How to Create an Elevator Pitch

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What is an Elevator Pitch?

Some of you might be asking, “What is an elevator pitch?” An elevator pitch is simply a professional pitch that sums up everything about you professionally. Where you’ve been in your career, your skills, your accomplishments, and where you want to be with your career in about 30 to 60 seconds. It should be designed in a way that you could quickly pitch it to a potential employer if you ran into them on an elevator one day.

I’m sure your thinking that’s a lot of information to say in only 60 seconds, but it’s really not that hard. I’ll show you how to construct an elevator pitch in a few steps. As a reference, you can also view the elevator pitch I used in college.

Before we get into how to construct an elevator pitch, we first need to understand why having one prepared is important.

Why it’s Important to Construct an Elevator Pitch

There is currently a lot of competition in the job market and you need to be able to differentiate yourself from the competition in every way you can. An elevator pitch is not only a great way to impress a potential employer, it’s also helps you clearly identify all your strengths and accomplishments you made in your career up until now.

Your elevator pitch should be crafted and designed to quickly explain everything you have to offer to an employer and make them want to learn more about you. Your elevator pitch should explain who you are, what you do, and what you have to offer them.

Your pitch will come in great when you unexpectedly run into a person who has the authority and/or contacts to get you or help get you that job you want. By having a professional pitch prepared you’ll be able to use it anywhere. Whether it be at a public place, a party, social gathering, or maybe even in an elevator. You never know when it will come in handy so you want to have one ready to ramble off at any moment.

How to Construct an Elevator Pitch

First decide on the purpose of the elevator pitch or what goal are you trying to accomplish with it. Maybe it’s a sales pitch you want to use to win over clients and new business, maybe you’re trying to raise money to start a business, or maybe you’re just trying to find a job. Here I’ll explain how to conduct an elevator pitch tailored to finding a job.

You need to start by thinking about what it is you do and where you’re at in your career. For example, if you’re a financial planner you might say, “I help families and individuals reach their financial dreams by showing them how to construct and implement long-term financial plans allowing my clients to live happier and more fulfilling lives.”

If you’re still in college, explain where you are with your college career and what skills you’ve learned that could benefit the company or organization you want a job at. It’s important to remember to clearly state what you do, what problems you solve, and how you help people throughout the body of the pitch. Also, make sure that you explain your skills sets and any accomplishments you’ve achieved.

Points to keep in mind when crafting your Elevator Pitch

  • Introduce yourself. This includes your name, what you do, and what you have to offer.
  • Explain your experience in that industry.
  • Go over your skills and knowledge you’ve learned or attained through your work or education.
  • Problems you’ve solved and solutions you can provide.
  • Mention personal strengths, good time-management skills, being well organized, easily adapts to changes and new environments, a good team player, or maybe how you enjoy meeting and interacting with new people.
  • End it by asking the person for a time to sit down and talk with them to learn more about their company and any opportunities they might have within their organization.

 

The key purpose of your elevator pitch is to get the person to remember you. Keep it short! 60 seconds or less. In the pitch, you’re the product and you’re trying to sell yourself. You got this!

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