Personal Elevator Pitch Sample printable pdf download

The Personal Pitch

An elevator or personal pitch is your opportunity to:

Tell your story

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Sell yourself

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Summarize your experience and background

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Convince the employer that you are right for the position

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Leave a good impression

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Your pitch is a tool for your job or internship search. It is called upon throughout the job search

process, whether to introduce yourself as a potential candidate over the phone or at a career fair, in an

informational interview, or to answer common interview questions (“Tell me about yourself”). It will

help you organize your thoughts and clarify your job target and marketable skills.

What you include in your message will vary, depending on who you are talking to and what your

overall objective is. The amount of time you have to deliver your personal pitch will also vary. During

a Career Fair or networking event, you only have about 30 seconds so you need to focus on your key

message. To answer the “tell me about yourself” question during a job or internship interview you will

have a longer amount of time to respond, between 60-90 seconds, so you’ll want to think about what to

include and how to present it in a clear and concise way.

Consider what you are hoping to achieve from this pitch.

The following worksheet will help you write your personal pitch. Each section provides key questions

that should be addressed in your personal pitch. You may decide to cut out some items, or include

others that are more relevant, depending on who you are talking with and the overall purpose of your

pitch. Once you have filled out the worksheet, review our sample statements to get an idea of how to

put all your information together. This is YOUR personal pitch, so try to keep it conversational.

Once you have drafted your pitch, you should get some feedback from friends, a Career Counselor,

professor, or anyone else who can help you refine your message and delivery. The key to success, as

with any public speaking endeavor, is to practice, practice, practice. Try to personalize as much as

you can without simply repeating it like a scripted speech.

Personal Elevator Pitch Sample