Elevator Pitch: Make Better Career Connections

One of the essentials when it comes to finding a new job or advancing your career is the connections you make. Networking is an important part of career advancement, no matter what stage you are at. In fact, even when you are self-employed, it’s important to learn how to effectively network and connect with others.

If you want to connect quickly with others, and let them know what you do – and how you do it – it’s a good idea to develop a short personal statement or an elevator pitch. This is something that you can tell people who ask you what you do, or who ask you who you are.

The idea is to convey your competence, and quickly be able to show the person you are talking with that you are the right person for the job – or at least that you are the right person for someone else. When you have a good elevator pitch, it’s easy for others to see where you might fit. It’s a great networking tool that allows others to see if you might work for a friend of a friend, even if you aren’t quite right for the organization at hand.

Create Your Elevator Pitch

Think about how to briefly describe who you are or what you do. When I’m not talking with bloggers, I use an elevator pitch that basically boils down to: “I’m a freelance journalist. I provide content to a variety of financial sites.”

Keeping your elevator pitch short is key. My description of myself and what I do keeps things simple, but it tells others what I do. The fact that I use a keyword like journalist automatically implies certain things about me, and confers a bit of credibility. I sometimes follow up with specific sites that I’ve written for, or that my work has appeared in. Being able to say, “I provide content to financial sites like MSN Money and US News and World Report” is a helpful variation on my elevator pitch. I can also say something like, “My work has been linked to from The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.”

Consider how you can keep things short and simple, while at the same time conveying useful information that others will find attractive. Develop different versions of your elevator pitch so that you can adapt to different situations. What I tell a blogger, who understands the world of personal finance blogging, is slightly different to what I tell someone who isn’t steeped in the world of online publishing.

Think about various audiences, and develop three or four different pitches that can be used. Also, take the time to think of ways you can elaborate once the conversation gets going. While you don’t want to sound like a robot, you do want to be prepared.

Your Online Elevator Pitch

Don’t forget that, in the job hunt, how you present yourself online matters as well. Your social media profiles act as a sort of online elevator pitch. You should keep the description of what you do short and to the point. Someone coming across your LinkedIn profile, Google Plus profile, or your Twitter account should be able to quickly see what you do.

With so many recruiters and employers looking online, it makes sense to consider how you look in these situations. Crafting your online description should take into account the purpose of your profile, and what you hope to accomplish. Spend some time tweaking your online elevator pitch as well as what you intend to deliver in person, and you’ll make better career connections.

Miranda writes about personal finance almost every day. An experienced freelance writer, she's covered your money online and in print from every angle and is always looking for new ones.

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