How to Create the Perfect Elevator Pitch

Have you ever been to a party, been asked by somebody “So, what do you do for a living?” and had no idea what to say? You need to write yourself an elevator pitch.

How do you react when meeting someone new? Some people down-play their strengths massively, whereas others can launch into a detailed story of how they’re looking for a new job. If you don’t have an elevator pitch ready, you might miss out on that project or opportunity which could be your career’s highlight.

What is a elevator pitch?

Imagine you’re in stuck in a elevator (or lift, as we like to call it here in the UK), and someone you admire walks in and stands next to you – it could be the CEO of that dream company you’ve wanted to work at for years. You have exactly the amount of time it takes to reach the top floor (maybe 30 seconds to a minute) to tell them about you, make a good impression, and hopefully a connection.
However, your elevator pitch isn’t just for networking events or social gatherings – you’ll need it when cold-calling a business prospect or in other similar situations.

Your elevator pitch:

In your elevator pitch, you need to succinctly state what you do for a living and work out how to communicate this to whoever your audience may be. It should be concise and you should be answering 5 questions – 4 Ws and 1H:

Who are you?
What do you do?
Where do you work?
Why do they need to know this?
How are you different from others?

Don’t forget – the way you say something matters as much as what you say – so also concentrate on your:

Smile: have a big grin on your face, look the other person in the eye and give a friendly handshake. This will establish sincerity, as well as inspiring confidence and understanding.
Body language: watch your posture, as it will be the difference between showing that you’re being truthful and defensive.
Expressions: show that you are excited and interested to talk to the other person and speak with an animated voice.

** This post originally appeared on http://theundercoverrecruiter.com and was penned by Laurence Hebberd

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