The Elevator Pitch – Will your opportunity arise the next time you step into a lift?


You step into a lift and press the 6th floor button. Someone walks in behind you. As you turn around you realize it’s the CEO of the company you’d love to work for. The door closes. You have approximately 60 seconds to captivate your audience. Just 60 seconds to get yourself noticed and secure the job you want. This is your opportunity. What do you do?  What do you say? Anything?
An elevator pitch should be designed to get you noticed; succinct, precise and straight to the point. You should be able to deliver your entire pitch within 30 - 60 seconds. Although you won’t always be pitching yourself in an elevator, the idea is that you should be able to effectively communicate who you are, what you do and why this is important to your audience within the space of a short elevator ride.
Your personal elevator pitch should focus on the competences that you posses that would be a valuable asset to the employer. The following steps outline the key elements of a successful elevator pitch:
1.      Begin your pitch with a short, catchy sentence that clearly identifies the purpose of the conversation and acts as a ‘hook’ which arouses interest and curiosity. 
 
2.      Keep it concise -your pitch should last no longer than 60 seconds.
 
3.      You must communicate your pitch with passion and credibility. If you don’t believe in yourself why would anyone else?
 
     4.   Conclude you pitch by asking for a business card, a contact number or a referral.   

 
According to estimations from Otis, one of the most established companies in the elevator market, 6.4 billion people are carried by elevators every 72 hours – which roughly equates to the world’s population.[1] Who will you meet the next time you step into a lift?  



                                                                               Hayden Hill


[1] FAUST, B., and FAUST, M., 2004. Pitch Yourself. 2nd ed, Glasgow: Pearson Education Limited

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