Impress me!

I’ve been able to open the door of opportunity for many of my students in the past twenty years of my teaching career. I’ve gotten them into prestigious science research labs, global conferences, and international competitions. These feats are resume building and they then get into top schools and internships. 

Other students learn about who I selected for these opportunities and have asked “Why didn’t you pick me?” My answer is that I was impressed by the other student’s ability and for that reason, I selected them. The follow up question to me is normally “What can I do to get selected?”  The answer is always “Impress me”. 

This is the way the world works. People are always looking for those people that impress them. You need to impress an employer during your interview. You need to impress your coach to become a starter on a team. You need to impress the audience in a theatrical play or music concert.

This is how the world works! Deal with it!

So, start doing a skill sets inventory of yourself.  What can you do that stands out and would impress someone to the extent that you might be picked by someone that has the ability to pass out opportunity?  If you come up blank, study others that get the opportunity and mimic what they do?  If you are not that impressive….work on it.  Work to make your strengths stronger, work on your weakest skills to get them to an acceptable level.  You don’t have to be good at everything, just better than the competition at the time.  You don’t have to outrun the grizzly bear, just don’t be the slowest person that is running away. 

Take an inventory of things you like to do that are marketable. Work on marketing.  You are likely the person someone else is looking for, but how are they going to find you?  What are you going to do when you meet them?

Everyone needs a one-minute elevator speech that tells the listener who you are and what you do. You need to tell them what you are good at and what makes you a valuable person for them to know. 

For whatever reason you think that you don’t have something marketable, just stop it.  You do have something or at least the ability to learn something in a fairly short period of time.  Then practice your one-minute pitch.

As an example, when I fly on an airplane, I normally keep to myself and listen to headphones or sleep. Occasionally, I sit by someone that wants to hold a conversation and is constantly talking.  When you encounter chatty people, consider practicing your elevator pitch and learn from their responses. By looking in their eyes and by listening to their responses you can refine your pitch to make it better.  I practice multiple pitch ideas with different people and use them for different purposes. 

When you meet game changer people, you rarely get a second chance. First impressions are very strong.  Practice on a lot of people so that when you do meet Bill Gates, Warren Buffet or Elon Musk you are ready and confident.  Impress them! It can be life changing.

Need some help?  Hit me up. It’s not too late to improve the rest of your life.