The Elevator Pitch is an Interview Game Changer

 

The concept of Elevator Pitch can help you make the most effective and efficient use of the short window of opportunity called a Job Interview. 

In a job interview, time is of the essence. You have a limited amount of time to impress upon your potential employer; your skills and experience, and demonstrate why you are the best candidate for the job. This is where the concept of the elevator pitch comes into play.

An elevator pitch is a brief, concise, and impactful communication delivered in the time it takes to ride an elevator, typically 30 to 60 seconds. The goal of an elevator pitch is to capture the listener's attention, make a strong impression, and leave them wanting to know more about you.

Now, let's apply this to job interviews. 

An average job interview lasts about 45 minutes, during which you have to convey your entire career, key achievements, your skills and capabilities and why you are the best fit for the role. It's a lot to cover as compared to the time available. That's why it's super critical to deliver your responses concisely and effectively. Every unnecessary word is a wasted word. 

Hence, you need to be PREPARED with your responses. Be prepared with a concise impactful version of all the stories/examples/incidents that you would want to narrate in the interview. Being prepared enables you to Start-Speak-Shutup in a time-bound manner without rambling on and on until interviewer interrupts. 

During the job interview, you should ideally wrap up each response within a minute or two. If you take too long to answer a question, you risk losing the interviewer's interest, and you won't be able to cover all the things you want to showcase. 

The only question where you can take more time is "Tell me about yourself," which can take up to five minutes for less than 10 years of work experience and can go upto eight minutes if you have more than 15 years of experience. 

Considering the above, you will get to talk about yourself and about 12-15 other responses in a 45 minute interview. That gives you ample opportunity to present your well-rounded personality and fitment for the job. Longer responses mean lesser number opportunities for you to speak

The key to delivering an effective elevator pitch during a job interview is to pick what you want to talk about and stick to it. If the interviewer asks you about your best project, your leadership skills, or a time when you failed miof serably, you should know exactly what you are going to say and wrap up within a minute or two with maximum impact - connecting the dots for the interviewer.

By delivering concise and effective answers, you demonstrate your communication skills and your ability to convey your ideas and experiences effectively. This approach also gives the interviewer more material to assess you on, making it more likely that you will stand out as a strong candidate for the job.

In conclusion, an elevator pitch is not just a valuable tool but the primary mode of communication. By preparing in advance and delivering concise and impactful answers, you can make a strong impression and increase your chances of landing the job. 

-------------------------------------------------- 

Don’t miss out on the “Cracking Job Interviews” event on Sunday 5th March - a 90-minute rapid-fire session to cover the basics of preparing for and cracking a Job Interview.

https://www.linkedin.com/events/90minuterapidfirestrategiessess7034082374397112320/ 

#kmcc #takecharge #layoffs #coaching #jobinterview #job #interviewskills

-------------------------------

This is the 14th article in the ‘Job Interview Coaching’ series that I am doing.

You can follow me to ensure you don’t miss out.  

Introduction - https://bit.ly/CJI00  - the inspiration behind the series

1st Article - https://bit.ly/CJI01 - Learned Helplessness and Job Search 

2nd Article - https://bit.ly/CJI002 - Bears and Teddy Bears of Life

3rd Article - https://bit.ly/CJI003 - Career is a Box of Chocolates 

4th Article - https://bit.ly/CJI004  - Don’t let too much time be a problem

5th Article - https://bit.ly/CJI005  - Match-making in the Interview Room  

6th Article - https://bit.ly/CJI006  - Job Interviews are Story-Telling Sessions  

7th Article - https://bit.ly/CJI007  - Fuel for Launch – Your Achievements

8th Article - https://bit.ly/CJI008  - Weighing you down – Your Challenges

9th Article - https://bit.ly/CJI009  - The Most Common Interview Question

10th Article - https://bit.ly/CJI010  - The sure shot way of failing an interview

11th Article -  https://bit.ly/CJI011  - Connecting the Dots 

12th Article - https://bit.ly/CJI012 - Overconfidence leads to Failure in the Interview

13th Article -  https://bit.ly/CJI013 - The 3 Biggest Challenges in an Interview

Like and comment so that members in your network who are in job search mode can also see this post. Feel free to share the link to the post with anyone you care about who would find this useful. #tech #layoffs2023