Being able to present yourself confidently can set you up for a successful professional conversation – whether at a networking event, with a colleague, or at the start of a job interview. One of the tools you can use to make your introductions simple and effective is a presentation.
In this article, we present some examples of narratives and give tips on how to develop, present and deliver your personal message.
What is an elevator pitch?
A personal elevator pitch is a quick summary of yourself. It’s named for the amount of time it should take to deliver it—the duration of a short elevator ride (roughly 30 to 60 seconds or 75 words). Elevator pitches are sometimes thought to be specific to an idea or a product, but you can also use them to sell yourself as a professional.
Why are they important?
Good public speaking is important because it is an effective way to showcase your professional abilities, strengths, and skills. Elevator pitch presentations are also useful in a number of situations and are therefore particularly valuable. If possible, you should always have a few talking points prepared about yourself (so that you are ready to seize unexpected opportunities), but an elevator presentation is particularly useful during a job search.
You can use the elevator speech to prepare for an interview. From a phone screening to an in-person interview, you will be asked to give a summary of who you are, what your background is, and what you want from your next job. The elevator speech can be a good basis for planning your answer to the popular interview question “tell us about yourself”.
The elevator pitch can be used to outline your cover letter or professional summary statement at the top of your CV. The purpose of both the cover letter and the summary statement is to tell the reader who you are professional, what you are passionate about, and why you are qualified to do it, in a way that helps you stand out from other applicants. If you have already created a summary statement, this is a great way to reuse it.
A personal summary is also useful when networking at an event or spontaneous meeting. Whether you’re in line at the grocery store, at a cocktail party, or at an organized professional event, an elevator speech outline can quickly help new contacts understand why they should contact you or consider you when the opportunity arises.
The advantage of using an elevator speech when talking about your career or aspirations is that you can show that you can take the lead. Instead of waiting for the other party to lead the conversation and possibly prevent what you would like to discuss, you can confidently explain what you can offer. In many interactions, such as a job interview or a mentoring offer, this can make an impression on your listeners – they will be pleased to see that you know both what you want and how to ask for it.
When you should use an elevator pitch
At a career fair
A well-designed presentation stand is useful at career fairs, where the time to talk to employers is often limited to a few minutes. In this case, you should use your presentation to quickly make a good first impression and stand out from other candidates. When introducing yourself to an employer at a career fair, introduce your presentation, but try not to stress it immediately. Exchange words and greetings first, and then the employer will likely respond with a question: “Tell me about yourself.” If he doesn’t, you can say, “I’d like to tell you something about myself – would that be good?” Then start with your story.
During professional networking or membership events
Whether you’re actively looking for a new job or just want to meet new people, use your “high profile” message at professional events to grow your network. You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that someone has advice, useful contacts, or interesting opportunities related to your experience and passion that you mentioned in your post. On the other hand, by sharing your experience you may be able to help someone else advance their career if you have an experience that they would like to gain.
For internal networking
Internal networking means interacting with colleagues or superiors at your current workplace. Opportunities for in-house networking can arise spontaneously when you introduce yourself a few minutes before a meeting when you collaborate on a project or even when you share a lift or other common space. Such exchanges can also be planned. For example, if you are interested in a position as a business manager, you could approach the company’s business manager and offer an informational interview to learn more about his or her role, using your elevator pitch.
In your online profiles
Include a written version of your presentation in your online profile to practically “present” yourself to employers. This can help recruiters find you in targeted searches and encourage them to contact you. You can also make better quality contacts with employers by proactively indicating what opportunities you are interested in and what skills you have.
How to write and deliver a pitch speech
In your speech, you should answer the following questions:
- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- What do you do?
1. Start by introducing yourself
When you approach someone to provide information at an event, interview, or elsewhere, introduce yourself first. Start with your name, a smile, a handshake, and a pleasant phrase such as “Pleased to meet you!”.
