How to Craft an Engineer Elevator Pitch with Examples

An elevator pitch or elevator speech is a succinct way to explain one’s goals and skills and why they stand out from the crowd and opens up a conversation with a focused, interested audience. 

It’s often used at the beginning of a job interview, as a base for cover letters, as an introduction at career fairs or at a networking event, or even when happening upon an old friend that mentions an appealing job opening at their company. 

While they might sound simple on the surface, elevator pitches aren’t so easy to perfect. You want to pitch yourself in a unique but concise way, and there are a few things you should always try to include in your pitch. 

Once you have an elevator pitch memorized, you’ll be able to work it into a conversation with ease and keep potential employers interested. A well constructed elevator pitch becomes a handy tool and spoken cover letter at a job interview, networking event, career fair, or as a value proposition or unique selling point if you start your own business. 

Below, we’ve compiled a list of everything that makes a successful engineering elevator pitch as well as a template you can follow to get started.

Include These Items in Your Elevator Pitch 

When talking about where you hope your career goes or your past accomplishments, it’s easy to begin rambling to a hiring manager or a business owner. Just because someone asks “What do you do?” doesn’t mean they have a half an hour to listen to your entire career journey. 

This is why it’s important to keep your elevator pitch to 30 seconds or less. It should essentially be a slightly more detailed, oral version of your business card. A great elevator pitch will provide a quick summary to someone in just a few seconds of what you do, your professional experience, and how you stand out from the rest.

Here are the items you should always include in your 30-second elevator pitch.

1. A general outline of who you are

These answer the basic questions and provide relevant information about who you are and where you’re going. How would you describe your job title, field, or your ideal job? You should be able to clearly describe the position you want, otherwise the person you’re pitching to won’t know how to help.

Additionally, you’ll want to mention important key points here that will specifically appeal to the role you’re interested in (such as your current job title or penchant for data analysis), whether it’s a software engineering job opportunity or a project management position. 

2. Your skills, accomplishments, and experiences

This is everything you think a future employer should know about you and the details that will help leave a lasting impression. For example, are you efficient in code? Or do you have a history dealing with cybersecurity breaches? Have you mastered project management? 

A good way to get started brainstorming what qualifications to highlight is making a list and then taking a pen and crossing out everything that isn’t absolutely critical to understanding who you are. You should narrow this down to a sentence or two. If you’re a recent graduate, include that you’ve earned a bachelor’s degree, master’s, or relevant qualification. 

3. A question or call to action

Don’t let the conversation end as a monologue. When you’re done with your elevator pitch, you should ask an actionable follow-up question and secure your next step. 

After thanking them for their time, you might ask: “What kind of skills or experience do you look for in the employees you hire?”

Have your business card ready when applicable, and request their contact information so you can follow up with them at a later date. If you’re at a networking event or career fair, see if they’re already aware of upcoming opportunities you might be a fit for.

Practice Your Elevator Speech

Practice and practice again. Now that you have a successful 30-second elevator pitch, keep practicing. You never want to sound overly rehearsed, but you should be prepared for any questions they may ask and know how to quickly get back on track. 

Aim to speak slowly, be aware of your body language, try to exude a positive attitude, and work to keep the elevator pitch conversational. Remember also not to give them too much: a good elevator pitch should pique their interest and have them longing to learn more.

Every sentence included and example you provide should be essential and not verge on the point of fluff. If the pitch starts to sound overloaded with fluff or tangents, cut it down.

If you can fit it in, you may also include any type of connection you have to the potential employer. Did you attend the same graduate school or frequent the same local coffee shop? 

Engineering Elevator Pitch Examples

Let’s put these steps into action. While your elevator pitch might change depending on whether you’re pitching to a former colleague you run into on the street, one person or a group, or at the beginning of an interview, the template can remain mostly the same.

Here are two elevator pitch examples for engineers: 

Example: “Hello, my name is John Jones. I’m currently a software engineer at [company name] and have a wide breadth of experience researching and designing software programs and innovative solutions that solve real-world problems. I’ve developed new architecture for network equipment systems, from routers to voice-enabled network applications. I’ve been a huge fan of your company for years, and saw that you had an opening for a principal software engineer manager. What kind of skills do you look for in the employees you hire?”

Example: “Hi, I’m Sally Smith. As a civil engineering manager at [company name] for the past two years, I’ve led multiple cross-functional teams in conceiving, designing, and maintaining large infrastructure projects in the public and private sectors. Notably, utilizing my geotechnical engineering experience, I was recently able to move forward on developing a large chip manufacturing facility for a major company. What types of employees do well within your organization?”

Example: “Hey, I’m Jamie Brown. I’ve just received my double bachelor’s degree in computer science and business administration. I’ve held three internships [list company name of each if relevant] where I’ve had to create reports, develop new programs, and pitch projects to the wider team. My current focus is getting a job in project management, and my mutual connection [name] said you’d be a great person to start a conversation with as your team is currently hiring.”

Try to draft a few more elevator pitch examples for yourself using the ones above. You can then either select one example to use all around or have a few tucked away to use while talking at in-person events or to add to your online profiles. Having this type of value proposition on your LinkedIn, for instance, is a great way to stand out when people are seeking new team members to hire and automatically pulls your profile to the top when it’s full of relevant information and search terms a company would be looking for.

Tips for Elevator Pitches

There are a few tips to follow when you’re crafting a top-notch elevator pitch and when it comes time to use an elevator pitch. If you want to ensure your elevator pitch doesn’t exceed 30 seconds, try to make it 20 words or less. More is okay, but focus on not exceeding 80 to 100 words or the intro to your conversation can become too long, the point of your elevator pitch will be forgotten, and the person you’re speaking to will lose interest. You may have a longer version available if the opportunity presents itself, but it never hurts to get it down to the absolutely essential items.

The standard elevator pitch format is fail-proof, but if you’re at a large conference or attending big networking events, it can be harder to keep a person or audience interested. Sometimes it helps to start with an attention-grabbing statistic or some innovative ideas that differentiate you from other engineers. This can also create a human connection and a memorable first impression.

It can be useful to know the job description of the role you’re after ahead of time, or have an idea of what professional experience and skills are important to highlight when you’re talking to someone. It’s often a quick conversation, but hitting key points in an elevator pitch can keep your audience’s attention and lead to strong new contacts and possibly a new job.

It’s also important to express confidence, whether you’re speaking to a hiring manager or a personal connection. Fake it until you make it is a popular phrase for a reason. Even if you’re feeling nervous about your career prospects or feel as if the job title you’re after is above your skill level, your next job opportunity can be a result of how you present yourself.

After crafting an elevator pitch that works for you and putting in some practice, you’ll be able to use your pitch in front of your intended audience, a hiring manager at a company with a job title you’d like to secure, and more.