Creating Your Professional Elevator Story
Throughout this program of study, the importance of professional networking for further developing your I/O career has been emphasized. An important tool in your professional networking toolbox is your elevator story.
An elevator story is a short, well-prepared, and polished description of what it is that you do as an I/O professional. If you were in an elevator riding to the twentieth floor of a building and someone also riding on the elevator were to ask you, "So, what do you do?" What would your response be?
That is your elevator story. A very concise (you have to finish it before the elevator reaches the twentieth floor), yet detailed descriptive of how you envision your specific role as an I/O professional. It has to be worded in such a way as to be easily understood by someone who doesn't know anything about I/O Psychology.
A well-crafted and effective elevator story tells people who you are professionally; what problems you can solve; and what expertise you have to offer. An elevator story, delivered properly, should seem to flow effortlessly and without a lot of premeditated thought.
While it may seem effortless and spontaneous, it actually takes a lot of forethought and rehearsal to be able to deliver an elevator story. In this assignment, you will develop your elevator story.
To begin, reflect on each course you have taken in this program. What were the top two or three main ideas you learned from each course?
Write a sentence or two describing the main idea from each of your courses.
Next, reflect on your own personal strengths and interests. What is it you are most passionate about from all the concepts you have studied in this program? Why? Write a paragraph or two describing your passion.
Integrate the above sentences and thoughts into a cohesive narrative.
Finally, edit your narrative until it is no longer than 100 words, yet still encompasses the essence of your knowledge, personal strengths, and interests. This 100-word narrative is now your current elevator story.
Write a 2- to 3-page paper in a Microsoft Word format, utilizing at least three professional literature sources. Professional literature may include the Argosy University online library resources, relevant textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions (.edu, .org, and .gov).
Include a title page for the paper. Include a section in your paper for each of the bulleted-list topics described above. Write in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources in APA format; and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.