Career advisors often tell their clients to think of a resume as an elevator pitch — a chance to highlight one’s positive attributes efficiently enough to impress an executive as if they happened to meet one on an elevator.
However, the metaphor is becoming increasingly irrelevant as the Internet continues to revolutionize the workplace. As more people work from home, the odds of having a career-changing encounter with somebody in an elevator are shrinking.
But the elevator pitch isn’t disappearing, it’s transforming.
When used professionally, Twitter can be an elevator pitch of sorts for young professionals. It allocates users just 140 characters to get their message across. On July 29, LaVance Taylor proved its efficacy with a tweet that afforded him an audition with the Kansas City Chiefs.
He sent the team’s account a note that included a link to his 12-minute highlight reel and a confident yet unpresumptuous sentence.
“Hey my name is LaVance Taylor and I am currently a free agent and I wanted you to check me out,” it read.
The Chiefs called him back the following day and signed him to a contract. Four days later, Kansas City let him go, adding another running back in his place.
Taylor rushed for 1,918 yards, good for fourth in Division II, and 15 touchdowns last season at Central Missouri. With 427 receiving yards and 273 kickoff return yards, his average of 218 all-purpose yards per game was the most of any Division II player.
Despite an impressive senior season, the 22-year-old was among those who didn’t hear their names called at April’s NFL draft. The draft was just one avenue for Taylor to get his foot in the NFL’s vaulted door, and he knew better than to let disappointment hamper his efforts.
He persevered, considering alternative methods to make teams recognize what he’s accomplished.
“First I contacted Deion Sanders, then I contacted Jerry Jones,” Taylor said by telephone. “When that didn’t work, I was ready to try anything.”
Multiple outlets ran the story of how Taylor’s tweet secured him an audition with his favorite team growing up, but most of them glossed over the primary reason he earned the opportunity: years of hard work. It wasn’t as simple as tweeting at the Chiefs and hoping for the best.
“There ain’t no room for hopefully,” Taylor insisted. “It takes work, not hope.”
Now unattached, Taylor is letting his agent contact teams while he focuses on training. His growing fanbase is also acting on his behalf.
“People have been reaching out [to teams] for me on social media,” Taylor said. “They’ll tell them that I’m available now.”
Rather than dwelling on what some might see as a lost opportunity, Taylor is working towards earning another one. He’s using the same field he played on in Raytown, Missouri for drills and conditioning.
Taylor rushed for 721 yards and five touchdowns as a junior at Central Missouri, then ran for 1,962 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior.
“I got in the weight room more. Over that offseason, I got stronger. As a result of getting stronger, I got faster too. So, as all that transpired, when I got better physically, I got better mentally too,” Taylor said. “I’d been in the system for a long while, I knew the plays like the back of my hand, and all that came together.”
Taylor modeled his game after Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles and former San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Taylor credits Tomlinson’s style of play for motivating him to become not just a good running back but also a well-rounded football player.
“He could do anything you asked him to do,” Taylor said. “And that’s how I wanted to be.”
Taylor returned kickoffs throughout his collegiate career, but he didn’t get much experience returning punts. Standing out on special teams is one of the best ways for undrafted rookies like Taylor to secure the last remaining spots on any team’s roster, so he’s been fielding punts this summer to improve his chances.
He began dreaming about playing in the NFL when he 5 years old, but the vision didn’t stop at his NFL debut. He set his sights much higher.
“I knew I wanted to be the Michael Jordan of the NFL,” Taylor said.
Even if he falls short, Taylor has already made it further than most. Without the firm belief he has in his own abilities and his unyielding persistence, he never would have received the opportunity that he did.
Taylor attributes a large part of how far he’s come to remaining confident and not allowing a fear of failure to hold him back.
“You have to believe in yourself,” Taylor said. “I don’t care what other people think. I know what I want to do. I know what I have to do. And I’m going to do it,”
Self-promotion is a necessary precursor to success for young professionals in any field, but without the hard work to back it up, the line between self-promotion and arrogance begins to disappear. Taylor continues to put in the work to maximize the chances of realizing his NFL dream.
“It definitely don’t just happen,” Taylor said. “You’ve got to be willing to put in the edge or the work if you want to do what you want to do. That’s with anything, but especially being an athlete. You’ve got to perfect your craft. That’s pretty much all the time out of your day — perfecting your craft and trying to be the best. It’s extremely hard work, but that’s what comes with it.”
• Dan Roth can be reached at droth@washingtontimes.com.
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