I Should Hire You: Elevator Speech Presentation

30 Second Elevator Pitch and Professional Summaries

The purpose of the “elevator pitch” is to summarize YOU in about 30 seconds. The premise is

that you get on an elevator and the CEO of a company gets on the elevator with you. The door

closes and he introduces himself and asks you what you do? You know you don’t have time for a

long winded response, and do not want to babble or be stumped. You want to make a good

impression; your window of opportunity has just opened…

What do you say? What should you say? How do you say it all in the 30 second elevator ride?

There are three main components to what you will say in your elevator pitch.

 First state a problem you recognize in your industry

 Second identify your career or job goal as a solution to the problem

 Third restate the problem and ask if they know of anyone who can use someone like you (Networking)

You have just identified a problem in your industry, identified you as a solution, and asked the

CEO/President of a company if he or she knows of anyone who can use someone like you.

Here is how it works:

When someone asks what you do, say...

"You know how the food service industry has been (state a problem) - well what I do is (state

your career or job goal as a solution). That's why I'm so excited about this field; I've been

studying this issue for several years now and just graduated with a degree in.... Do you know

anyone in the industry that might need help with (restate the problem)?"

Examples:

You know how the food service industry has been struggling to maintain profitability because

of our challenging economy? - Well, what I do is show restaurant owners how to streamline

their operations and squeeze every penny they can out of their marketing budgets so they can

maintain their profitability and of course, stay in business. Do you know anyone in the food

service world that could use a little more efficiency and profitability?

You know how a lot of companies these days are really being forced to do a lot more with a lot

fewer people? Well what I've been studying for the last few years in my management program

at Ashford University is business leadership. I've studied the best and worst examples of business

leadership in their breakthrough program and I've learned a lot about leadership from some of the

greatest business minds in the country. Do you know anyone who is looking for someone with

business AND leadership skills?

You know how marketing budgets are the first thing to get axed when budgets get tight?

Well, what I do is show business owners some of the most innovative marketing tactics I've

learned during my two year intensive course work at A.U. Did you know they are the leading

school on the west coast for_____________? Do you know anyone who would like to increase

their marketing results and still lower their overhead?

You know how our healthcare system seems to be in such chaos right now with all the new

rules and laws and changes in the marketplace? Well what I've been doing for the last four

years is studying healthcare systems as a part of my management degree from AU. It's been a

tough program because they have such high caliber faculty with a lot of experience in healthcare.

I now have some amazing insight into the healthcare crisis and I'm glad to say I know there's a

lot we can do to fix it. Do you know of anyone in the healthcare field that might be looking for

some fresh and innovative solutions?

You know how military vets are coming home from around the world and many of them have

not been able to find the right kind of work they need? Well, what I do is teach veterans how to

build a stronger resume and make a solid first impression so they have a better chance of getting

their foot in the door. I learned how to do this while studying HR and Management at AU. Do

you know of anyone looking for an inspiring HR person to join their team?

You know how the higher education industry has been struggling with accommodating online

students? Well, what I do is empower online students to feel as connected to the university as

they would in a traditional campus setting by treating each student as an individual. I researched

the importance of faculty/staff interaction and its positive impact on student persistence and

retention during my Master’s program. Do you know of anyone in the higher education

community who might be looking for a positive addition to their staff?

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Professional Summaries

Professional summaries are a brief description of your experiences, credentials, qualifications,

goals, values, and strengths that best describe you as a professional.

The professional summary is often used in different situations where the audience does not have

your resume to refer to, such as at a presentation. You can use a professional summary to give a

quick overview of traits you feel the hiring manager or recruiter may want to know. The

professional summary would be the next step after the initial 30 second elevator pitch.

Professional Summary examples

I am an Internet Marketing Manager professional with 15 years’ experience in the Internet

industry and have extensive experience with SEO, SEM, and website development. I bring a

background developing new Internet business brands and strategies. Recently, I have just

completed a Master of Business Administration degree I am looking to taking on the

increased responsibility of creative branding strategies at the Director level within your

company.

Hi my name is John. I am completing my Bachelors of Arts in Organizational Management

here at Ashford University. For the past five years, I have worked in the food service industry

in a management role where I was able to reduce costs and increase revenues. I am looking for

increased management roles as a district manager where I can improve productivity and

increase profitability.