How to create a personal elevator pitch
You may have heard of an elevator pitch for business idea, but did you ever consider creating an elevator pitch for your career?
An elevator pitch is a short summary that you can tell to someone in anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes that quickly gets them interested in your idea, or for your career, in you.
Imagine you are in an elevator with the Director of the R&D group at a company in which you want to get hired. Or maybe you are a consultant and your in an elevator with a Big Wig from company who could provide you with a lot of business. Or maybe you are in an interview and the first question is “Tell me about yourself” or “Why should I hire you?” What would you say?
This is why you need a personal elevator pitch ready to go.
Writing your elevator pitch
Step 1 - Brainstorm a list of your best qualities and interesting experiences that would be useful to an employer. For example, if you made a patentable discovery, created products in college, or had some other interesting experiences that would be memorable.
Step 2 - Write these in the form of a paragraph that tells a story. Keep the story brief and be sure to include the situation, actions you took, and the result.
Step 3 - Think about the top problems that the person you are talking to might have and think of ways in which you are qualified to help them solve those problems. Write these down and incorporate them into your elevator pitch. Remember, make it more about the person and less about yourself. People want to know how you will help them.
Step 4 - Write out your elevator pitch to include the background information about yourself and the ways in which you will help the person your talking to solve problems. Always finish with some request for a card or a follow-up meeting. The elevator pitch is all about breaking the ince and beginning a longer conversation.
Step 5 - Practice, practice, practice. Use a mirror, record yourself and be able to make your elevator pitch without thinking. If you want to become a cosmetic chemist, this is a great way to be ready for any opportunity or interview.
Here is a video which gives some more useful tips.
[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1Y02_oZP8U’]
