• Home
  • Choose a career
    • No idea what to do?
    • Career Path Guides
    • Top graduate employers
    • Further study
  • Apply for internships
    • Find an internship
    • Top graduate employers
    • Application advice
    • Career Calendar
    • Internship Experience UK
  • Apply for jobs
    • Find a job
    • Top graduate employers
    • Application advice
    • Career Calendar
    • Immediate start jobs
  • Career advice
    • No idea what to do?
    • CV advice
    • Aptitude & numerical tests
    • Interviews
    • Assessment centres
    • Commercial awareness
    • Networking
    • Key career skills
    • World of work
    • Graduate career guide 20/21
  • Academy learning
    • Free courses
    • Psychometric tests
  • Events
    • Bright Network events
    • Virtual University Series
    • Society of the Year Award
    • Employer events - Top 300
    • Previous event highlights
  • Success stories
    • Member success stories
  • About us
  • For employers
Home
  • Login
  • |
  • Signup
  • About us
  • For employers
  • Choose a career
    No idea what to do? Career Path Guides Top graduate employers Further study
  • Apply for internships
    Find an internship Top graduate employers Application advice Career Calendar Internship Experience UK
  • Apply for jobs
    Find a job Top graduate employers Application advice Career Calendar Immediate start jobs
  • Career advice
    No idea what to do? CV advice Aptitude & numerical tests Interviews Assessment centres Commercial awareness Networking Key career skills World of work Graduate career guide 20/21
  • Academy learning
    Free courses Psychometric tests
  • Events
    Bright Network events Virtual University Series Society of the Year Award Employer events - Top 300 Previous event highlights
  • Success stories
    Member success stories

How to perfect your elevator pitch

Being able to sell yourself in a short space of time is essential for a successful career. Master the art of the elevator pitch with our six top tips.

What is an elevator pitch?

An elevator pitch is essentially a 30 second sales pitch - in the time it takes to go to the top floor of a building in a lift, you can sell yourself or a concept to a stranger standing next to you.

Whether you’re planning to go into a career in sales or not, it’s vital to be able to sell yourself quickly and confidently. Impressing at interview is a prime example but it's a skill you'll use throughout your life as you have fleeting exchanges with people. 

There are entire books dedicated to the elevator pitch, however for now here are six tips to help you sell yourself more effectively.

1. Be passionate

It doesn’t actually matter what you’re currently doing - talk about it passionately and people will respond. They may not share your interest but they will respect your drive and enthusiasm. When you deliver your elevator pitch focus on what makes you tick - not what you think the other person wants to hear.

2. Adapt your pitch

Your elevator pitch is going to be different depending on who you’re meeting and where you’re meeting them. Despite the name, you’re unlikely to ever actually do this in a lift. Selling yourself in an interesting and engaging way is very different if you’re introducing yourself to a firm at a networking event, compared to meeting a friend of a friend in the pub.

In both cases, it’s important to be natural and think about what the other person will respond to in that setting. Discussing your passion for high yield bonds may not be the best topic for post work drinks.

3. Don’t oversell yourself

It’s absolutely fine to sound a little salesy during your elevator pitch – it’s going to be difficult not to as this is essentially what you’re doing. However becoming the pushy salesman is unlikely to hit the right note. Demonstrating confidence in your abilities is excellent but don't let arrogance take over. Be polite, charming and try to have a normal conversation.

4. But don’t sell yourself short

Don’t be embarrassed about what you have or haven't achieved at this point in your life. At the beginning of your career it's sometimes difficult to not be intimidated when talking to someone more senior. Just remember - all your experience is valuable. If you’ve learnt from doing something, it was worthwhile. And if you really don’t have much experience under your belt, the fact you’re trying to put that right makes you stand out. 

5. Practice

You don’t want your elevator pitch to sound like a pre-recorded message, but do think through what you’re doing in your life, what you’ve achieved and what makes you stand out. It feels self-indulgent to talk about yourself over and over again, but it’s worth practicing your introduction with family and friends. You’ll be thankful you did when you impress someone important.

6. Leave them wanting more

Your elevator pitch should last no more than a minute - there isn’t time to cover your whole life story. What you do say should leave them wanting to meet you again to find out more and it'll make it easier to suggest connecting online or even organising a follow up meeting.

 

←
Prev:
Free online courses to improve your technical skills
→
Next:
How to become more creative

Related content

  • Free online courses to improve your technical skills
  • How to become more creative
  • Your guide to writing good emails
  • Top 10 tips on how to negotiate
  • How to take (and ask for) feedback
  • How to work as a team
  • Five tips for finding your resilience
  • 7 tips for taking stand out headshots
  • Five ways to help you manage stress
  • Five essentials to creating a great LinkedIn
Careers - work for us Get in touch Terms and Conditions Community guidelines Privacy Policy
Bright Network © 2021