"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.
| 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." |
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Design a poster about yourself, then use it to write a 30-second elevator pitch.
Students list three strengths and one real example for each.
Students complete who I am, what I'm good at, proof, why this job, and what I want next.
Students combine the five parts into a short pitch in their own words.
Partners time each other until the pitch takes about 30 seconds without reading.
Students write a second version for a career fair or college visit.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.