By Angelica Recierdo, The Annotated Muse
Just like in the business world, we need our own personal elevator pitch. In today’s day and age, the traditional résumé on cardstock and business card with Times New Roman font can be bland and unmemorable. The hippest of employers are hiring based on Vines and blog posts. At parties and networking events, can you stand to recite the usual spiel of “I’m from blank and I work in/study blank” one more time? I find that the most truths are in the “but” and “also,” the dreams and experiences we keep tucked behind a comfortable title or background. “I’m a nurse but also a writer.” “I’m from San Francisco but I grew up in Brooklyn.” How do we get to the stories – the substance of our lives?
In my attempt at re-imagining my elevator pitch, I thought of those skills we list and endorse each other for on LinkedIn. What would an honest skill set look like? Here is mine:
RESOURCEFUL
Cutting people in line
Looking like a “nice” girl and being 5’3” helps
Cooking an egg five ways
Perfected by “Tasty” videos
Packing no more than a carry-on bag
Confessions from a lazy traveler who doesn’t want to drag anything heavy
COOL/MISCELLANEOUS
Flawless field hockey stroke
You have to get the ball air-bound into one of the top corners of the goal box
Wins random things
Like a car in high school
Choosing the coolest, most envied dish on the menu
Why order spaghetti with meat sauce if you can make it at home? Unless you’re in Italy, of course
CREATIVE
Mismatching clothes and décor in ways that just fit
My wardrobe and interior design mantra is “boutique plus flea”
Has rhythm
Sober
Can caption anything
The future of writing jobs
EXTERNALLY-FACING
Can strike up a conversation about anything with anyone
Nurses talk about intimate things with their patients
Good at making people feel included
It’s a better time that way; I enjoy myself when others are enjoying themselves
Has event-attending down to an art
I’m curious to a fault – from 3-D printing to Russian cuisine, why not take advantage of shared knowledge?
Yes, I’m an ENFP – Extraversion, Intuition, Feeling, Perception – and a Gemini. Is it that obvious? This could be a good exercise to learn about your skills and personality in a non-workplace context. First, I wrote down my random skill set. Second, I added a footnote, explaining why I have that skill. Third, I grouped them all based on a shared character trait I seemed to possess.
Anyone can slap some buzz words onto their resume, but to know the reasoning behind it, the real-life applications that you do every day when no one is watching in particular, is invaluable. Employers, friends and future significant others can appreciate a person who knows themself well and can share it in a candid and relatable way.