepared, you won’t feel caught off guard.
3. Networking Power: The clearer you are about what you want, the better others can help you. An elevator pitch helps others understand your goals, making it easier for them to provide support or direct you to the right resources.

How to Craft Your Elevator Pitch

Here’s a simple formula to help you create a pitch that’s clear and effective:

1. Start with who you are – Mention your role or field of expertise.
   Example: “I’m a marketing professional with a focus on digital advertising.”
2. What you do – Highlight your skills or what you’re currently doing.
   Example: “I help small businesses develop online marketing strategies that drive growth.”
3. What you’re looking for – This is where you tell them what you want.
   Example: “I’m currently looking for a position where I can help a larger organization expand its online presence.”
4. Why you’re passionate about it – Add a personal touch about what excites you about your work.
   Example: “I’m really passionate about helping businesses grow and seeing tangible results from my work.”

Example Elevator Pitch

"I’m a graphic designer with five years of experience creating visual content for digital and print media. Right now, I’m focusing on developing branding and design strategies for tech startups. I’m currently looking for opportunities to work with innovative teams that need help refining their visual identity. I love collaborating with creative people and helping bring ideas to life."

Tips for Success

• Keep it short and sweet: Aim for 30 seconds or less—just enough time to spark interest and start a conversation.
• Tailor it: Adapt your pitch depending on who you're talking to. For example, your pitch might change depending on whether you're talking to a recruiter, a potential employer, or a colleague in your network.
• Practice, practice, practice: The more you practice, the more natural and confident you'll sound.

By crafting a clear and concise personal brand, you make it easier for others to see how they can help you, and it makes networking and job search conversations much smoother.

What Clients Are Saying

• I now know that branding yourself professionally gives you an advantage in the job market and makes you stand out.
• Branding statement. More to think and plan before applying and looking for a job.
• I was reminded how to answer the dreaded question ‘’What do you do for a living’’, how to arrange it and frame it in a concise manner.
• The key for me is to be confident with ourselves, if we explore our attitudes and skills could be very helpful to find an ideal job
• That there is a structure, technique and word choice in order to create a brand that follows the same idea in selling your services or products.
• I feel that I have a good branding statement to put on my LinkedIn page.
• Being able to build my branding and sharing it to others with confidence and motivation.
• A branding statement and confidence because I can say more than “I’m unemployed”
• Confidence in how I present myself and having a key phrase. Even if I am not working!
• It is inspiring and helps self-confidence, especially for people who are already a bit desperate due to long job search (like me).
• A nice paragraph I can work on to have a very cool LinkedIn "About" section
• To be proactive in planning for how I brand myself as a job seeker. Also, it was helpful to learn about having a gratitude mindset and seeing the question of “what do you do for a living” to see it as more f a positive opportunity to share and connect with people.
• My key take away is recognizing the value and how to articulate myself to any potential employer in any setting.
• Yes, I would recommend it because it gets you out of that “tunnel vision” mentality when it comes to how you talk about your job.
• Gained confidence in talking about myself and my career plan
• My branding has been demystified!  Answering the question “What do you do for a living” will now be an opportunity for joy!