Create 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.

In the early stages of the job search process, your goal is to learn as much as you can about various opportunities, so your pitch will be curious and open minded.  A successful pitch will always be honest, authentic, and convincing to the audience!

Example of a Pitch (Low Clarity, Exploring Options):

Background Information:

Sami has an undergraduate degree in fashion design and is a student in the MSM program.  She’s considering several career paths – consulting, marketing, and retail.  She loves to meet new people, and she has excellent communication skills.  There are several positions posted on Handshake that she’s interested in, so she’s excited to meet some recruiters at an upcoming networking event to learn more about the various opportunities.

Pitch to McKinsey:

Hi (insert recruiter’s name), my name is Sami Duncan and I’ve been looking forward to meeting you!  I’m currently exploring opportunities that allow me to leverage my strong relational and communication skills, and I’m interested in learning more about McKinsey’s Junior Associate role.  I have an undergraduate degree in fashion design and I’m currently obtaining a Master’s Degree in Management, and I noticed McKinsey works with clients in the Retail industry.  I think this could be a great fit for me – can you share some insights about the role and the types of retail clients you serve?  Is there someone you can connect me with to learn more about the day-to-day responsibilities of the job?

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