Elevator Speeches..."DC style"

My friend and former colleague Benet Wilson, a Washington-based aviation writer and blogger, writes about giving an elevator speech recently to CNN executives in Washington, pitching herself as an on-air aviation expert. Readers will recall an earlier post I wrote in which elevator speeches was discussed.

Wilson:

Last week, CNN did a networking/job search event in Washington, D.C. I went because I was hoping to pitch myself as an aviation expert for CNN on future stories. As such, I had a chance to watch as others chatted with the various CNN representatives at the event.

One thing that was glaringly apparent was that many job seekers did not have a good elevator pitch. Mine, at exactly 15 seconds, was simple and to the point -- I wasn't looking for a job, aviation is a big topic of interest to CNN, they needed to have some new -- and more diverse -- people speaking about the industry, and I could help with my expertise in business/corporate jet aviation, airports and airport security and the airlines, tossing in that I've also worked for 2 airlines and an engine manufacturer. I gave them my card, asked for theirs, thanked them for their time and moved onto the next person. Using this method, I was able to get 10 business cards. 

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E.C. :)