60. 10 Tips for 30 Seconds: Help for Job Seekers

In response to the difficulties caused by the economic downturn, CNN provided an excellent public service to help unemployed people find work. The cable news channel gave job seekers 30 seconds on air to make a pitch to prospective employers in the viewing audience. Below you’ll see ten helpful pointers for the specialized circumstances of a television appearance, but you’ll also see that many of them are applicable to an in-person, face-to-face interview, and even to a presentation.

1. Prepare thoroughly. Plan your content carefully. Rehearse repeatedly. Time yourself. Rehearse aloud. You will recognize this method as Verbalization. Rehearse until you are very familiar with your content, but not to the point of memorization.
2. Get plenty of sleep the night before the television studio session. It makes a big difference.
3. Sip warm water just before you start. Avoid coffee, milk, and carbonated beverages.
4. Sit forward, with your feet planted squarely on the ground; this will make you appear alert and poised.
5. Sit on the coattail of your jacket; this will keep your collar from pulling away from your neck.
6. Make eye contact with the camera lens, but don’t stare. Allow yourself to blink.
7. Smile. No explanation needed.
8. Say your name.
9. Say “you,” referring to your prospective employer.
10. Offer benefits to your prospective employer. Say what your skills can provide to a company that hires you. In other words, give them WIIFYs (What’s In It For You).