Perfect Your Pitch

What is a Pitch?

The beginning of any new relationship — professional or personal — starts with an introduction. Your pitch is an opportunity to introduce yourself and show why you’re a good candidate. It’s likely the most important part of your entire conversation with a recruiter, and helps to make a good first impression.

Your pitch will evolve over time as you progress through the job search process and gain more clarity, so it’s important to know where you are in the process so you can pitch yourself appropriately.  A successful pitch will be honest, authentic, and convincing to the audience!

Example of a Pitch (High Clarity, Finding Fit):

Background Information:

Alex has an undergraduate degree in Finance and is a student in the MS Business Analytics program.  He’s extremely passionate about the finance industry and his dream is to work for Goldman Sachs.  He grew up in a family of investment bankers, but he’s not sure it’s the right fit.  He loves to study financial markets, so he’d like to find an opportunity in research and/or project management.  He noticed a Project Management and Design Analyst position posted on Handshake, so he’s excited to connect with the recruiter at an upcoming networking event.

Pitch to Goldman Sachs:

Hi (insert recruiter’s name), my name is Alex Irish and I’ve been looking forward to meeting you!  I’ve been studying trends in financial markets for 8 years, and I’m looking for an opportunity in research or project management.  I grew up with a family of investment bankers, so I always knew I wanted to study finance, but I’m really passionate about research and analytics.  I’m currently obtaining a Master’s degree in Business Analytics, and I noticed a Project Management and Design Analyst position posted on Handshake that I’m really interested in – can you share some insights about the role?  Specifically, what are the most important characteristics and skills necessary to be successful?

Resources to Create Your Pitch:

Jodi Glickman, CEO and Founder of Great on the Job has some great resources on LinkedIn that will help you understand the importance of your pitch and provide a framework that can be customized, depending on the situation:

• Pitch Basics
  • Why is the pitch so important?
  • What is the goal of the pitch?
• The Strategy
  • Framework overview
  • Lead with your destination
  • Explain your backstory
  • Connect the dots

Tips and Best Practices

• 30-Second Intro—Info Sessions, Career Fairs, Phone Networking, Usually Standing
  • Introduce yourself with a firm handshake and smile
  • Give full name, first and last
  • Act relaxed and avoid any nervous tendencies
  • Maintain eye contact and an appropriate distance
  • Consider 30 seconds as max with 15-20 seconds being fine. The key is being relaxed and smiling as if you were meeting a professor, roommate’s parents, or other friendly adult figure
• 90-Second Intro—More Expansive, as an Interview Introduction, Usually Seated
  • State full name, first and last
  • Make eye contact with all present, take visual cues and adjust accordingly
  • Probably shorter for phone interviews or interviews with a faster pace
  • Prepare bullet points of what key points you will walk through. This should not be a rehearsed speech, as you will come off as robotic and tense
  • Consider 90 seconds the max; can be as short as 45 seconds
  • Don’t need to cover everything that you are trying to get across in the interview in the opening statement. Keep it brief and they will follow up on any points they find interesting
  • Key is to bring positive energy, smile, be unique, and be yourself