A stump speech or 30 second elevator pitch is your professional presentation of yourself. These are typically used as an introduction to a prospective employer or protentional business partner. These pitches are normally made up of 4 things, your name and profession, a unique attention grabber to keep to conversation going, such as “I taught English to students in China”, a summary of your skills and beliefs, and what you can do for them and their business. 

An example of this could be, “Hi, I’m Monty the Mountain Lion, the proud mascot of Mountwest Community and Technical College! I’m passionate about our mission to positively impact students’ lives by providing top-notch education and essential tools for their futures. At Mountwest, we inspire, support, and develop our students to achieve their goals, build meaningful relationships, and excel in their careers. I’m here to assist with everything from admissions paperwork to coursework. And if you’re looking to boost your business, consider connecting with our talented graduates from the Utility Construction Program. Let’s work together to help your business thrive!”

• Introduce yourself and thank them for the opportunity! This is going to set the tone of your interview and display your immediate meeting manners. If you can’t represent yourself in front of an employer, odds are they won’t want you representing their company to someone else. 
• Don’t be late! If being late is an issue for you, please set reminders or alarms in order to help you arrive on time. Showing up late for an interview could be an indication to the employer that you will also show up late for work and can hinder your opportunity to obtain the position! If it is an uncontrollable circumstance then please contact the employer and let them know ahead of time as soon as possible so they can reschedule your interview.
• Turn off your Cell Phone! If your cell phone rings during an interview it may come off as rude to the person interviewing you.
• Research the interviewer ahead of time! This is your opportunity to do your homework on the interviewer and the company that is hiring you. Nothing is more impressive than you already knowing company facts, their mission, their vision, and that you are already thinking about how you can make them grow! Additionally, this is your opportunity to research the interviewer as they have probably already researched you. Try to find some common interests that you can bring up in the interview!
• Ask Questions: It is important to always ask questions to the interviewer when they ask if you have any questions at the end. It shows interest and that you are already thinking of ways to help them grow and be a good fit for their work place.
• What not to ask: Never ask about salary during the interview. Salary is to be negotiated after the employer has offered you the position and a salary range. Also asking how much time off you get can be viewed negatively by the employer.

• Don’t overshare: One of the main issues with social media and employment is when people feel the need to overshare their feelings about political, religious, or inappropriate issues online. Oversharing CAN cost you a job!
• Privacy: I always stressed to my students to please make sure their profiles are set to private before sharing anything that could be viewed negatively by an employer. 80% of recruiters admit to looking potential candidates up on social media as a vetting process before deciding to interview them.

• Dress for the job you want: Different careers require different clothing so it is important to always know what to wear in each setting.
• Business Professional: An example of business professional clothing would be a daily suit and tie such as what a lawyer would wear.
• Business Casual: An example of business casual clothing could be if you work at a school such as Mountwest which generally consists of khaki pants and a dress shirt or polo.
• Uniform: There are certain jobs that require a specific uniform such as UPS delivery service or even scrubs at a hospital.
• Ask ahead of time: The main takeaway is to know how to dress for each of these different jobs by doing your research ahead of time. Google appropriate wear for the position you are applying for. Also its a perfectly acceptable interview question to ask what everyday work attire you should wear.

• Don’t be inappropriate: When crafting a work email it is a general rule to not include anything that could be viewed as inappropriate for work. 
• Language: When crafting a work email or an email to an employer it is viewed as unprofessional to use slang language such as “lol, haha, or bro”.
• Subject Line: Your subject line should always look as professional as possible, or people may not want to open or read your email. An example of an appropriate subject line could be “Career Services Meeting 8/19/2024”. 
• Signature Line: It is very professional to always leave a signature line at the bottom of your emails or at the very least have a follow up contact info that’s different from your email address such as a phone number or office site.

• Don’t be a caveman: Knowing how to properly cut your food with a knife and fork can set the tone during any dining interview. When using a spoon for soup always motion the spoon away from you to prevent any spilling on your clothes.  Always use a napkin or tablecloth.
• Be polite: If you are out to a dinner job interview, always be polite to the wait staff. If you are rude to the wait staff the hiring manager will most likely think that you would be rude in the workplace. 
• What to order: We typically suggest not to order anything that would easily stain your mouth, hands or clothing such as wings with sauce on them or spaghetti. 
• What if the food is wrong?: One frequently asked question that we receive is whether or not it is frowned upon to correct your food if it comes out wrong during a dinner interview. The answer to this question is yes, it is perfectly acceptable so long as you aren’t rude about it. 

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