FEBRUARY 2015 • ISSUE 2

Australia needs Migrants

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Take control of your

professional development

Take control of your

professional development

My Dream Brought me to

Australia

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Unemployment is increasing making competition for jobs becoming tougher.

Here are tips from our career advice experts on what you can do to stand out from the rest.

February 2015 | www.smpmagazine.com.au 11

Career

As you can see, these business situations all demand that you can pitch yourself professionally! The following tips will help you frame effective pitches:

Assume nothing!It is rare that you will be pitching yourself to someone with an intimate knowledge of your background so aim to hit the mark and eliminate tech-nical jargon and acronyms that can reduce the impact of your message.

Take a top-down approachPitching yourself effectively can be considered both a science and an art. The science involves taking a structured, logical approach. The following top-down stimulus questions can guide development of a professional pro-file statement for your résumé: • Have you worked both in Australia and internationally?• In which sectors of the economy have you worked (e.g. private, public,

and/or not-for-profit)?• In which industries have you worked (or consulted to)?• What types of work settings have you experienced (e.g. corporate, con-

sultancy)? • Which field(s) are you an expert in? • Compared with others in your field(s), which areas do you specialise in,

or emphasise?• With which industry and/or professional associations are you active? • Which employer/customer brands can you leverage?• Are there major project or career highlights worthy of brief mention? • What formal qualifications support your expertise and experience?• What leadership and/or personal style do you adopt to achieve your re-

sults?Some of these questions may not be relevant to you or a situation but the key is the sequence of the questions. They quickly take its recipient (e.g. re-cruitment consultant, hiring manager) on a logical, top down journey from the general to the very specific.

Craft cleverly The art of pitching yourself professionally involves profiling yourself in an en-ergetic and relatively unique way. By doing so, you are seeking to be distinc-tive and memorable. Extending the résumé example to the left, the primary purpose of a profile statement is to secure an interview. To do so, it must:• Positively and quickly differentiate you from other candidates• Align with the goals of the hiring organisation• Introduce ways in which your résumé will provide evidence of your capac-

ity to contribute or add value

A résumé profile statement needs to be crafted with these outcomes in mind. It should incorporate keywords relevant to the advertised opportunity and use impactful words.

Be succinct Space and/or time are often limited, so it is essential that your professional pitch quickly focuses the listener/reader on how you, your area, or business can help them. Similarly, when introducing yourself at a business networking event you need to hit the mark quickly. You should tailor your professional pitches according to space/time constraints and be appropriately succinct.

Polish and refineFraming high quality professional pitches is challenging. For example, when creating a résumé profile statement, initial efforts tend to be mechanical. Intelligent, strategic decisions may then need to be made to tailor the pro-file statement so that it is relevant to its audience. So, be prepared to edit, proofread, and polish until you have created rich and compelling profiles.

BE ONE STEP AHEAD: pitch yourself professionally

Seeking new career or business opportunities• Framing a professional profile

statement for your résumé• Developing your LinkedIn sum-

mary• Introducing yourself to a re-

cruitment consultant• Networking at industry or pro-

fessional events • Meeting with potential hiring

managers

Advancing within businesses • Launching a project or initiative • Presenting to key decision-makers• Networking to gain professional

credibility and visibility

Developing Markets • Developing tender documents• Networking to meet

prospective clients• Presenting your credentials,

as part of a wider client presentation/proposal

by Barry J HorneExecutive leadership coach, career management consultant, trainer, and speaker

ALL PROFESSIONALS NEED TO POSITIVELY INFLUENCE OTHERS’ PERCEPTIONS. This applies whether you are looking to secure new career or business oppor-tunities, advance within an organisation, or cap-ture clients in the market. Such situations could be: