An elevator pitch is a short and engaging pitch about yourself that highlights your skills and candidature with an aim to increase your chances of getting hired. It is a striking pitch that a job seeker can present in short and crisp sentences.
The term “elevator pitch” came from the idea that the pitch should be short enough to start with and wind up by the time the potential recruiter who is travelling with you in a lift gets out of the elevator. This basically means the pitch lasts for from some seconds to fewer minutes.
In today’s scenario, it means more than that. It means impressing your potential recruiter with the most impressive aspects of your career, thus getting them amazed by your resume and your personality immediately.
Importance of an Elevator Pitch
As businesses expand, hiring duties are often delegated to third-party recruiters. They interview hundreds of people every day and get thousands of resumes in their emails. You need to put a striking short pitch about yourself in your resume so that the recruitment agent feels compelled to read your resume.
An elevator pitch is also important because opportunities present themselves when you least expect them. You should be ready with a perfect pitch when you happen to come across an influential person. But do be careful about the right place and right time perspective. That brings us to the next section…
The Dos
Here is what you should do during an elevator or resume pitch:
Brag: Yes, this is the time to go all out. Flaunt all your best achievements and use the best adjectives, don’t hold back.
Be confident: Confidence is key here. Even if you don’t have that many achievements, you need to look and sound like someone who does.
Research: Don’t walk in clueless. Read up information about the company’s short- and long-term goals to convey genuine interest in contributing towards them.
The Don’ts
Perfecting an engaging pitch about yourself is the first strategic step to getting recruited by the big fish in the industry. But don’t get too carried away and ruin it for yourself. Here are some common mistakes you must avoid at any cost:
Embellishment: Don’t lie about your achievements. Remember, if you are caught, nobody will want to hire you for you will have proven yourself to be a liar. And by the way, you will be caught if you lie.
Wrong place/time: There are times when you should be careful of the things you say. For instance, if you are at a meeting with one of the top brasses of your company and a really important topic is under discussion, and you don’t know much about it. You know what not to do. Don’t pitch. Don’t try to sound smart and end up looking foolish.
Aggressive statements: Passion is good but lets it not cross over to aggression. For example: “I guarantee you’ll be thankful to have me on your team” versus “You’ll regret not hiring me”.
Wrong body language: Your words might not be aggressive but you could be standing in their way as if to convey “I am not letting you leave until you hear me out”. Scaring your recruiter is not a smart idea.
Repetition: There should be no room for repetition in a 40-second talk or 80-word text document. Word your sentences with gravity, truth, and substance. This short and engaging pitch about yourself must be as good as your resume if not more.
Violate the time limit: Nobody will be timing you but you must be done in under a minute of talking or under 100 words.
Follow the dos and don’ts and you are golden. Here are some examples to help you practice.
10 Best Examples for an Elevator Pitch across Industries
You have already learned what to do and what to avoid while making an elevator pitch. Here are some classic examples of a good elevator pitch that could come in handy.
1) As a Project Manager for Property or Finances
You will need to use phrases like ‘specialising in business lending’ or ‘value engineering’ instead of vaguely saying ‘I have experience in all spheres of this project’.
2) As a Recruitment Consultant
Mention your field of recruitment experience in the very first sentence along with the number of years you’ve been a recruiter. Use phrases like “proficient talent acquisition specialist” instead of “head hunter”. Mention your skillset in Pymetrics, market mapping, and global recruitment channels to make it an engaging pitch about yourself.
3) As a Communications Consultant
Mention where you graduated from and how long you’ve been into reporting and editing. Throw in some names of your top clients even if you have worked with them for just one project. Don’t mention it was a short journey, but do say it was a successful one.
4) As a Digital Marketer
Focus on the importance of branding and SEO and talk about your unique strategising abilities. Don’t shy away from mentioning any past ventures with start-ups whether they succeeded or not. Talk about your experience and not the fate of the company.
5) As a Sales Manager
Mention your growth percentages in your field and compare them to the average growth in the industry during the time. Of course, if your performance was not above average don’t draw the comparison. Play on your strong suit, saying something like ‘fostering long-term client relationship’.
6) For the Health Sector
Mention where you studied and more importantly, where did you do your internship. Do remember to mention how passionate you are about a current cause in case you are in research.
7) For the Education Sector
This is another sector where you must convey your passion for the cause. Single out a purpose like “literacy for people with special needs”. Care to not fabricate any detail but highlight what you care about the most. Do mention your alma mater and most rewarding projects.
8) For the HR Sector
If you have prior experience, mention the most conspicuous one. If you are a fresher, focus on your talents like ‘soft skills’ or ‘conflict management prowess’ and ‘abstract problem-solving abilities’.
9) As a Researcher
As a researcher, you must mention your published works, both online and offline. Mention your speciality and your passion, which must align.
10) In the field of Customer Service
Mention executive roles if any and the tenure of the same. Mention your problem-solving skills and flair for coming up with novel solutions.
Craft some pitches according to your sector and establish a confident and positive tone in your delivery. Craft several short and engaging pitch about yourself in text form for email resumes customised for the specific company. You