Preparing Your Elevator Speech – How to Sell Yourself in Under 30 Seconds

It’s called the elevator pitch and the term has become quite well known. It refers to a 30-second sales pitch. What you are selling is yourself and making your case to land a new job. It’s based on the idea that people are busy, and you won’t be able to keep their attention for very long, so you need to be prepared to lay out your case quickly and compellingly.

So, how do you develop a good one? Here are a few tips.

Define your objective

Your objective or goal is to get a job. But what kind of job in what industry? Before you can develop your pitch, you have to know why you are pitching, what you are trying to accomplish with your pitch.

Brainstorm on paper

Once you have determined the exact job you want, you need to write down all of the skills, accomplishments and experience that relates to that job. Think of everything you can. This is the creative stage. It’s much easier to cross off details you don’t need then to come up with more ideas when you could need them later.

After writing down these ideas, you now morph into the editing stage. Your pitch has to be short, so you need to cut everything but your best stuff, down to where you have just a few key points. Don’t forget to organize your ideas. It should explain who you are, what you do, and what you want.

Remember your audience

In other words, remember that the person you are talking to is only interested in what you can do for them and their company. What you have done in the past is of little value to the person if you cannot show how it will help them.

So, for example, instead of saying that you have worked as a marketing director at a consumer products company for eight years, say that you are a marketing director whose insight into promotional opportunities led to millions of dollars in sales. That skill carries over to a number of companies while experience doesn’t mean as much without results.

Read it out loud

Writing is not the same as speaking, and so your pitch might sound a bit too formal, so you need to say it aloud to see how it sounds. If it does sound a little too formal, you may need to tweak it a little to give it a more relaxed, conversational tone.

Practice

Only by practicing will you make it sound smooth and effortless, as if you were just tossing it off. Without practice, you most likely will forget things when it’s crunch time. Being prepared is the best way to overcome the pressure in quick-thinking situations.

If you are looking for employment in the Inland Empire, Arrow Staffing has the unmatched experience and expertise to find the right job for you. We are one of the best in the Inland Empire. Give us a call today.

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