Crafting an Elevator Pitch
“Customers buy for their reasons, not yours”- Orvel Ray Wilson
What is an elevator pitch?
An elevator pitch is a short introductory speech you present during a job interview,
a career fair, sales pitch, online profiles, etc. Its primary purpose is to convince the
listener to have another conversation with you to crack the deal.
Consider an elevator pitch as your 140-word tweet, based on which the listener will
evaluate whether to further have a conversation with you. It is usually the first thing
that an HR or hiring manager will ask you during a job interview.
Thus, it needs to be a thorough, yet concise analysis of you, your academics and
career so far, your accomplishments and contributions to the field, and what makes
your skillset the perfect fit for the organization.
Steps to write an Elevator Pitch
Who you are and What you do: You should begin your elevator pitch by introducing
yourself (name, year in college, what you study). Mention about your project, internship
work experience, research paper experience, MOOC certification, leadership
experience and volunteer work involvement- club involvement
Hello, my name is ________ and I am a/an__________(Course name)
studying____________________ (branch. year) at ______________(College/
University name). I have gained experience in the following areas:
Project:___________ , Internship: ___________ , leadership and volunteer work
involvement:___________________
Your skills and/or Accomplishments: State some of your strongest skills and/or
accomplishments that you feel would be meaningful to an employer or career
professional.
I am good at __________________________________________________________
Or
Some of my accomplishments include _______________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
What you are interested in doing: State your career field of interest and list down why
are you interested in that field?
I like _________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Explain what you want: What are you hoping to gain/learn from your contact with the
employer or career professional?
I am interested in learning more about ______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Example:
My name is Nitin Sharma and I am a Computer Science and Engineering student,
studying in B.Tech. third year at KIET Group of Institutions. I have completed a project
in Design and Implementation of a Web-Based Social Networking system for University
students and also gained experience as an intern in Plutonic Services Pvt Ltd. My role
was Flutter Developer wherein we worked on the notification and optimization of the
app. We used tools such as Android Studio, Flutter, GetX. My skills in communication,
team work and problem solving have been strengthened due to my internship
experience and being an active member of Innogeeks(KIET student’s technical club.
Some of my accomplishments include 4 star on Codechef, 196 Global rank in October
CookOff Codechef.
What NOT to say and do during your elevator speech?
Here are some things you should RELIGIOUSLY AVOID while crafting an elevator
pitch!
Don’t speak too fast
It is true that you only have a few seconds to present the best version of yourself in
front of the employer. However, refrain from speaking too fast while trying to cram
a debate session into your introductory speech. Otherwise, you may end up saying
something that you hadn’t originally intended.
Avoid useless banter
A slow yet detailed introduction sounds way more convincing than rambling on and
on about a story that has no connection to your skills or what you bring to the
table.
Avoid rambling about a childhood vacation that you took one time, or one
herculean task you performed at your previous job.
Instead, maintain composure and show versatility in your skills. Remember Jennifer
we talked about? She’ll will be captivated by the aura of confidence you emanate.
Don’t be robotic
Avoid speaking robotically with a monotonous tone and a frown on your face.
Instead, show enthusiasm about the conversation and be approachable for a
further sit-down. Refrain from using too many technical terms; you don’t want to
give the impression of a walking Wikipedia.
Don’t restrict yourself to a single elevator pitch
Tying into the concept of gauging target audience, prepare more than one elevator
pitch. Depending on the situation and organization that you apply, vary the content
in each introduction speech, highlighting different skills and career highlights
befitting the situation. But remember, whatever you say must be authentic.
Not speaking something at all
It doesn’t matter if you have an excellent introductory speech if you do not say
anything at all.
