One of the things that I learned in business school was the importance of a great elevator speech. If you are ever going to pitch an idea to someone, be it to your boss, colleagues, or venture capitalists, you need an elevator speech.

I recently read an advice column on Star Tribune where a reader asked What is an elevator speech? Here’s the author’s definition:

Imagine you are alone in an elevator with a potential (fill in the blank – customer, employer, business leader) you’ve been trying to meet with for months. You have until the door opens and that person steps off to interest him or her in talking to you more about what you have to offer. What would you say?

The article also mentions that you have only 30-60 seconds to get your point across. However, my thoughts are that if you can’t squeeze it into 45 seconds, you need to chop it down a bit.

Why is this important? Because any job seeker who is looking to attract the attention of a decision maker is going to need to get to the point very quickly. Decision makers are, by nature, very busy people. If you are going to make an impression without losing them, you need to be able to get to the point quickly.

In my opinion, you have only 3 to 5 sentences to make your case.

One thing to note: I don’t really like the examples that were provided in this article. To me, they are missing one important point: What you are looking for. To me, the ideal elevator pitch will include:

1. An introduction: Who you are and what you do (or if you are a new grad, when you graduated.)
2. An explanation: Explain what unique characteristics you have to offer.
3. A request: Make a direct request, usually for a meeting to discuss opportunities.

If you can nail these three elements, you have yourself a great elevator pitch. Try it out. Done right, they can be one of the most impactful elements of your job search.

Related posts:

1. Writing Great Thank You Notes
2. September Roundup: The Best Gradversity Posts of September 2009
3. What A Great Resume Needs
4. The Secrets Of A Great Handshake
5. Grad To Great’s 3 R’s of Networking