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The Art of the

Elevator Pitch

Sign in at: tinyurl.com/ufosc18

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Announcements

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Things to know

  • Mozilla Open Source Student Network
    • Join for an hour a week
    • bit.ly/Contribute2FOSS
  • Casual Coding Sessions
    • Wednesday 4PM - 6PM
    • Thursday 5PM - 7PM

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  • Project updates!
    • Website refresh
    • Marston vs West
  • Organization Fair
    • Tomorrow 10-2pm

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Primer

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Last Minute Resume Tips

  • Simple
  • Information-dense
  • One page
  • Bullet points should follow this format:
    • "Did thing, resulting in this good thing"
    • "Volunteered for 2 weeks in Atlanta, working to reduce homelessness"

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When all else fails, LARP

  • If you can't be confident, just pretend
  • Roleplaying is powerful
  • "Act like you belong"

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"Now, do you you have any questions?"

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  • Never pass this opportunity up
  • Show interest in the organization
    • "What are your favorite things about working here?"
    • "What sort of challenges can I expect?"
    • “Can you describe your company culture?”

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Now for the main topic

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Mastering the Elevator Pitch

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Know Your Target

  • Know your personal goals
  • Ask yourself, "why do I want to work here?"
  • Do some homework

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Multiple Scenarios, Multiple Pitches

  • Have a one-liner, a thirty second, and a full minute one pitch
  • One-liner:
    • Name, Major, Objective, Key Point (skill, experience)
    • Put it in layman's terms

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Multiple Scenarios, Multiple Pitches

  • The thirty-second:
    • Who are you? (one liner)
    • What do you do? (experience, skills, accomplishments)
    • What do you want? (why you want to work for them)
  • The full minute:
    • Add more details to the thirty second
    • Emphasize your passion for the organization

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Multiple Scenarios, Multiple Pitches

  • Examples of each?

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It's Your Story

  • Human brain is wired for narratives
  • For longer pitches, tell your story
  • Show that you're pursuing a path
  • Note: still keep it brief (don't ramble)

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It's Your Story—Examples

  • Sample expository:
    • "I'm Sarah, and I'm a digital arts and science major studying to become a game developer. I have experience with SFML + OpenGL. I worked at LootCraft Inc. last summer as a programmer. "
  • Sample narrative:
    • "I'm Sarah, and since I was a little, I've aspired to be a game developer. Pursuing that dream, I became a DAS major here at UF, and I've picked up skills in SFML and OpenGL along the way. My desire only deepened after I got a chance to work as a programmer at LootCraft inc."

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Testing and Implementation

  • Test your pitch out on family and family
  • Accept suggestions
    • Alternate phrasings
    • Additional details
  • Make sure you're comfortable with your pitch
    • Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse
    • Don’t stick to a specific script

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Don't Box Yourself In

  • Tailor your pitch to your audience
  • Don't think of it as a series of checkboxes

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Be prepared to sell yourself

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Giving the Pitch

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The Introduction

  • Walk confidently
    • Stand up straight
  • Look them in the eyes
  • Firm handshake
    • Then handover your resume

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Smile Like You Mean It

  • Drop the monotone voice and deadpan look
  • Look engaged, be engaged
  • (It's okay to not smile)

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Be Flexible

  • Recruiter may interrupt
    • Might have a prefered order
  • Behavioral and technical questions
    • “What are you currently working on?”
    • “What is inheritance in Object Oriented programming?”

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Wrapping It Up

  • Finish the main points
  • Transfer the conversation over to listener
  • Consider ending with a question

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The most important part of your pitch is you.

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Questions?

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Practice!