Many of you may be familiar with the elevator pitch. You’ve probably seen it on the television show Dragon’s Den, where entrepreneurs attempt to persuade a panel of judges with their business ideas. Creating an excellent elevator pitch is a great way to consolidate what you are trying to achieve and what you can offer a company. It’s very closely linked to developing a personal brand.

What is an elevator pitch?

The idea behind an elevator pitch is a short statement which combines who you are and what you can offer a company in a couple of minutes (maximum). The idea behind it is that you only have a short time to convince an employer to hire you, about the same time it would take to travel from the ground floor to the top of a fairly tall building.

How can you use an elevator pitch?

An elevator pitch can be used during many stages of the recruitment and job searching process. It’s a great tool when you meet employers at job fairs, it’s useful to keep on track with your message at interviews and if you attend any networking events, you can use it to demonstrate your skills and passions to the people you meet there. But one of the most useful things about an elevator pitch is the fact that it allows you to spend some time focusing on what your key skills are and how you want to present them to potential employers. Having a clear idea of what you can offer the job market is really important, and can save time in the long run.

1. Remember it isn’t about you

Although you are trying to market yourself to a future employer, remember that however nice and friendly they seem, they probably don’t want to hear about what you’ve been up to, but rather what you can do to help them. Work out how your experience can benefit their company, and ideally how you joining their team will solve a problem. You want to be an essential employee, someone they can’t cope without.

2. Just like your CV, you should tailor it to the audience

As well as tailoring it to different jobs. Firstly, what your audience do will change what people want to hear. Those interviewing you will be interested in different points to the staff you meet at recruitment events. You are trying to show off what makes you the number one applicant and don’t have much time, so you should only include what’s relevant. Highlight your leadership qualities for a graduate management scheme or your digital skills for a job in technology.

3. Leave them wanting more

You’ve got a maximum of two minutes to tell them what they need to know, so you need to focus on the really interesting, exciting stuff. Let them know about your expertise , and the areas in which you really shine. Don’t give away all the good stuff though.

4. Have a call to action at the end

It’s important to finish your pitch by making a request or handing over your business card. Saying that you’d love to have an in-depth discussion about how your experience could help their business. Remember, you didn’t come just to tell them about how great you are, you also wanted a follow-up meeting / interview / introduction.

5. Practice

Sounding natural is really important. You don’t want to sound like you’re trying too hard to sell. If you can, practice your elevator speech on friends and family. Don’t over prepare, you want to sound conversational, and remember, it’s okay if you don’t get it perfect. It’s the message that’s important. We’re always impressed when candidates have taken the time to find out how their skills could be useful to the work that we do. If you want to learn more about the opportunities available at Enterprise then check out our latest vacancies.