You've likely heard that your elevator pitch (or elevator speech) is the quick, succinct and interesting way you'll introduce yourself to people you meet. You might share your pitch at a job fair, standing in line for coffee or even, yes, in an elevator.
Once you've crafted your elevator pitch, it's easy to get complacent and recite the same key points, goals and examples over and over. But there are times when your elevator pitch benefits from updating, such as:
- When you change jobs or career focus
- When your target audience changes
- If something in your pitch has changed or isn't true anymore
- If the person you're speaking with understands your career field
- When it's been a while since you updated how you introduce yourself
- If your elevator pitch isn't getting you what you want
- When your pitch is becoming stale, even to you
If you've followed my advice here on Military.com and have crafted your elevator pitch to be intentional, authentic and memorable, then it might seem odd to think about updating it. The good news is, you likely won't have to update the entire thing, just the parts that are no longer working for you.
Consider the key elements of your elevator pitch: What you do, why you care (or how you do your work differently) and an example of what you're looking for or how you serve others. Updating your elevator pitch, then, requires you to examine each element individually.
Part 1: What You Do
If you've updated your job title, work focus or career goals, start here. Maybe you've become clearer about what your post-military career looks like, you've become an entrepreneur or you're now out of the military whereas before you were still active duty.
Update this section with the easiest-to-understand version of your work. Remember, it's still important to be understood by new people you'll meet, not only the people in your same line of work. This element of your elevator pitch helps the other person focus on what will come next and not get stuck trying to understand your line of work. Strive for straightforward and understandable language here.
Part 2: Your "Why"
If what you're looking for (leads, job openings, information, connections, etc.) has changed, your passion for your work has now become clearer to you or the narrative you use to connect your past to your present work is more in focus, modify this section.
Remember, this part is where you color your narrative with your personal brand and career goals. You might share why your work is meaningful to you, how your past work has made you more committed to finding employment in a certain industry or why you care about serving the people you're seeking to lead.
You can also use this part to share what you need and how others can help. If you're now clear about your career path, for instance, you can introduce specific requests here. You might say, "I'm deeply passionate about serving at-risk youth in our community and am looking to connect with others who seek to serve the same community."
Being clear here is helpful to the person you're speaking with.
Part 3: Examples and Anecdotes
Finally, is it time to change up the stories and examples you use to clarify your elevator pitch? Perhaps the people you speak with today are well-versed in your field, and your examples previously were more basic. Or maybe you've shared the same anecdotes so many times that you could recite them in your sleep (and your enthusiasm is waning).
Remember that the examples, stories, testimonials and anecdotes you'll share in your elevator pitch are there to anchor your brand in the minds of the person hearing them. They serve to paint a picture, tell a story and make you more memorable. Consider having three or four examples to choose from when you speak to someone and rotate them to keep your pitch relevant and interesting.
Your elevator pitch is not a scripted speech you recite when someone says, "Tell me about yourself." Instead, it should flow as a natural and interesting introduction to who you are and what you care about. Updating your pitch is good practice from time to time, to keep your focus on the areas of your elevator pitch that are most important to you and the recipients of your message.
The author of "Success After Service: How to Take Control of Your Job Search and Career After Military Duty" (2020) and "Your Next Mission: A personal branding guide for the military-to-civilian transition" (2014), Lida Citroën is a keynote speaker and presenter, executive coach, popular TEDx speaker and instructor of multiple courses on LinkedIn Learning. She regularly presents workshops on personal branding, executive presence, leadership communication and reputation risk management.
A contributing writer for Military.com, Lida is a passionate supporter of the military, volunteering her time to help veterans transition to civilian careers and assist employers who seek to hire military talent. She regularly speaks at conferences, corporate meetings and events focused on military transition.
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