HBR Guide to Getting a Job

CONVERSATION STARTER

How to Perfect an Elevator Pitch About Yourself

You're in the elevator with the hiring manager of Dream-Job Corporation. You've got 15 seconds to convince this person to hire you. What are you supposed to say?

by Daisy Wademan Dowling

Executive coach, regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, and author of the blog “Getting Ahead.”

Find more content on managing yourself at blogs.hbr.org/dowling

QUICK READ

An elevator pitch is a critical tool for successful networking. Here's how to fine-tune yours:

• Toot your own horn.
• State in one concrete sentence what makes you so effective (“I can make any boss shine”).
• Deliver your pitch calmly and confidently.
• Practice, practice, practice—100 times.
• Give your pitch to everyone, ...