2. Summarize what you do
Here, briefly summarise your experience. Please provide key information such as your education, work experience, and/or key areas of expertise or strengths. If you don’t know what to include, try to write down everything that comes to mind. Once you’ve written it down, go through it and remove anything that isn’t absolutely relevant to explain your experience and why you have what the target audience might be looking for (you might want to consider the most important aspects of the CV). Once you have narrowed the topic down to a few points, arrange them in a way that makes sense in your narrative.
Here is an example:
“Hi, my name is Sarah. Nice to meet you! I am a PR manager who focuses on overseeing the implementation of successful initiatives from start to finish. In addition to seven years of work experience, I recently completed my Master’s degree at XYZ University, focusing on consumer trust and retention….”
3. Explain what you want
This step depends on how you use the pitch. Your “request” could be for a job opportunity, an internship, or simply contact details. It’s a good way to explain what benefits you provide, why you are suitable for the job, or how your audience can benefit from your communication in general. In this part of the interview, focus on what you can offer.
Let’s go back to Sarah’s presentation:
“Hi, my name is Sarah. Nice to meet you! I am a PR manager specializing in overseeing the delivery of a successful initiative from start to finish. In addition to my seven years of experience, I recently completed a Master’s degree focusing on consumer trust and retention. I find the work of your PR team innovative and refreshing – I would love to bring my expertise to your company…”
4. Finish with a call to action
You should end your presentation with a question or comment about what you would like to do next. If you think it is appropriate to speak up in a particular situation, start with the objective of gaining new knowledge or identifying the next steps. For example, you could ask for a meeting, express your interest in the job, confirm that you have answered the interview question in detail, or ask someone to become your mentor.
Requests can be intimidating, but it’s important to give the conversation direction rather than letting it stall. Remember that you have just met the person, so ask simple questions that don’t require much effort. Here’s an example of a shortcut we’ve created:
“Hi, my name is Sarah. It’s nice to meet you! I am a PR manager specializing in overseeing successful initiative presentations from start to finish. In addition to seven years of work experience, I have recently completed a Master’s degree focusing on consumer trust and retention. I find the work of your PR team innovative and refreshing – I would love the opportunity to apply my knowledge in your business. Would you like me to call you next week to talk about future opportunities in your team?”
If they agree to your request, be sure to thank them for their time and get in touch. End the call with a short, action-oriented goodbye, such as “Thank you for your time, I’ll send you a follow-up email later this evening. Have a good day!”. If they don’t agree with your request, politely end the conversation with, “I understand, thank you for your time! If you don’t mind, I’ll send you a follow-up message and see if there is a better time to get in touch”.
Ways to avoid common mistakes in your elevator pitch Speak naturally
Overloaded language can make a conversation feel forced, so try to use a conversational tone. It may be helpful to write your presentation in shorter paragraphs. As you practice speaking, you’ll learn to recall ideas rather than memorize a verbatim script, which can make your presentation sound more organic. There’s nothing wrong if you personally like to memorize your speech – if that’s the case, try practicing it until it feels natural to say it out loud.
Slow it down
If you speak too quickly, the listener may miss important information. Speak more slowly and deliberately so they have time to understand what you are saying. This may be your natural tendency to speak quickly, or it may happen when you are nervous. Nevertheless, make a conscious effort to speak more slowly and use this strategy when rehearsing your speech (Tip: relaxed, deep breathing can help you speak your speech more slowly. Breathe in for four seconds and out for four seconds to find a good rhythm).
Use one pitch for most (but not all) occasions
You may not need to adapt your elevator pitch for all audiences. It’s a good idea to have a general message that you can use at any time, but you should try to tailor your message whenever you can. For example, if you approach a startup’s booth at a career fair, your pitch could include the reasons why you’re so passionate about startups. The more personal your ideas are, the more likely you are to get a positive outcome from the conversation. It shows your deep interest and respect for the listener’s time.
