I think everyone should have a 30 second interview pitch. It’s obviously important in interviews to be able to concisely sum up your background, but it’s also vital for life in general. Having a clear expression of where you came from and where you are going can help drive you forward and make future decision making simpler.
I have found that having a simple elevator pitch prepared can be super helpful for people that are interviewing. There are many questions an employer can ask you that will give you an idea of what
Outlining Your Pitch
So what are the building blocks of an elevator pitch? Below is my outline:
- This is where I got my start
- This is what I love to do
- I am going to use what I love to do to guide where I am going – here’s how!
That’s it! Let’s take a look at a sample elevator pitch for Melinda Doohickey, our young mechanical engineer from my page on resume writing.
Hi! I’m Melinda Doohickey. I graduated from the University of Minnesota, Duluth in 2016 and took a job working for ABC Company through an internship. I’ve been working there for the last two years and have had a lot of exciting opportunities. In particular, I am proud of the work I have done as a lean specialist, and have had a blast learning all sorts of Six-Sigma techniques and leading Kaizen Events. My objective is to continue growing my knowledge of Lean and apply it in new and exciting ways in my next role.
Try saying that out loud. I just did. It took me 25 seconds. This is about as much as you need for a 30 second pitch. You can fluff something like this up a bit, or shorten it if you need to, but as long as you hit the three notes described above you will be golden.