It’s hard to believe but the summer is coming to an end and so is our #PitchToWin campaign. The most frequently asked questions from our members are about pitching, and we hope you found our campaign informative and educational. Our aim is to provide a foundation for current and future members to refer to when they are crafting their pitches. Here are a few take-aways:
- Position past experience, employers and specifics so they stand out up front. Don’t be vague or force clients to go to your profile page, website or Linkedin to find out who you are and what you do.
- Be sure to include your Linkedin and/or personal website in the pitch even if it is on your profile.
- Pitches don’t need to be long proposals but they also should not be all about what you’ve done in the past—give clients an idea of how you uniquely look at their project and how your past experience makes you the perfect candidate for the role.
- Keep it short—3 paragraphs max!
- Do some research—look up the company and drop knowledge! Show them that you took the time to find out about them and then work it into your pitch. Research industry trends to show that you are up-to-date on what’s new in the specific market.
- Don’t make it too personal. Clients don’t care that you are looking for part-time work so that you can pursue your side hustle or be with your small child. Use professional language and stay away from generic personal info.
- Look at every pitch, win or not, as a useful connection and learning opportunity. You never know, we often have clients come back and hire people for additional projects from past pitches.
Finally, we had one final client (who wishes to remain anonymous) that had some valuable insights to share with our members. Take a look and happy pitching!
Be concise but direct about how and why you are a good fit and what your strengths are. Like my projects, when a project is relatively vague and open-ended, highlight how you can quickly process information and present in a relatable way, how you can operate with relatively little instruction and be self-motivated, etc. Highlighting things like ability to cross over into different industries, etc. would be useful too – I had no preconceived notion that this person had to be in finance, so hearing from someone in a different field but with a confidence that says she is adaptable and a quick learner would go a long way.
The absolute top list of things I look for someone who is bright and curious and will head into a new challenge (even if in a totally foreign industry or whatever) with a drive to learn. Self-motivated and independence a total must. Ability for quick turnaround also important. I am always totally willing to think outside the box. If someone matches the above, definitely doesn’t matter if they are a direct match!