Elevator Pitch

“Tell me about yourself” or “Why should I hire you for this job.” These questions are the most commonly asked questions at a job interview. Knowing how to put together a strong answer to the most common interview questions is obviously key to landing a job. The art and science of creating great answers involves being strategic in crafting your responses as well as practicing until you’re as strong as possible.

So what exactly is an elevator pitch? It is simply a 30-second speech that summarizes who you are, what you do and why you’d be a perfect candidate.

The biggest challenge for many people is communicating all their years of experience in 30 seconds. Here are a few tips that can help you with developing an elevator pitch.

• Begin with putting it all down on paper. Write down everything you’d want a prospective employer to know about your skills, accomplishments and work experiences that are relevant to your target position.
• Keep editing until you narrow it down to a few key bullet points that is relevant to your target position. 
• Format it.  A good pitch should answer three questions: Who are you? What do you do? What are you looking for?
• Make sure tailor the speech to them and not you. The interviewer will always listen for how you can benefit the company.
• Read your pitch out loud. If you’re not careful, your speech can sound like an infomercial and not a conversation.
• Practice, Practice, Practice. Rehearse your pitch in front of the mirror so you can see and hear how you sound.