Esther
What must an elevator pitch consist of?
Interviews are coming up soon and every one of my professor emphasized on the question: Tell me a little about yourself. This is where the elevator pitch comes in, but I cannot decide what information is significant enough to be included and what is not. What tips do you have for the elevator pitch? #interviews #job-coaching #interview-preparation #job-interview #employee-relations
5 answers
Rebecca Donahue
Rebecca’s Answer
An elevator pitch is a 30 second commercial that describes you. It will differ depending on your audience. If you are talking to potential employers or recruiters, you will mention things about yourself that set you apart from your peers. Things that show your talents and skills. Smiling and positive body language while you are delivering your pitch will give you a leg up on the competition.
Elizabeth Wise
Elizabeth’s Answer
Quickly highlight your educational background. "I majored in business and really enjoyed my accounting classes. " or "My degree focused on accounting. My favorite area was forensic accounting."
If you have work experience, be specific without overly detailed. "I worked for the university accounting office and I completed an internship with Ernst & Young."
Then PAUSE... the interviewer (or your fellow elevator passenger) may want to ask you a question or comment on your remarks.
If they don't say anything, you can close with a statement like "I would like to continue growing my accounting skills." interviews
Matt Meehan
Matt’s Answer
I would recommend starting off with your motivation for applying for the position. Some interviewers wait until the end of the interview for this question but you can take control early and comfortably so that it flows something like this: Thanks for the opportunity to be here today. I don't want to assume you know why I am applying for this position so I thought I would start by sharing with you my motivation for applying to this position: I call it the "growth formula" and it has three components: 1. Personal Growth: This position aligns with my personal desire to (fill in the blank, e.g. keep my family in the D.C. area, relocate, be near my parents, move to New York City, etc. [here is where you list your personal / value priorities so that they get to know you as a person and what you believe in personally]. 2. Professional Growth: Professionally, [fill in the blanks, e.g.: this is a company and industry that is growing, regulation and legislation is not going away and for me personally, it provides a challenging way to diversity my skill set and use the experiences I have had in {fill in the blank}. This is where you describe your skill sets/strengths and how they match the roles and responsibilities outlined in the job description (be succinct). And in my experience, when you have both 1 and 2 that usually leads to #3 which is financial growth...I am a big believer that if you do the work and exceed expectations, the financial rewards should match. Here it is important to let them know directly that you believe in "pay for performance", that you expect to be rewarded and that you are driven in part by putting in solid work means being financially rewarded. I hope this helps but sitting on the other side of the interview table, I have seen some of the best interviewees use this and it provides structure as well as helps people outline their values/professional/personal aspirations early in the process. Good luck!
Daniel Gardner
Daniel’s Answer
Hi Esther,
Elevator pitches are extremely helpful when it comes to networking, whether it's at a formal event or in a more casual setting. I'd agree with the other answers in stating your name, year, major, and then most recent work experience. I'd also include any extracurricular activities that you're involved in. Given this information, employers will be able to tell where you are in your career (internship search vs. full-time job search), your education (STEM, Social Sciences. Liberal Arts, etc.) and at least a gauge of where your interests lie (which could be from a recognizable company/dept. you worked in). It's a great starting point, and you'll notice that conversations will flow more easily the more you practice; it really does make perfect! Employers value sincerity, so at the end of the day it really does help to just be yourself!
Best,
Danny
Allison Reppe
Allison’s Answer
For example, my elevator pitch as a college student was that I was an Honors Accounting Student at Colorado State University and had just completed an internship at PwC (the basics). But I would also add that I was a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority, was a member of the ski club, was minoring in military history and enjoyed riding horses and shooting on the weekends (the conversation starters).
Not many companies want to hire a robot, so practice the speech a couple of times until it sounds natural. Don't try and overshadow your normal attitude. If you are a bubble person, make sure that shines through. A recruiter can tell if you are trying to be someone you aren't. Above all, be honest. The only person you can be is you. If they don't like you, don't worry, you didn't want to work for them anyways.
Good luck!