Tell Me About Yourself in 140 Characters Or Less

In the age of social media and information overload, less is often more. The same goes for job seekers; when you want to stand out from the crowd, find a way to express your value in a short, powerful statement. Using Twitter's 140-character length requirement, you can create a digital elevator pitch that defines your personal professional brand.

The Internet is a crucial part of your job search. Each online interaction is made up of multiple pieces of information that are 140 characters or less, such as job profile headlines, email subjects, resume objectives and social media tags. When you have a short statement ready to go, you have the ability to create a cohesive brand that is unified across the Internet.

Short, Twitter-like statements are becoming an increasingly important part of job hunting. Hiring managers, who often deal with thousands of applicants, often look for candidates who can get right to the point. Whether you are filling out a short LinkedIn bio or writing an About Me paragraph on Twitter, the ability to distill your value is crucial. In short, expressing yourself in 140 characters or less has become the modern version of the classic elevator pitch.

The simplicity behind the 140-character rule is nothing new. In fact, many of the most successful businesses in the world have been using the same concept for years. Short statements are easy to read, easy to process and easy to remember. In decades past, brevity was useful. Now, with endless bits of information coming from smartphones, computers, tablets, televisions, fitness trackers, watches and other technological devices, brevity is crucial.

Expressing your professional brand in 140 characters or less is no small feat. To start, you must focus on the areas where you bring value to a company. What experience do you have that other candidates do not? Do you have multiple degrees? Have you worked in complementary industries? Are you a specialist? If you are struggling to identify your key professional contributions, ask your boss and colleagues; it is likely that they have insights that you have not considered.

Once you have distilled your list to the top two or three items, work them into a sentence of 140 characters or less. If you are looking for a position as the CFO of an engineering firm, you might write, "Seasoned mechanical engineer with CPA certification and $10 million budget experience." Keep your statements short and sweet to increase the recall potential.

Narrowing your professional value down to 140 characters takes a considerable amount of effort, but the payoff is worthwhile. When you have a short statement ready to go, you can sell your professional services in seconds – both online and in-person.

Photo courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net