Intro

You're in a job interview and your interviewer says, "So, tell me about yourself." How do you normally answer❓ During my job search in 2022 (when I was first pivoting into tech), my mentor helped me develop an elevator pitch. 🛗 Now, it's my turn to share that advice with you!

How to craft your elevator pitch

📝 Let's write your personal elevator pitch in 5-8ish sentences:
1. 🗣️ Intro: Start with a brief introduction of yourself and your role. If you are pivoting, this should be the role you are looking to pivot into. (1 sentence)
2. 🗣️ Education: Mention relevant educational background or qualifications. You can skip this if this doesn't apply to you. You can also switch this with experience if your education is less recent. (1 sentence)
3. 🗣️ Experience: This is where you would highlight your most recent relevant work experiences and achievements, including any role-relevant methodologies and skills. (1-3ish sentences)
4. 🗣️ Other Relevant Methodologies/Skills: Discuss other specific methodologies, skills, or areas of expertise relevant to your role that you haven't mentioned yet. (1-2 sentences)
5. 🗣️ Additional Skillsets: Optionally, transition into any additional skills or experiences that complement your current role. This is especially relevant if you pivoted but have transferrable skills. Always tie it back to the role you're applying to. (1 sentence)

Example of an elevator pitch

🌱 My elevator pitch from 2022:
I’m a UX Researcher with a foundation in Service Design. I have a master’s in UX from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where I focused on mixed methods UX research. In my current position as a Service Designer & Researcher at a NASA contractor, I have overhauled all corporate processes and procedures by building a scalable infrastructure to support future company growth. Throughout this project, I have employed various UX research methodologies such as journey mapping, user interviews, contextual inquiries, focus groups, user surveys, and usability testing. Prior to pivoting into UX, I had over a decade of experience as a visual designer, which has served me well in my UX career as I can take projects from planning and problem-scoping through generative research to ideation, sketching, and wireframing.

Further thoughts

💡 Use your resume to help you write steps 3 and 4.
💡 The longer your career, the more you *could* add to steps 3 and 4 but try to keep your elevator pitch to ~1-1.5 minutes. There will be plenty of time to get into the nitty gritty throughout a job interview. Your pitch should be a good high-level intro of who you are and your skills.
💡 Practice saying your elevator pitch out loud to make sure it sounds and feels natural!
💡 Use this elevator pitch for the "No-Ask" policy (if you're unfamiliar, learn more: https://lnkd.in/ewrcGTqP).

Outro

As you write your elevator pitch, remember: your story is your superpower. 🦸 I hope this guide helps you as you network and job search!