How to Perfect Your 30-Second Elevator Pitch
What’s your elevator pitch?
I see the deer in the headlights look on your face and the “Huh?†coming out of your mouth. Let me explain what it is and why you need one.
An elevator pitch is a short 30-second version of who you are and what you are all about. It’s called an elevator pitch because you only have the time it takes to get from the lobby to the floor selected to introduce yourself. It’s short, meaningful, interesting and all about YOU. It’s how you respond when someone asks, “What do you do?†It’s the summary that goes on your LinkedIn profile and it goes on your resume too. It’s your personal brand.
Why you need one
It should be true and compelling. You need to figure out the point you’re trying to make, then tailor it to be concise and clear.  The person to which you’re speaking needs to be able to get your point or career without much thought. It needs to be easily understood by people that DON’T know you.
You will use the summary you create over and over again. You might need to adapt it for an interview or on your resume to more closely match something on a job description, but the key message about you doesn’t change. Your elevator pitch is also a great networking tool that will give you more confidence when you attend networking events or conferences.
How to perfect your elevator pitch
It will likely take a few tries to create the perfect elevator pitch, so be patient. Once you have the words down on paper, practice your elevator pitch in the mirror so you can get comfortable saying it out loud. Take out any difficult words and make sure it sounds natural in conversation. Make eye contact, be enthusiastic in your delivery, speak with authority and passion about who you are and where you want to go. Make a believer out of everyone you meet. They may even remember you when an opening comes up in their place of business!
At this point you’re nodding your head and saying “Hmmm, what is my elevator pitch?â€
Get cracking and write it now.
It could land you the job you didn’t even know about!
Thinking of hiring a career coach to help you perfect your pitch and get the career you want? Connect with Terry, browse our directory of career coaches and get a FREE consultation or request a personalized coach recommendation!
About the Author Terry DellaVecchia
I’m a certified professional coach specializing in career with 35 years of corporate information technology and 5 years of transportation management behind me. I’ve traveled to 10 countries within 4 continents as an IT director and enjoy working with other cultures. My traveling and working with my diverse department is actually what led me into coaching. I realized that I received more enjoyment working with people one on one than learning more about technology. Connect with Terry through Noomii and her website.