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Developing Your Elevator Pitch: USG eCampus Career Focus

Your elevator pitch is a 30-second summary of who you are and how you impact others. It’s called an elevator pitch because it’s a statement that you could use to introduce yourself in the time that it takes to ride an elevator.

Sounds simple? Not necessarily. Even when our career goals are clear in our minds, it can take some practice to introduce yourself in a brief yet impactful way.

Why You Need an Elevator Pitch

An elevator speech is really all about first impressions. You’ll use it in networking. Networking occurs not just in formal situations such as career fairs, but also when you meet a new person in a social or academic setting. Sometimes, these new connections lead to jobs or career leads.

You’ll also use a version of your elevator speech in job interviews. This may be when you first meet an interviewer or after the interview begins and you are asked to tell about yourself.

In many USG eCore and USG eMajor online classes, you’ll have an introductory discussion post to help you get to know other classmates. This is another place to practice and refine your pitch.

Basic Recipe for an Elevator Pitch

Remember you are selling yourself. Your pitch should be memorable and crisp. This isn’t the time to ramble or to recite your resume.

1.      Introduce yourself and say what you do to help others. Example: “I’m John Smith and I help hospitals eliminate data breaches.” This first statement is the most important and should be able to stand alone.

2.      Next, add something that connects you to the person. Example: “I met Lauren Bloom, your colleague, last summer when I interned at Bluestar Medical. She was really interested in the research I've been doing as a Kennesaw State student on protecting rural hospitals in Georgia.” Note that this will be adapted for your audience.

3.      Next, distinguish yourself using a story that briefly tells how your work helped. “We found that data breaches actually slowed down patient care and through a pretty inexpensive software fix, we saw 15 percent better outcomes in the cardiac care unit in the first quarter.”

4.      Finally, turn your attention back to the other person or your audience. You might ask a question such as “how did you get involved with this organization?” or “tell me more about what you do.”

Refining Your Elevator Pitch

First, you’ll want to practice a basic, general version of your elevator pitch over and over. Then prepare slightly different versions based on who you will be speaking with.

If it’s a job interview, you might mention a common contact or even a shared hobby.

If it’s a social environment, you could integrate a personal interest such as a sports team or membership in an organization.

Most importantly, be sure that your delivery is confident. This means that saying less is saying more so long as you have chosen your words carefully.


USG eCampus is a service unit of the University System of Georgia that assists SACSCOC-accredited USG institutions in administering quality, affordable, high-demand, post-secondary online degrees and credentials that address the workplace needs of Georgia and beyond.

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By Austen Clay, anclay@ecampus.usg.edu

Media Contact: Katie Black, kblack@ecampus.usg.edu

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