Make it easy to understand
Use simple language in your elevator speech that all target audiences can understand. For example, if you use a lot of technical jargon and industry-specific terms that only someone with your level of knowledge knows, you may alienate a recruiter or someone who doesn’t have the same level of knowledge. This can make it harder for them to ask further questions and reduce their willingness to continue a conversation with you. Keep niche terms for the technical interview and make it easy for everyone to talk to you.
elevator pitch examples
Let’s look at some more examples of different job titles and situations that you can use to build your story:
Context: Job Interview
Job title: executive assistant
“Hi, my name is Denis. Thank you very much for sitting down with me today. After graduating with a degree in Business Administration, I have spent the last three years gaining experience as an executive assistant. I have successfully managed event coordination from end to end and have built a strong professional network of colleagues. I was excited to learn about this opportunity in sports management – I have always been fascinated by how sport connects cultures and would love the opportunity to use my project management and leadership skills in this position.”
Context: Looking for a mentor
Job Title: Graphic Designer
“Hi, I’m Maria, so nice to meet you! I’m a graphic designer at ABC Inc. where I’m passionate about creating beautiful and intuitive designs for a variety of marketing materials for our top clients. Prior to that, I earned a master’s degree in graphic design. I am seeking experience to learn more about career paths and opportunities to grow beyond the role of art director in the coming years. Your work with the XYZ brand has inspired me to think about design – I’d love to talk more about possible mentoring if you have time and are interested.”
Context: Add contact
Job title: business analyst
“Hi. My name is Ali, nice to meet you. I have a background in business analysis with a little over 10 years of experience in creating data-driven solutions to various business problems. Specifically, I love and have been very successful in strategically evaluating data analytics with our senior management team. It sounds like you do similar work – I’d love to keep in touch to learn more about what you and your company do.”
Context: Job Search
Job title: media planner
“Hi, I’m Safee. I’ve spent the last eight years learning and growing in the role of a media planner, where I developed and optimized strategic media plans for our top clients and led a sub-team of planners as team leads. One of my proudest accomplishments was a pro bono project that was recognized as the best nonprofit campaign last year. I have been interested in the nonprofit sector for a long time and I love what your company does in education. Could you tell me about the media planning needs you have on your team?”
elevator pitch final tips
After you have taken the time to develop a speech that focuses on your background and immediate objectives, practice and refines it. As you read your elevator speech to yourself, you may discover any mistakes, opportunities for better phrasing, or unnecessary information that may distract from your main points. Ask a friend to help you practice out loud and give you feedback to help you improve your speech. Here are some tips on practicing:
Take your time
Elevator talk is by nature a fast conversation, but try to avoid talking too fast. Keeping your speech to around 75 words will help you convey the best information clearly and concisely. Be careful not to rush it or try to include too much information.
Be interactive
It’s a good idea to plan your elevator speech in advance and rehearse it, but you should avoid making it sound rehearsed. A good way to keep your speech entertaining is to memorize the general outline or key points of the speech. Keep this structure in mind and adapt your speech to each person you are presenting to. For example, if you’re talking to someone you’ve just met, keep the conversation at a general level, focus on their background, and, if possible, note if you’re looking for new opportunities. When talking to someone you want to work with, it’s important to refer to their open position or company and how you in particular can add value.
Express confidence
Even the best elevator speech can lose its effectiveness if its delivery is not confident enough. Keep your chest up, your shoulders back, and smile when you meet someone and make your presentation. Use a strong speaking style to show confidence in your experience and what you want for the future. If you are nervous, try to mentally switch roles: If you were the person being offered the job, you would probably be happy to listen to the interviewer and help them as best you can.
Your listeners may not be open to hearing what you have to say. If it’s not the right time or your interviewer doesn’t seem receptive, walk away gracefully. If you asked for a face-to-face meeting and they declined, you can ask if they would prefer an email or phone call. If at any point you feel the conversation is uncomfortable, leave the communication with empathy for your target audience or consider negotiating a smaller request. You could ask to hear about their career path and give them the opportunity to share their career, or you could ask to introduce someone else if necessary.
Developing a step-by-step elevator speech makes it easier to develop a speech that can be used in any work situation. Elevator speeches can be useful for your next networking event or interview. Your elevator speech can be the start of a new opportunity, so draft, revise, refine and present it with confidence.
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