What is your elevator pitch?
Posted by gopalshenoy on May 14, 2008
When I interview candidates, the first question I ask them is to give me their elevator pitch in one minute. Many candidates resemble a deer caught in the headlights and I am very surprised. If you cannot explain who you are, what you can do for the company, your strengths in one minute or less - are you a good candidate?
I give them one minute only because I have sat through 4-5 minutes of torture when I used to ask the question “Please tell me about yourself” - believe it or not, I have heard everything from how the CEO in one of their previous employers sucked to how the candidate filed a patent on some esoteric stuff that had nothing to do to what we do. If the open position is for a product manager, it is a good question to ask because product managers have to create positioning statements, give an elevator pitch about their products to prospects. This also displays the communication skills of the candidate.
Elevator pitches should highlight your strengths so that it piques the interviewer’s interest that he wants to know more about it - now the ball is in your court where you can further substantiate on your strengths and make the connection as to how those strengths can help the company.
So what is your elevator pitch?
May 14, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Good tip, Gopal.
It is quite amazing how many of the tips that apply to marketing a product also apply to marketing our resume and ourselves as an employee!
P.S. I like the look of your new blog template, but it doesn’t seem to show your name anywhere. I was wondering whose blog I was reading for a minute!
- Raj
Accompa - Requirement software for product managers
June 7, 2008 at 5:07 pm
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