Elevator Pitches

If you haven’t heard of an elevator pitch before, it is a pre-planned, short answer that describes whatever you want the listener to understand. Originally, the pitch was how you would describe yourself or your company to a person who you met on an elevator, who is only going a few floors with you. You want the pitch to be descriptive, interesting, and memorable.

Job hunting is all about the Elevator Pitch. Your Cover Letter is a slightly longer Elevator Pitch. You introduce yourself as an elevator pitch. You answer common HR questions with an Elevator Pitch. You would speed date with an Elevator Pitch (see below).

Your elevator pitch for yourself should take 60 seconds or less. It should include:

• Your name
• Something unique about yourself (to be memorable)
• Something you can do for them
• What is it you want from the listener?

Some Examples

The following examples are fictional pitches, though I use real names.

Example 1

The name is downright famous, but unless you are into science, most won’t know what he does. We bring in pop cultural icon TV shows so we can remember him with those instead of remembering him as old guy in a wheelchair who can’t talk. He tells what he can do, then asks for what he wants.

Example 2

Again, the name is famous, but most will not know everything about Elon Musk. He catches your attention with some of his successes (purposely ignoring his company names just in case the listener lives under a rock) then talks about how he does what he does. And he finishes with a (very fictional) request.