How to Make a Modern Elevator Pitch in 3 Simple Steps

As an active job seeker or career switcher, you never know when you’ll run into a potential employer or someone who can connect you with a job opportunity while you are networking or just out enjoying a night with friends.

So what can you do to quickly and effectively communicate who you are and what you do to new people you meet?

The short answer is - have an elevator pitch ready.

Whether you’re actively looking for a job or simply exploring new opportunities, how you present yourself matters. Your elevator pitch is more than just a quick introduction - it’s your chance to make a memorable first impression. Instead of focusing on job titles or buzzwords, craft a pitch that clearly highlights what makes you unique and how you can solve the problems that matter most to your ideal hiring manager. This isn’t just about having a polished statement; it’s about communicating your value in a way that resonates and leaves a lasting impact.

In this post, we’ll cover:

• What an elevator pitch is?

• Why use a modern approach to an elevator pitch?

• How to make a modern elevator pitch in three simple steps?

  
  

What is an elevator pitch?

An elevator pitch is a brief way of introducing yourself, getting across a key point or two, and making a connection with someone.

Why use a modern approach to an elevator pitch?

Titles and roles aren’t enough to effectively communicate what we do. Context matters, especially in tech. What a product manager does at Company A can be very different from what a product manager does at Company B.

With a simple, quick way to describe what you do, you’ll be able to set yourself apart in because you’ve taken the time to hone the skill of putting all the complex things you do into simple terms that anyone can understand.

How to make a modern elevator pitch in four simple steps?

Step 1. Know Your Audience

Start by knowing your audience. For the purpose of this exercise, your ideal hiring manager or the type of leader you want to work with is your audience. This is the step that most people skip. By spending a few minutes up front to clarify who your audience is you will be light years ahead of other candidates.

What does is take to know your audience? These four things:

1. Their niche

2. Their biggest problem

3. Their biggest fear

4. The result they want

Answer these questions using your ideal hiring manager's exact words and avoid jargon.

Step 2. Know Your Unique Value

Whether you are just starting your career or you are mid-way through your career, your unique value comes from combining your achievements, your lived experience, your way of solving problems, your strengths and your interests.

If you are just starting out, use the fact that you bring a fresh perspective or insight from other industries in a way that supports value you can bring into your ideal role.

How can you pick which parts of your experience you’re audience would find most valuable?

Do these two things:

1. Take 5 minutes brainstorm your key professional accomplishments.

2. Pick 1-2 of your key accomplishments that demonstrates you can get your ideal hiring manager the result they want and solve their biggest problem without their biggest fear happening.

Step 3. Make a Clear, Compelling Pitch

Now it’s time to bring what you know about your audience and your unique values together into a short and sweet elevator pitch that helps you stand out, feels more authentic and truly highlights the value you bring.

Use this modern elevator pitch framework:

1. Introduce yourself. Include your name and your current role.

   1. Example: "Hi my name is Sally, I'm a product designer".

2. Share what you do from your ideal hiring manager's point of view.

   1. Example: "I help product leaders build and scale complex SaaS products in less time by instilling UX practices and consistency without disrupting the current user experience."

3. Your unique value from your ideal hiring manager's POV. 

   1. Example: "With over 8 years of experience, I developed design systems at multiple startups. My work at Company A led the platform to be ranked highest by multiple industry leaders for usability and simplicity. Through my designs, we’ve scaled our solutions to go from handling a couple thousand transactions to a million transactions while launching brand new features."

Next steps for your modern elevator pitch

Creating a clear and compelling elevator pitch from scratch can feel overwhelming at first, especially if it’s your first time looking for a job or you have been in your current role for several years.

Nobody creates a clear and compelling message in their first attempt. It’s an ongoing commitment to creating a “good enough” draft, testing it out, learning message clicks and making adjustments.

Let’s recap to start creating your modern elevator pitch, do the following:

1. Know your audience

2. Know your unique value

3. Create a clear, compelling message

If you need more guidance on your job search, I’d love to chat. You can book a call with me using my scheduling link here.

Thanks for reading.