Elevator Pitch Cheatsheet

Your Elevator Pitch is your value proposition. A short (10 second to 2 minute) summary which describes how well you can do the work defined by your professional objective.

Elevator Pitch Ideas

Highlight Some Of the Following Key Elements In Your Elevator Pitch.

Everything from the following list is not meant to be all included in your elevator pitch. Pick a couple which are most important for you. The Elevator Pitch should not be more than 30 seconds.

1. Your most recent position title and a brief explanation if the title is not self explanatory. Level of seniority. Key functional areas.

2. Number of years of experience – Depth and breadth of experience. Level of seniority.

3. The types of industries you have worked in and the names of companies

4. Interests :

   What sparks your enthusiasm? Employers know that people with a genuine interest in a particular kind of work develop their skills most quickly.

5. Skills :

   What are you good at, what do you have to offer? Most people undervalue their skills. With -on-the-job learning there is no teacher to tell you what you are learning. Thus, you may not be aware of how much you have learned in your jobs or have names for the skills you acquired.

   Think of the contributions you have made in each job and the skills that were needed for each. Use a ‘Skill Inventory’ to jog your memory. Then group these skills in to 3 to 6 categories, naming each category. Think: Which of your skill categories interest you most ?

6. Values :

   What’s important for you in life – Freedom, monetary gains, honesty, autonomy, technical expertise, security and stability ? You feel uncomfortable when your values are compromised. When you are in harmony with your values you feel content and delighted.

   Values and interests may seem similar, and yet these are distinct elements.

7. Long term goals :

   Where would you like to be 5 years from now – at work and in life ? Is your target job, in your target company, a step in that direction ?

   For example, if you want to settle down to a regular 9 to 5 job – living a quite life in your home town with your family – then an outside sales job which requires traveling may not be your cup of tea.

8. Personality:

   Your personality shapes your interests. If you are an extrovert – great at team sports – then you would be happier in jobs which give an opportunity for being with a wide range of people. eg sales rep, businessman, leadership positions.

   If you are a creative, intelligent person – but more comfortable with a select group of close friends – then you would be happiest and most productive at jobs which require individual contributions – teacher, scientist, software programmer, doctor etc.

9. Vision:

   If you see your job as a “calling” and feel that you have a clear mission in life to fulfill – then you may want to review your immediate goals from that perspective. If helping homeless children is your passion in life then you may perhaps think of a teacher’s job not a programmer’s.

Elevator Pitch Checklist: Attributes Of A Killer Elevator Pitch