Personal Elevator Pitch Worksheet for Students

My Elevator Pitch - Job Interview Skills Example

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Lesson Plan Overview

Template and Class Instructions

Lesson Plan Overview

"Tell me about yourself" is the first question in almost every interview, and also at career fairs, internship meetings, and college visits. A personal elevator pitch is a 30-second answer that students prepare ahead of time. In this activity, students design a poster about themselves with five parts, then turn the poster into a pitch they can say from memory.

This is the personal version of the business pitch in our Entrepreneurship guide's Elevator Pitch activity. There, students pitch a product; here, the "product" is the student. In the example, Jordan prepares a pitch for the TagBack interview.

Before You Begin

Time needed: 45 minutes for the poster; 15 minutes to practice.
Keep it short: about 75 words, or 30 seconds out loud. Time each other with a phone.
Proof, not adjectives: "I'm responsible" is weak; "I've opened the school store every Tuesday for a year" proves it.
Assessment: all five parts are on the poster, each strength has proof, and the student can say the pitch in 30 to 45 seconds without reading.

Example: Jordan's Pitch Poster

PART	WHAT IT SAYS	EXAMPLE: JORDAN
Who I Am	Name, grade, and school.	"I'm Jordan Rivera, a junior at Lincoln High."
What I'm Good At	Two strengths that fit the job.	"I'm organized and good with people."
Proof	An example for each strength.	"I run the register at our school store and trained two new volunteers."
Why This Job	A real reason that connects to the business.	"TagBack found my hoodie last year, and I'd love to help other families."
What I Want Next	A closing line about the next step.	"I'm looking for an after-school job where I can learn how a small business runs."

Differentiation

Grade 8: use three parts (who I am, what I'm good at, why this job).
Grades 9–12: write two versions, one for a job interview and one for a career fair or college visit.
Extension: record the pitch as a narrated slideshow and give peer feedback.

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Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Design a poster about yourself, then use it to write a 30-second elevator pitch.

Click "Use This Template" from the assignment.
Who I Am: add your name, grade, school, and a picture of yourself.
What I'm Good At: name two strengths that fit the job.
Proof: give one real example for each strength.
Why This Job: explain why you want to work there.
What I Want Next: write a closing sentence about your goal.
Write your pitch in about 75 words and practice until you can say it in 30 seconds without reading.
Save and submit your storyboard.

My Elevator Pitch - Job Interview Skills Template

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Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 9-12

Difficulty Level 2 (Reinforcing / Developing)

Type of Assignment Individual

Type of Activity: Biographies

Switch to: Common Core • Arizona • California • Colorado • Florida • Georgia • Iowa • Kansas • Maryland • Massachusetts • Nebraska • New Jersey • New York • North Carolina • Ohio • Oklahoma • Pennsylvania • Texas • Utah • Virginia

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Lesson Plan Overview

Before You Begin

Time needed: 45 minutes for the poster; 15 minutes to practice.
Keep it short: about 75 words, or 30 seconds out loud. Time each other with a phone.
Proof, not adjectives: "I'm responsible" is weak; "I've opened the school store every Tuesday for a year" proves it.
Assessment: all five parts are on the poster, each strength has proof, and the student can say the pitch in 30 to 45 seconds without reading.

Example: Jordan's Pitch Poster

PART	WHAT IT SAYS	EXAMPLE: JORDAN
Who I Am	Name, grade, and school.	"I'm Jordan Rivera, a junior at Lincoln High."
What I'm Good At	Two strengths that fit the job.	"I'm organized and good with people."
Proof	An example for each strength.	"I run the register at our school store and trained two new volunteers."
Why This Job	A real reason that connects to the business.	"TagBack found my hoodie last year, and I'd love to help other families."
What I Want Next	A closing line about the next step.	"I'm looking for an after-school job where I can learn how a small business runs."

Differentiation

Grade 8: use three parts (who I am, what I'm good at, why this job).
Grades 9–12: write two versions, one for a job interview and one for a career fair or college visit.
Extension: record the pitch as a narrated slideshow and give peer feedback.

Copy Activity

Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Design a poster about yourself, then use it to write a 30-second elevator pitch.

Click "Use This Template" from the assignment.
Who I Am: add your name, grade, school, and a picture of yourself.
What I'm Good At: name two strengths that fit the job.
Proof: give one real example for each strength.
Why This Job: explain why you want to work there.
What I Want Next: write a closing sentence about your goal.
Write your pitch in about 75 words and practice until you can say it in 30 seconds without reading.
Save and submit your storyboard.

More options

Copy This Storyboard

Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 9-12

Difficulty Level 2 (Reinforcing / Developing)

Type of Assignment Individual

Type of Activity: Biographies

Copy Activity

How to Help Students Write a Personal Elevator Pitch

List strengths and proof

Students list three strengths and one real example for each.

Fill in the five parts

Students complete who I am, what I'm good at, proof, why this job, and what I want next.

Write a 75-word pitch

Students combine the five parts into a short pitch in their own words.

Practice with a timer

Partners time each other until the pitch takes about 30 seconds without reading.

Adapt it for another setting

Students write a second version for a career fair or college visit.

Frequently Asked Questions about Teaching a Personal Elevator Pitch

What is a personal elevator pitch?

It is a short, prepared answer to "Tell me about yourself": who you are, what you're good at, proof of it, why you want this opportunity, and what you want next. Students use it at job interviews, career fairs, internship meetings, and college visits, so practicing one in class pays off well beyond a single assignment.

How is this different from a business elevator pitch?

A business pitch sells a product by showing a problem and how the product solves it. A personal pitch sells the student by showing what an employer needs and how the student meets it. Our Entrepreneurship guide's Elevator Pitch activity teaches the business version, and teaching both shows students the same structure in two settings.

How long should a student's elevator pitch be?

About 30 seconds out loud, or roughly 75 words. That is long enough for a name, two strengths with proof, and a reason for wanting the job, and short enough that the listener remembers it. Students who go over a minute usually list too many strengths, so have them pick the two that fit the job best.

How do students make the pitch sound natural?

Practice it out loud many times, but don't memorize it word for word. Students should know the five parts and their examples, then say it a little differently each time. Practicing with different partners and timing each round helps, and so does recording one take and listening back once.

How should I grade the pitch poster?

Give points for including all five parts, for backing each strength with real proof rather than adjectives, and for delivery: saying the pitch in 30 to 45 seconds without reading. A short peer check, where the listener repeats the student's two strengths back, shows whether the pitch was clear.