30-Second Introduction

You never get a second chance to make a good first impression

This quote by Irish poet/playright Oliver Wilde encapsulates how important your 30-second instruction can be. To help you craft your introduction, we've created an interactive tool to help you draft  and practice your introduction.

Create Your Professional Introduction

Tips to make a great first impression

• Be yourself.
• Take a deep breath and relax.
• Maintain eye contact and an appropriate distance
• Introduce yourself with a firm handshake and smile.
• Clearly state your first name so the person can repeat it correctly.  (Hello, my name is Edward. It's nice to meet you.)
• Give a brief quick fact, such as area of study, hometown, dorm, and an interesting fact, such as being involved in student government, choir, varsity athlete, active in a particular club, etc.  (It should be interesting that shows you personality, while also connected to who you are meeting).
• If you are attending a career fair or employer info session, briefly share why you are interested in organization (or role).
• Consider 30 seconds at the most, with 15-20 seconds being fine. The key is being relaxed and smiling as if you were meeting a professor, roommate’s parents, or other friendly adult.

Practice makes better

Practice being authentic, not being perfect.  The more you practice, the better you will become. One of the best resources you can use is Big Interview, a free online resource.

Using Big Interview, you can record yourself using your laptop's camera.  As you practice your elevator pitch, watch your recording and pay attention to:

• Eye contact
• Pace (speak naturally like you are having a converastion -- don't speak too fast or slow)
• Engagement  (smile)