Ready, Set, Land The Internship: How To Perfect Your Elevator Pitch

By Francine Fluetsch on November 21, 2014

This article is brought to you by Dream Careers, the largest global internship program for college students offering all-inclusive programs in 11 cities worldwide. To learn more about Dream Careers, please visit us at SummerInternships.com.

image via www.levo.com

If someone walked up to you and asked you to sum yourself up (accomplishments, what you do, what you want to do, etc.) in 30 seconds, could you do it?

Well if it was me, I’d be standing there, so caught off guard that the first thing I’d be thinking is “wait … what is my name again?”

Being caught off guard is never fun, especially if the person approaching you is a potential employer. So you know what you need? A handy dandy elevator speech.

So, what exactly is an elevator speech? According to Stefan de Rougemont, Director of London and Paris for Dream Careers, you basically want to sum up “who you are and what you do” and maybe hint towards why you would be perfect for the internship/job and how you would aid the company.

You want this to be simple, something you would be able to tell to pretty much anyone and have them understand the goal of your elevator pitch. If all they get out of it is your name, you might want to edit it up a bit.

Rougemont suggested that the best way to go about your elevator pitch is to be natural.

“You want to make it fit the setting, so don’t try to be overly professional or too casual,” he said.

Finding the perfect balance may be a bit tricky at first, but practice makes perfect. Making it fit the setting is really important too. If you are giving a potential employer a pitch at a college job fair, you might be able to be semi-casual since it’s still with your college environment. If you are meeting with them in a bar—margarita Monday perhaps? —then you can be more on the casual side, just make sure to not get too loosey goosey.

This article in Forbes mentions “you should be able to reel off your elevator pitch at any time, from a job interview to a cocktail party conversation with someone who might be able to help you land a position.”

In a world that is big on connections, being able to give your pitch at the right time could really get you places. Rougemont suggested to be observant of other people that might work for the company you are trying to intern with, and to possibly give them your pitch and see if they would be able to help you out.

Okay so let’s review: your pitch should say who you are, what you do, and something about what you hope to accomplish.

Now, let’s talk about what not to have in there. Presenting yourself can be a bit awkward sometimes because you don’t want to come off as cheesy or “look at all the cool things I’ve done cuz I’m awesome.”

Telling someone in a polite way is definitely different than simply showing off, so make sure the things you list off are somewhat relevant to the position you are trying to achieve.

Forbes suggests to “eliminate industry jargon … the last thing you want to do is make your listener feel stupid or uninformed.”

Consulting a thesaurus and supplementing casual speech with bigger words is definitely fun, but not necessary for this exercise. You should be able to present it to anyone, remember? And you don’t need big words to sound smart, a common misconception in our society (especially if you end up using the word wrong … yikes).

Rougemont suggested not to make too big of an assumption that the pitch will actually land you something (confidence is key but arrogance is no bueno), and to not ask for too much too soon, especially when you are giving the pitch to someone you hope will be a connection.

So now that we have a few do’s and don’t with the speech itself, we can move onto the actually presenting it part (gulp). I kept stressing to be natural because if you have an awesome pitch but sound like a robot saying it, chances are it might not come off so well.

Rougemont said “the two most important things to remember while giving your pitch is your tone and your approach.”

You want to be upbeat, friendly and make sure to look them in the eye. Add a smile in there too. If you are inviting, a person is more likely to want to listen to what you have to say. Maybe envision that you are simply giving the speech to your friend, so you feel more laid back, but you may achieve some serious results.

So whether you are in a bar and just happen upon someone who could get you an in with an awesome internship, meeting with a boss, or just want to tell your great aunt Dina at your family Christmas party how awesome you are, your pitch will come in handy.

“So, tell me about yourself” will be your new favorite question.

Looking for a top internship in an exciting city? Enroll in Dream Careers and guarantee yourself an internship and a fun summer in your choice of 11 cities globally. To visit our website, please click here.

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