As a young professional, you meet new people every day. During these meetups, you are expected to present your best self. The way you introduce yourself to a new person would create a long-lasting impression. So you may now ask,” how do I introduce myself? “
One crucial modern-day skill is selling. Selling is not limited to goods and services. Selling is simply creating and offering value. As a young talent, when networking, you need to showcase how valuable you are. This is why you need a student elevator pitch – to sell yourself.
This guide would show you everything you need to know about crafting a compelling student elevator pitch.
Check the next section to know the meaning of an elevator pitch.
What is an Elevator Pitch
Simply, an elevator pitch is a concise introduction about yourself, a product, an idea, or perhaps services. The pitch is expected to be as short as an elevator ride. An elevator pitch is also known as an elevator speech. It is a short statement designed to get the interest of potential employers, investors, and customers. For students, your elevator speech should be targeted at potential employers and partners.
Tips For Crafting a compelling Pitch
It is essential you already have an elevator speech ready. This is because you don’t want to be rambling for words when you get an opportunity to sell yourself.
In writing an elevator speech, you should try to answer questions your typical audience wants to answer. When you put these questions in mind, it will guide your student elevator pitch. These questions are listed below:
1. Who are you?
2. What can you solve?
3. What is unique about you?
4. What are your career goals and aspirations?
5. What next?
Who are you?
The ‘who are you’ answer should be a brief two-sentence statement about yourself. This statement should include your name, educational qualification, and perhaps any extra-curricular activity you are involved in.
What can you solve?
For the ‘what can you solve’? you should describe the solutions your dream career tackles for business. For instance, a doctor attends to sick patients and saves their lives. If you’re a medical student talking to a medical recruiter, you could include in your elevator pitch a statement like this one.
” My skills will help the hospital in saving the lives of patients “
What is unique about you?
Your answer should highlight your engagements, achievements, and experiences relevant to your career path. While you are doing this, avoid using industry jargon and acronyms.
What Next?
Once you are done highlighting what you’re good at, you need to direct. In marketing, this is called a call to action. A call-to-action is asking your audience to take the desired action. Well, if you don’t ask, you may not receive. If you want them to contact you, to connect with you on LinkedIn, to invite you for an interview, ask for their email address, etc, you need to ask for it.
Please note that call-to-actions differ for different scenarios. So, prepare to always tweak your call to action.
When do you need an Elevator Pitch?
When crafting a compelling student elevator pitch, it should not be rigid. Your speech should be tweaked to any situation that requests it. Putting these scenarios in mind would make your speech look less like a recited poem. Some of the scenarios that require a pitch include the following;
1. When answering the ‘what do you do?’ In a social situation.
2. You would be asked to “tell me about yourself” or “can I meet you” in a professional setting like an interview.
3. When sending a cold message on LinkedIn or any professional settings
4. Your LinkedIn bio or any other important social
5. At a networking event for instance a career fair.
Various scenarios will present themselves off, for you to sell yourself, and you need to be prepared for it.
The next section would highlight some examples you could use as a template.
Examples of Elevator Pitch
1. Introduce yourself on a social platform
” Hi, I’m Chika Ejike, a 200 level student of Agricultural economics. I help companies reduce losses, by managing their finances. My volunteering experience with the Student Finance club has enabled me to build my financial skills. You should connect with me on LinkedIn. [Add link] “
2. Can we meet your job interview question
” My name is Chika Ejike, a graduate of Psychology. I have previously worked as a graphic design intern at XYZ company. This role has provided transferable skills. With my experience, I believe I can help communicate the brand’s image through unique designs. Would you like to know any other thing? “
3. LinkedIn Bio example, highlighted by Chigozirim Nwokoma
” Edidiong is a final year student of the University of Calabar, Nigeria where she studies Theatre and Media Studies and has been on the Dean’s honour’s list for the past three years. A member of the University of Calabar chapter of Enactus, she has served as the Vice President and Programs director of the chapter where she led a team of 5 people to organize an employability seminar that helped the students learn how to craft a CV, use LinkedIn and network properly with professionals in their field. “
These are some of the examples you can utilize in your elevator pitch.
Next Steps
Now, we have come to the end of this post. This post has emphasised creating an elevator pitch that sells your value. It also explains the need to prepare for various networking situations.
Now your turn!
What will you be implementing?
Let’s hear from you in the comments.