Building your Elevator Pitch

Your Elevator Pitch is a critical communication tool, a short and powerful presentation about yourself designed to capture interest and communicate your value quickly.

It is essential to have it prepared for a variety of professional situations, especially interviews.

Concept and origin of the Elevator Pitch

The term "Elevator Pitch" comes from the idea of being able to present a business idea to a potential investor during the short time of an elevator ride.

Adapted to the professional environment, your Personal Pitch is a concise (less than one minute) speech about who you are, what you do and what you are looking for, designed to be memorable and effective.

It is inspired by the techniques used by entrepreneurs and companies to sell ideas or products quickly.

Uses of the Personal Pitch

This tool is versatile and useful in multiple scenarios:

• Professional presentations: To introduce yourself in a confident and professional way instead of improvising.
• Networking: To clearly explain your interests and make it easy for your contacts to help you or connect you with opportunities. It is ideal for events, cocktail parties or casual encounters.
• Job interviews: Especially useful for answering the question "Tell me about yourself" or when the interview starts in an unstructured way.

Key characteristics.

An effective Personal Pitch should be:

• Short: Last between 20 and 30 seconds, maximum one minute.
• Convincing: Convey confidence and professionalism.
• Concise: Go straight to the point, highlighting what is most relevant.
• Captivating and memorable: Awaken the interest of the interlocutor so that he/she wants to know more ("Tell me more").

Tips for an effective Pitch

To make your pitch work, consider these tips:

Be clear about your objectives: Knowing what you are looking for (industries, companies, positions) allows others to help you effectively.

Sell yourself: It is a business tool; you are selling your professional brand. Make sure your value and usefulness is clear.

Define your professional brand: Summarize what you offer to the job market, including skills (hard and soft) and image.

Suggested structure

A clear structure facilitates understanding. You can follow this outline (or adapt it):

• Title/Name: Introduce yourself.
• Profession/Degree: Indicate your professional field or educational level.
• Experience: Briefly mention your relevant background, perhaps highlighting a key promotion or achievement.
• Differential: What makes you unique, what soft skills or approaches characterize you?
• Interest: Clearly state what type of position, industry or company you are looking for.
• Closing: End with an open-ended question to continue the conversation or ask for help (e.g. "Do you know anyone in...?"), or adapted to the context of the interview.

Practical examples for Networking and Interviews

Example Networking (Administrator): "My name is Diego Barrera, I am an administrator specialized in marketing.

I worked for three years in the pharmaceutical sector, working my way up from sales to strategic planning, where I increased sales by 20%.

I am characterized by my sense of service, leadership and ability to innovate.

I am looking for a middle management position in the commercial area, ideally in the pharmaceutical or insurance sector, in companies such as Lilly or Seguros Bolivar. Do you know anyone in this industry with whom I could talk?

Example Interview (recently graduated psychologist): "My name is Juana Mora, I am a psychologist with organizational orientation.

I did my internship in Wellness at Banco Alemán, where I also supported in basic personnel selection.

My strengths are teamwork and communication, and I am very committed to goals.

I am very interested in working at this hotel because of its excellent reputation.

I know that I can bring my customer service skills and my great spirit of service, so I am very excited about this opportunity and my projection here".

Summary

Your Personal Pitch is a short and powerful presentation about yourself, designed to communicate your value quickly. Its origin comes from pitching ideas to investors in an elevator. It is vital for networking and interviews.

It should be short (maximum one minute), compelling, concise and memorable, seeking to arouse interest. Be clear about your objectives. It is a business tool; you are selling your professional brand, which includes your skills and image.

A suggested structure includes: title, profession, relevant experience, your differential (soft skills) and interest (what you are looking for). Close by seeking to continue the conversation or adapting it to the context of the interview.