Thank you for registering interest in the Cyber Ready Professionals Skills to Succeed Program. An important step in your development of career readiness is to create a short "elevator pitch" that describes your capabilities and value to a prospective employer.
What is an elevator pitch?
According to Princeton University, "An elevator pitch is a brief way of introducing yourself, getting across a key point or two, and making a connection with someone. It's called an elevator pitch because it takes roughly the amount of time you'd spend riding an elevator with someone."
The elevator pitch should include who are you, how you have developed, or are developing, distinctive expertise, why you believe you are distinctive (studies, experience, or accomplishments that achieved key results), where was the distinctive expertise demonstrated, who (e.g. type of company, culture, project role) you have as a goal to work with or on, and a Call to Action – what next step is sought as an outcome of the pitch?
The structure of an elevator pitch
"Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a [Your Profession or Area of Expertise] with [X years] of experience in [Industry/Field]. My background includes [mention a key achievement, skill, or experience that sets you apart]. Recently, I [share a recent success or project that highlights your value]. I'm passionate about [industry-related passion or goal], and I’m excited about the opportunity to bring my skills in [key skills] to [Company Name] to help achieve [specific company goal or value]."
Example elevator pitch for a software developer
"Hi, my name is Alex, and I’m a software developer with 5 years of experience in full-stack development. I’ve successfully led projects that improved platform performance by 30%, and I specialize in building scalable web applications using React and Node.js. I’m passionate about creating seamless user experiences and am excited about the opportunity to contribute to [Company Name]’s mission of delivering innovative tech solutions."
Your pitch cannot exceed three minutes in length. The coach(es) in the virtual room may ask you a question or two. The total interview length will be 5 to 7 minutes.
Registration for a Coaching Session
Register Here to select an available time to meet with a professional coach to receive feedback on your Talent Fair Capability Pitch. Coaching sessions will be available on March 18th and 19th in preparation for the Mid-Atlantic 3CS Career Expo Talent Fair on the evening of March 21st at the University of Maryland in College Park. Another coaching session will be available on April 8th and 9th in preparation for the Northeast 3CS Career Expo Talent Fair on the evening of April 25th at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA.
After registration, you will receive a confirmation email with the times available for the coaching sessions. Time slots are limited and reservations are on a first-come-first-served basis.
To be eligible, you must register using a .edu email issued by the institution in which you are enrolled.
Stipends and Free Conference Registration Available!
Travel stipends are available to those who register for the conference. You may also be eligible for an access code providing free conference registration if you completed the following steps of the Cyber Ready Professional Program.
- Submit the application and attend a program information session
- Upload a current resume
- Submitted the Time Management assessment
If you are not eligible for a free conference registration, you may receive a deep discount on the registration fee by becoming a one-year Premium Membership in the National Cybersecurity Student Association. Access the NCSA Membership Page and scroll to the bottom to select "Individual-Student Association Premium Member - 1 yr. - $19.99 (USD)." If you have any questions about membership, please contact ghinojosa@nationalcyberwatch.org.
