My colleagues on the Employer Branding Team have been posting a series of
Elevator Pitch videos on the Life at SAP Facebook. This got me thinking; what's my elevator pitch?
In the same way a cover letter alongside your CV ensures you stand out, an elevator pitch in a networking or interview scenario ensures you succinctly get across what you stand for. Career coach Jenn Dewall explained to Glassdoor that
“an elevator pitch is a brief summary explaining who you are, and it’s a way to get to know someone in a professional way”.
So how do you craft your pitch?
Think about what message you want to get across, and what you want to achieve with your pitch. The best pitches offer a solution to a problem; so how are you offering yourself as the solution to a problem and what are the high skills you want to highlight? You will not have time to relay a history of your accomplishments, so what’s your headline?
It can help to write down your pitch. This will help you remember it, practice it, and develop it for different audiences. Think about how you’ll use it – with clients, prospective hiring managers, peers at networking events – all these people need to receive the information in slightly different tones but the message stays the same, it’s all about you and making you stand out. Deliver your pitch with confidence and leave the audience wanting more, or even better make them want to take action i.e. hire you! Think about how you can end the pitch on such a note and make an impression. Be honest and genuine and sell yourself!
Remember though, the name ‘elevator pitch’ means it should be short enough to be delivered on an elevator ride. So, if you only had 30-60 seconds to sell yourself, what would you say?
I'm going to work on mine for those times I have to introduce myself on conference calls. Where will you use yours?
