We’ve all heard the phrase and honestly it’s become pretty cliché, but you should still have one! What is an elevator pitch exactly? It’s a concise, carefully planned, well-practiced marketing message about your professional self that anyone should be able to understand in the time it takes to ride up an elevator. If you’re getting off on the next floor, you better be well rehearsed!

What should it include?

  • A hook or theme
  • Go no longer than 60 seconds
  • Resonate with your unique personality and interests
  • A follow up request for a business card – referral or a possible meeting

Why do you need one?

  • It helps you get your foot in the door
  • You’ll have a “ready-made” answer to “Tell me about yourself.”
  • It will force you to figure out what your top skills really are and why you might be valuable
  • It helps you deliver an effective “cover letter” that might entice a potential employer to actually read your resume

How do you start?

  • Begin with your education
  • Add areas of career experience
  • Follow up with your primary “soft skill”

Example: MA International Relations; aptitude for policy analysis

  • Write down your “hard skills” i.e. academic, internship, work experience, volunteer
  • Write down your “soft skills” i.e. who you are – how you operate.

Your elevator pitch should be a 30 – 60 second sound bite that concisely and memorably introduces you. You want to succinctly and positively position yourself in the mind of the person you’re speaking to.

It’s all in the content:

  • When you talk about what you do, state your true profession rather than your job title, i.e. “I teach, create, develop…” Don’t talk about yourself in the past, use “I am” rather than “I was.”
  • Make sure to include your expertise; the competencies or skills you use to perform your work.
  • Name the environments you’ve worked or wish to work in, i.e. Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofits, startup companies.
  • Include your special strengths, the things that separate you from all the rest performing the same job, i.e. special certifications, unique approaches to solving problems, technical knowledge, connections to any groups/organizations.

Master the delivery

If you don’t come across as credible, likeable, an elevator pitch isn’t going to do you much good so remember your business etiquette.

  • Introduce or reintroduce yourself
  • Stick out your hand so that you put your face and name in context for them
  • Keep it 30-60 seconds in length
  • Practice so that your delivery is natural and effortless, not mechanical and awkward
  • Show confidence and let your passion show through
  • Make sure to look the person you’re speaking to in the eyes

Remember, your main objective is to get them to like you or they might take the stairs the next time they see you!