Professional Pitch

You will need a pitch to introduce yourself at professional meetings, in networking situations and at other gatherings where you want to make an impression.

Your pitch is a brief (30 seconds) summary of your background, your strengths and your career direction. It takes some upfront preparation to create a strong pitch, but once you have a strong pitch drafted, it can be used in a multitude of beneficial ways and adjusted depending on your audience and purpose. For your interviews, you will create a longer pitch or introduction tailored to the job.

A pitch allows you to clearly outline your professional story and communicate it concisely to a new professional acquaintance. You will quickly and clearly get across who you are, your strengths and your direction. Adjust your pitch to the audience and the key messages you want to communicate. Prepare and practice your pitch in advance of any professional gathering so you will sound natural. Use your phone to record and time yourself.

Below is an example formula you can use to try to create your pitch, but you can absolutely use additional resources to come up with a pitch that resonates with you.

One high-level sentence to summarize your functional areas of expertise and industry exposure
One high-level sentence to summarize your unique strengths, values, perspectives or approaches
One high-level sentence to outline your ideal direction (target roles and industries)

Here is an example:

I am a Human Resources professional with experience in recruiting, performance management, operations and project management across the finance and education industries. My strengths are in improving process efficiency, innovating outdated systems, collaborating cross-functionally and enabling employee engagement and skill development. Currently, I’m seeking an HR Manager role in a technology startup.

Professional Pitch

What are the benefits of creating and using a pitch?

What should go into my pitch?

Where do I find more resources?