Imagine that you\u2019re in an elevator, and just before the door closes, the CEO of the company you\u2019re dying to work for steps in. It\u2019s just the two of you in an express elevator to the same floor. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to convince the CEO to hire you, and you\u2019re going for it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as you start to speak, you\u2019re lost. Which skills do you talk about? Do you talk about your education? Do you focus on your current job or what you want to do? How do you sum up your entire career in the length of one elevator ride?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An elevator pitch, or elevator speech, is a brief summary of who you are as a professional<\/strong>. It\u2019s similar to the summary of qualifications<\/a> on your resume or the \u201cAbout\u201d section of your LinkedIn profile<\/a>. In 30 seconds or less, you give the listener enough information about your skills and abilities to get them interested in learning more about you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may only have 30 seconds to grab someone\u2019s attention, and a well-crafted and perfectly delivered elevator pitch can do just that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n While you may be prepared for some situations (like a job fair<\/a>), you never know when a fantastic opportunity may come your way, and having an elevator speech puts you in the driver\u2019s seat<\/strong>. As the name implies, you could end up in an elevator with someone who could help you land your dream job, and you\u2019ve got this one elevator ride to “wow” them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The number one rule of an elevator pitch is to keep it short<\/strong>. And because your time is limited, you may be tempted to squeeze in as much information as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, just like you can\u2019t fit everything<\/em> on your resume, you can\u2019t include everything about yourself in your elevator pitch. The idea is to hook the listener, so stick to the basics and highlight the top one or two things someone should know about you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what to include in your elevator pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It sounds obvious, but many elevator pitches skip this important step!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start your pitch with who you are<\/strong>. Many people jump into what they do and where they do it but neglect to introduce themselves. And while the person listening to your pitch may be fascinated with your pitch, if they don\u2019t know who you are, they may not connect with what you’re saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After you introduce yourself, talk about what you do. You can limit this to your title and where you work, though you can include how long you\u2019ve been in your position if you\u2019re comfortable with that. Save the details about your skills for later in the pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the \u201cfirst course\u201d of your elevator pitch. What do you want to do next? You don\u2019t have to spend a ton of time on this, but you should give a brief mention of what you\u2019d love in your next job. Do you want to move into management? Learn new skills? Change careers<\/a>? Throw it in so the listener understands your career goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Explaining what you\u2019re good at is the \u201cmain course\u201d of your elevator pitch<\/strong>. This is the section you\u2019ll want to devote most of your 30 seconds to, but you\u2019ll also have to pick and choose what you include.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Select one or two skills that explain why you\u2019re good at what you do. Help the listener see why your skills matter and how they add value to your current employer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just before you end your pitch, include a brief mention of what you\u2019re looking for from this particular listener. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is slightly different than telling someone what you want to do next. Though what you\u2019re looking for could include information about a job, that\u2019s not always the case. You might be looking for a mentor<\/a>, a new network connection<\/a>, or an informational interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The end of your pitch should include a call to action that invites the listener to connect with you and continue the conversation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you can ask them to get together for coffee or a phone call. Whatever it is, make it clear you\u2019re asking for their time and that it\u2019s OK to turn you down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And if the listener can\u2019t get together, give them a way to contact you. You can go old school and hand the other person a business card (paper or virtual). Or, share your email or personal website address if it\u2019s easy to remember. Likewise, you can mention you\u2019re on LinkedIn and suggest connecting there, possibly with you initiating the connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not every situation will rely on the same elevator speech. So, it\u2019s best to have a few ready to go. Here are a few examples to get you started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My name is [Name], and I recently graduated from [Name of College] with a degree in [Major or Field of Study]. I [talk about any related activities or internships] and am now looking for a job as [title or field]. Can we meet up for coffee so I can learn more about the field?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n I\u2019m [Name] and currently work in [name of field or title]. Though I\u2019ve enjoyed the work and honed my skills in [mention a transferable skill that\u2019s useful in your new field], I\u2019ve decided I want to switch things up and work in [name the field or a job title]. Would you be able to meet with me so I can learn more about your success in the field?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n My name is [Name]. Thanks for meeting with me today. I have a [name of degree if applicable] and [X] years of experience in [your career field or the job you\u2019re interviewing for]. I\u2019ve [list one or two top accomplishments and how they benefited your employer]. I\u2019m interested in this role because [state what it is that\u2019s interesting about the job].<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n You might be surprised at all the times your elevator pitch comes in handy. But having an elevator pitch isn\u2019t enough. You also need an effective delivery to get results<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Practice your pitch out loud a few times and listen to what you\u2019re saying and how you say it. Do you speak in a natural, conversational tone, or are you speaking in a low, monotone voice that\u2019s hard to understand? Are you speaking too quickly? Too slowly? Are you rambling and off-topic?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Record yourself and listen to it a few times to pinpoint what you need to improve. Or, ask some trusted friends or family to listen to your pitch and give you feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re limited to about 30 seconds, which may make you think you have to \u201cspeed speak\u201d to get every single word in there. But once you practice a few times, you\u2019ll see that 30 seconds is a lot longer than it seems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Slow your speech down. You don\u2019t have to go slo-mo slow, but make an effort to speak at a natural pace or rhythm that\u2019s easy to listen to. Again, listening to recordings or having live listeners can help you figure out if you\u2019re speaking at the right pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If after several trial runs you find that you can\u2019t fit everything in or are having trouble slowing down, try cutting a few things from the pitch. It\u2019s better to leave a few things out and be understood than cram everything in and be greeted with a quizzical look when you\u2019re done!<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re giving your pitch, you may concentrate more on what you\u2019re saying than how you\u2019re saying it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to speaking in a natural tone and at the right pace, watch yourself deliver the elevator speech in the mirror or watch a recording. Do you maintain eye contact (without staring)? Are you frowning? Do you look like a deer in headlights?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Practice until you look and feel comfortable and confident delivering your pitch<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While your elevator pitch may not be \u201csweet,\u201d it is short and entices the listener into connecting with and learning more about you. Having an elevator pitch at the ready is useful in numerous job search and professional situations. Spend some time crafting a few, so you\u2019re prepared for any situation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A great elevator pitch demonstrates who you are and what you want to achieve. Here’s how to give an elevator pitch that will land you career opportunities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":23059,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"old-site-template.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,95,78,86,93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-branding","category-career-advice","category-job-search-advice","category-networking","category-new-grads"],"last_modified_at":"","edited_by":"Elly Stauffer","acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/87"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22955"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25033,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22955\/revisions\/25033"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Why You Need an Elevator Pitch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to Write an Elevator Pitch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Who Are You?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Do You Do?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Do You Want<\/em> to Do?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Are You Good At?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Are You Looking For?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Do You Connect?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Elevator Pitch Examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
New Graduate<\/h3>\n\n\n
Career Changer<\/h3>\n\n\n
During an Interview<\/h3>\n\n\n
How to Give an Elevator Pitch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Practice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Go Slow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Stay Positive<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Make Your Elevator Pitch Short and Sweet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n