Steve Jobs gave one of the best elevator speeches in history.
A man named John Sculley was the president of Pepsi in 1983 and was passionate about dedicating his career to the company. At this time, Apple Computers needed a CEO, and Steve Jobs regularly approached Sculley with persistent offers, big promises, and high wages, which Sculley always turned down, until Steve Jobs made the elevator pitch:
“Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?”
This simple question is short, but incredibly impactful. Read the full story here.
What is an Elevator Pitch? If you ran into someone in an elevator, how would you introduce yourself on the quick ride up? An elevator pitch is a quick way to introduce yourself and make a compelling impression. These 30 second speeches are a great way to make yourself unforgettable to networking connections and potential employers, and can be a great way to answer the interview question “Tell me about yourself”.
Here are steps you can follow to create your own powerful elevator pitch:
1. Specify
What is your goal? When will you use this pitch? Make sure you keep this in mind when writing your speech and cater it to meet the terms of your objectives.
2. Reflect
Think about who you are, what you do, how you do it, and what you want to do next.
3. Differentiate
Explain the results of your work and highlight something unique about your skills.
4. Engage
Give them something to think about. It’s a great idea to end with an open ended question, action request, or a very memorable statement.
5. Create
Put it all together! Look at the notes you’ve taken while brainstorming and summarize them into 2 or 3 sentences that will make you stand out by being persuasive and highlighting your abilities.
Don’t forget to revisit your elevator pitch regularly and update it as you see fit. If you need assistance creating your elevator pitch and other interview tools, check out our free, virtual workshop: Polish Your Interview Skills.
