How to Write an Amazing Elevator Pitch

In my talks with hiring managers and job seekers alike, I often hear the term “elevator-pitch”, but what exactly is it? An elevator-pitch is a 30-60 second sales pitch that is designed to promote a business, a product or a person. When looking for a new job, it is important to write out your elevator pitch so that you can tell an employer exactly what skills and talents you bring to the table, who you are as a person and employee and why they should hire you.

Your elevator pitch should be clear, concise and compelling. The objective is to grab the employers interest and make them want to read your resume and consider you for employment at their company. In some cases, all you have is 30-60 seconds for an employer to decide if they want to find out more about you, so having your pitch planned out is very important.

Here are some tips for writing a compelling elevator-pitch:

• Write down your skills- Don't worry about editing here, just free write all the things that you think make you an excellent candidate in your job field. Try to think about action words and keywords that sum up what it is that you do best.

• Write down your goals- Try to think about it until you can come up with something more interesting than “My goal is to secure full time employment”. Sometimes it can be as simple as, “my objective is to become the go to person in customer service, I want to be the one that can make the sale happen in spite of difficulty”. Whatever your objective is, write that down. Brainstorm until you find the phrase that feels right and sums your goals up the best.

• Write down 5 or 6 sentences that describe what you want to do- These sentences should be action oriented and explain what you do best and how you do it.

• Record your thoughts- I know it sounds a bit silly, but by recording it and playing it back, you can get a feel for what sounds the best. You don't have to buy any fancy equipment, just use a webcam or microphone on your computer. If you don't have a microphone, there are sites that can record you from your phone. Whatever works best for you, don't be afraid to play it back a few times. Don't worry too much about time yet, if it is too long at this stage, it is fine.

• Edit it down to the best parts- Try to put together the parts that sounded the best and try to fashion them into a cohesive paragraph. You may want to record it again and see how it all flows.

• Walk away- Set it down for a day or two and come back to it with a fresh outlook. Listen to it again and see if it still reflects your message. Looking at it fresh can give you a better feel for how an outsider would hear it.

• Check the time- Once you have a clear message, time yourself delivering it and make sure that it doesn't exceed 60 seconds. If it does, try to edit down the parts that aren't crucial to your message.

• Rehearse- Put on your interview clothes and rehearse your pitch in front of friends, as for input. If you don't feel comfortable at first, you can always record yourself on webcam delivering your pitch. Watch it and see if it looks like you are comfortable. If you feel akward doing this in front of your friends, you should make yourself do it several times. When you give your pitch to a client or employer, you don't want to appear self concious. Your goal should be to deliver the pitch and look like you believe it passionately. If you were honest in the first stages, this shouldn't pose as big of a problem.

• Memorize it- Commit this pitch to memory, go over it again and again in you head as you head to interviews or meetings. Make sure that you can give this pitch under pressure and when your nerves are getting the better of you. Keep in mind that even if you make some basic mistakes in your interview, a successful elevator pitch will stick in a potential employer's mind.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.