Dear Friends,
From my lens, I see the academic term both ramping up and settling down. Students are wrapping up classes, presentations are concluding, and winter break will be here before we know it. However, I also see the intensity of studying with finals looming, projects to be completed, and deadlines to be met.
As I reflect on this season of both busyness and hopeful downtime, I am hoping that you can use your winter break to decompress and give some thought to organic networking
In my four prior posts the primary focus was on career exploration. For my next set of posts, I want to dive into professional development. Today we’ll focus on the elevator pitch, a key aspect of networking and one that is critical to your professional development.
What is an elevator pitch?
An elevator pitch is a brief, informative introduction for professional settings. For the purposes of our discussion, it’s an introduction YOU will use when meeting others. This introduction should be 30-60 seconds long. You are essentially providing the listener with a very brief overview of yourself, highlighting key skills and interests. The naming convention behind such a pitch? You guessed it! This introduction is supposed to last as long as it would take to introduce yourself while riding an elevator together.
How does it work?
When you reach this part of the article, I want you to stop reading, grab a scratch piece of paper and pen (or pull up a blank document on your computer), and brainstorm for up to five minutes.
Brainstorm on what, you ask?
Start simple with your name and status (i.e. prelaw student, 2L at X University, etc.). Then come up with two or three major points that highlight your experience, relevant interests, and what goal you are either planning or actively seeking.
Hint: To get to your main points, quickly write down specific skills, interests and talents you already possess. Then see if they can fit in with two to three larger points you wish to highlight.
Ready? Set. Go! See you in five.
Now you should have something concrete on paper. Not perfect - but some information about you. Want to take a look at mine?This is for reference only; it took me longer than five minutes to finalize.
“Hi, I’m Kristina Bilowus. My pronouns are she/her/hers. I’m an attorney and assistant director at Michigan State University College of Law. I’ve been in my current role for just over four years, and I previously worked in private practice concentrating on domestic relations and criminal defense. I particularly enjoy working with students, new attorneys, and in DEI spaces. I specifically seek out experiences that celebrate DEI work, opportunities to lift up women, and connecting with others. When I’m not working, presenting, or serving on a committee, you can generally find me writing about these topics—and more.”
A few points I want to amplify from my example above. First, even after taking the time to carefully think and draft, this isn’t perfect. Yours won’t be either. Second, you will see that I immediately said my first and last name, pronouns, and where I work. You are not required to give pronouns but I like them for communication, especially when meeting someone for the first time. You can also swap out work for studies if you are a current student. Third, you will note I talked briefly about background, interests, and what I like to do. Word-count wise, I am at ninety-eight words. With three times tests I am averaging 34 seconds on the pitch.
Remember that this example is not a blueprint but provides you with a framework to get creative and specific with yourself.
Keep the Pitch Fluid
You may be thinking what the heck does that mean? Like a lot of skills, you need to practice and be ready to pivot. Your elevator pitch is no exception. Keeping in mind that a “short” elevator pitch is only about 30-50 seconds and somewhat informal for networking events, you will want a longer (1-2 minute) elevator pitch in a job interview. Often those pitches tend to be more formal and specifically tie in your education and professional experiences, tailored to the requirements for the job at hand. Conversely, if you are meeting someone in a social setting, your pitch could be even shorter. For example, “Hi, I’m Kristina Bilowus. I work at Michigan State University College of Law.” And for super social settings and casual get-togethers, your name alone is often sufficient. In those scenarios, you often wait for the other person to ask more about you.
Key Takeaways
Keep in mind the following do’s:
Be brief
Summarize you key experiences, interests, and goals
Be friendly and make eye contact
Be polished and practiced, but not memorized
Learn how to tweak your pitch based upon your audience
Be ready to deliver with confidence when you are introduced to someone, or you reach out to someone
Be confident
Keep in mind the following don’ts:
Be lengthy in your pitch
Be rude
Ramble
Lack structure
Limit you elevator pitch to one size fits all
Putting it all together
Congratulations! Just reading this post alone will give you more information than I had when I was in law school. I remember quite clearly being a 2L at a networking event when I was startled by a well-established attorney. Now enough time has gone by for me not to remember the conversation verbatim, but it went something like this:
Established attorney: Hi, I’m so-and-so. What’s your pitch?
Me (startled): Pitch? I’m not sure, I don’t play baseball.
Established attorney (laughs): I mean your elevator pitch or speech.
Me (thinking silently there were so many words I was confused with. An elevator? Speech? She expects me to make a formal presentation?!) : Ummm, not sure what you’re talking about.
Established attorney: just tell me about yourself!
Me: I go to school here and my name is Kristina Bilowus.
End of pitch. Yes, it was pretty rocky and yes, I had literally no idea what I was doing. You are already ahead of the game!
I hope this explanation and tips will inspire you to take some time to craft your own elevator pitch. Like other skills, keep practicing and be open to variations of your pitch.
Remember that there is only one of you, and you deserve your story to be told.
Kristina Bilowus is an Assistant Director of Career Development at MSU College of Law. She is also the current Treasurer of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, vice president of the Hellenic Bar Association, co-chairs the DEI Committee for the Oakland County Bar Association and co-chairs the DEI Committee for the Ingham County Bar. She is also a board member for the Michigan Center for Civic Education.
