Why and How to Keep Your Elevator Pitch Fresh

Why and How to Keep Your Elevator Pitch FreshWhy and How to Keep Your Elevator Pitch FreshWhen you were fresh out of college looking to break into the financial world, you probably heard about developing an elevator pitch - a succinct explanation of who you are, what you do and where youre headed. The trick is to present yourself within 30 to 60 seconds in such an engaging fashion that your audience is completely sold on you and offers you that dream job.Having worked successfully in the world of accounting and finance for a while now, you might think that your need for an elevator pitch has come and gone. Think again. As secure as you may feel in your current position, you never know when you might encounter the chance of a lifetime. Whats more, youll never hear about that chance if you dont have a quick way to let new contacts know about you. Having an updated, engaging elevator pitch at the ready is the perfect way to take advantage of an encounter that could lead to a new and ex citing opportunity.Getting it all in thereYour experience is what makes you more valuable, but its hard to boil it all down to an elevator pitch. Updating your resume is great way to start, but you need to condense the information even further. Narrow your experience down to a short, bulleted list of accomplishments. But dont stop there. Focus on how your experience and skill set benefits your employer now and where you want that experience to take you in the future. Skip the jargonYour financial acumen makes you attractive to a wide sortiment of potential employers, so dont block them out by using industry-specific jargon or buzzwords in your pitch. Because youre experienced in your field, you might not even notice youre throwing around these insider terms. Test your pitch out on friends from other fields to see if your words trip them up.Face-to-face interactionIf your financial experience has been in the back office, you might need to brush up on your one-to-one conversation skil ls. The last thing you want is to fumble through your pitch when the 30-second moment of truth comes your way. Practice with friends or even video your pitch. And then get out for some networkingKeep up with the latestOnce youve caught someones interest, he or she might want to discuss areas outside of accounting and finance. If you ordinarily just scan industry news sources to the exclusion of other business topics, try broadening your scope. If you know youll be in a specific social setting, you might familiarize yourself with appropriate topics beforehand.Be prepared for the end gameHave a game plan for how you want to exchange contact information if you meet someone youd like to stay in touch with. Some people prefer business cards, so make sure you have one. Others like to exchange information electronically be ready for that scenario too. Also, if you have an online portfolio of work, make sure its updated and readily accessible on your tablet. Its another way to keep your ele vator pitch fresh.Ready to try out your elevator pitch in the job market?SEARCH CONSULTING JOBS