4 – Elevator Pitch

Week 4: The Elevator Pitch

Let’s get to work! We’ll start this week to focus on bringing your career story to life in a few sentences that you can use to answer the big question — “what do you want to do?” — and then tweak based on feedback and new ideas. You’ll also partner up.

+ TASKS

WRITE YOUR ELEVATOR PITCH

Now that you’ve spent the previous weeks honing in on what you’re good at or what you want to do, let’s get an elevator pitch down on paper. This is the statement you’ll use in person and online or in email when anyone — friends, family, in networking situations or with potential employers asks you, “what do you want to do?” Or better yet, “what do you do?” Follow these expert tips to prepare and execute with a smooth delivery! Read the Do’s and Don’ts Of Crafting An Effective Elevator Pitch. And we suggest saying it with a smile.

FIND FREE PLACES TO PRACTICE YOUR PITCH

Practicing your pitch out loud is critical and will also help you refine your pitch. If it needs work, start by testing it on a partner or spouse or your kids, vs the person who can connect you to the job you want. Otherwise, get comfortable saying it out loud. We recommend sharing it with friends over coffee or dinner, going to free job fairs or alumni events. Join a professional women’s group like Ellevate or Watermark. We loved learning about the “Creative Mornings” meetups. Wherever you have an opportunity to tell people what you’re interested in doing.

GET AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER

Many of the coaches we work with highly recommend finding someone in your network to keep you accountable on your path back to work. Someone you can check in with for feedback and advice and to share wins or to commiserate with. How does it work? How often should you meet? Here’s how to make it most effective. Want to find an accountability partner on Après? Try working with one of our coaches.