Creating Your Elevator Pitch

by Beverly Aarons 18. August 2009 11:35

An elevator pitch is an overview of your skills and value said to someone else in a concise and informative way. Creating an effective elevator pitch is probably one of the most powerful actions a job seeker can take when attempting to make job connections. Here's what you need to do to create an effective elevator pitch that can be used when networking:

Take inventory of your skills, experience and value. Highlight the most powerful nuggets of information and put it into a concise "pitch" format.

Make sure the elevator pitch is 30-60 seconds in length and use everyday language that is easy for anyone to understand. Avoid industry jargon and vocabulary that requires the use of a dictionary.

Make sure you include action words such as produced, developed and created.

Use language that will paint a vivid picture of your job skills and the value you offer. For example, you may want to say "I saved XYZ firm $1 million when I settled the litigation on a very difficult case."

Don't try to tell them everything about yourself in your elevator pitch. Offer just enough information to prompt them to ask you questions.

Elevator pitch sample: I am Joe Brown, an elder law attorney. I help older Americans and their families plan for the healthcare, housing and retirement needs. As a result of my work with elder Americans, I won a $2.5 million class-action lawsuit and I was nominated by for the ABC Elder award.

Creating Your Elevator Pitch

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