What is it?
This is a short, but memorable, summary of yourself, what you are passionate about, and what you do. Since people usually don’t want a long-winded introduction, it’s best to keep it to 30 seconds or less — thus, the time it would take you to take an elevator from one floor to another.
Why should I do it?
Being able to distill your passion and experiences into a short summary shows that you have spent time thinking about what you want and why. When executed well, the speaker appears intentional and confident. It’s not all about what you do, but why you do it. People connect more to a purpose than flashy accomplishments (though accomplishments are important too).
📝 FYI: Elevator pitches sometimes have a bad connotation. They are good! Your pitch should ultimately be warm, friendly, and conversational — not stuffy or pretentious.
“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” — Brené Brown
How do I do it?
Use this Formula:
Who you are + how you got there + your value prop + current responsibility
Here is an example:
At my core, I am a coach. I started my "career" in athletics as a Women's Basketball Coach and played professional basketball before that. I connect deeply to a vision that is bigger than myself and love to design programs that build cultures and teams from the ground up. That’s how I ended up at Banff Advisors where I'm excited to lead our newest product focused on the next generation of leaders.
Tell the truth
Every story has a problem, a mistake made, or a bad decision. Don’t shy away from the things that didn’t go so well. Sure they shouldn’t be the focus of the summary, but there is nothing wrong with saying you took a wrong turn. Honesty is more important than perfection.
Practice
Share with 3 people and practice live with at least one person. Let us know how it goes and where you need help clarifying or refining it!
What’s next?
After you complete the activity, we will receive your activity via email and review it plus send you a copy for your records. We recommend you keep it in one place, like an email folder, for easy access.
Build out your summary
After you have your short pitch, take some time to develop three career highlights and a summary for LinkedIn or the top of your resume.