Management Tip of the Day: Perfect Your Personal Elevator Pitch

Are you having trouble viewing this email? If so, click here to see it in a web browser. HOME   |   TIPS   |   BLOGS   |   THE MAGAZINE   |   BOOKS   |   STORE RSS   |   Mobile APRIL 11, 2013 Perfect Your Personal Elevator Pitch If you're in the market for a job, you need to be able to communicate your value as a potential employee in 15 seconds or less. That may be all the time you have with a recruiter or hiring manager. Your message has to be crisp and tailored. Say specifically what value you bring — for instance, "My specialty is streamlining messy, complex processes" — but don't pile on so many details that you struggle to get everything in. Delivering an elevator pitch at breakneck pace is extremely off-putting. Speak at a steady pace that shows you're calm and confident. You want the listener to see you as a thoughtful, deliberate candidate — not as some manic babbler. Today's Management Tip was adapted from the HBR Guide to Getting the Right Job. Buy the book and learn how to find a career that fits » Share Today's Tip: FEATURED PRODUCT HBR Guide to Getting the Right Job HBR Press Trying to figure out where you want your career to go—and get a job that'll take you there? That's no easy task in a fiercely competitive market. How do you clearly and convincingly define what you've got to offer to an organization? And how do you dig up realistic opportunities that match your skills and passions? Even if you've discovered exciting possibilities, you may face other obstacles: Perhaps you're finding it difficult to compete with more-seasoned professionals. Or maybe you're struggling to show a logical progression in your job history because you've hopped around. With challenges like these, it can be hard to get any job at all, let alone something that's satisfying, stable, and a good fit. But you can find and land the right job for you, even in a tough economy, with help from the experts in this guide. ADVERTISEMENT Follow the Tip: PREVIOUS TIPS Use Personal Rituals to Make Changes Stick Get Customers to Advocate for You Choose the Right Chart for Your Slide Quickly Quiet Your Mind Evaluate Remote Workers Fairly Make Yourself an Expert Strike the Right Tone in Your Writing Keep Your Company's Secrets in the Digital Age Reframe a Tough Interview Question Make Your Mission Meaningful All Previous Tips BEST SELLERS HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials HBR's 10 Must Reads Boxed Set HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations HBR Guide to Better Business Writing HBR Guide to Getting the Right Work Done Introducing Mobile ManageMentor Powered by the proven content of Harvard ManageMentor™ iTunes >> Android >> UNSUBSCRIBE   |   UPDATE YOUR PROFILE   |   MORE EMAIL NEWSLETTERS   |   PRIVACY POLICY Was this email forwarded to you? If so, sign up to start receiving your own copy. ABOUT THIS MAILING LIST You have received this message because you subscribed to the "Management Tip of the Day" email newsletter from Harvard Business Review. If at any point you wish to remove yourself from this list, change your email address, or sign up for other email newsletters and alerts, please visit the Harvard Business Review Email Newsletter Preference Center. OPT OUT If you do not wish to receive any email messages from Harvard Business Review, click here. ADVERTISE WITH HBR This enewsletter is read by thousands of decision makers every day. Learn more about connecting your brand with this audience. Copyright © 2013 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing | 60 Harvard Way | Boston, MA 02163 Customer Service: 800-545-7685 (+1-617-783-7600 outside the U.S. and Canada)