Creating Your Elevator Pitch: Effectively Marketing Yourself to Potential Employers 2015 Veterans Job Fair ALA – Gateway Chapter

What is an Elevator Speech? A short summary used to quickly give an employer an overview of who you are – ideally 30 to 60 seconds

Marketing Yourself Know your strengths. What are your skills? What is your passion? What makes you unique? What do you have to offer?

Write down what you do and write it several different ways. Write down your objective or goal. Highlight the phrases that stand out, the best parts. Put them together then edit for clarity. Getting Started

Explain what you do/have done/want to do. Be real, be yourself. Don’t use fancy lingo, jargon or buzzwords. Remember that the person you are addressing may come from a different industry and will not be familiar with what you do. Know your audience: Have more than one version of your pitch based on the position. Creating the Elevator Pitch

Don’t go there….. Keep it strictly professional Avoid: Marital status Religion Race National Origin/Ethnicity Age Any personal information

Try it out on a friend to make sure your elevator speech makes sense, encourages dialogue. Practice. You want to communicate clearly and concisely. Stay upbeat and positive. Put It All Together

My name is _____ and I’m a student at (college) studying to become a paralegal. I have a strong interest in ____ law and am eager to use my skills developed during my military service, especially my computer knowledge. I love research & writing, and I pride myself in my proofreading skills. In fact, I’ve consistently received high grades in those classes. I am seeking an internship with a law firm to gain legal experience. With my education, skills and work background, I am prepared to hit the ground running! Sample

Kim Morgan