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When you step into technical recruiting firms for interviews, does your mind draw blanks or do you spill every intimate detail ranging from your professional experience to your personal life?  You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so when hiring managers or technical recruiters request that you tell them about yourself, you instantaneously become vulnerable.  Loosen up and use these provided tips to ease through your IT job interview starting with your elevator pitch.

Prepare

Prepare your elevator pitch by sitting down and writing out your key accomplishments and experiences that are unique to you.  After you have drafted up some points, make it concise by highlighting your education and employment history.  Keep repeating until you have the most important facts along with a theme.  This will be your elevator pitch.

Longer is NOT better: You have the whole interview to discuss your other relevant experience and resume, so leave some material out of your pitch.  Also, after about one minute, the attention span of hiring manager and IT recruiters begin to diminish.  To maintain the spotlight, keep it short by limiting yourself to sixty seconds.

Be Honest

Be honest about your skills and experience.  Do you want your first impression for hiring managers or IT headhunters to be that you are a liar?  Embellishing what you did during your elevator pitch is a slippery slope because you will have to explain yourself later in the IT staffing interview.  Stick to the facts, but do not be too modest by selling yourself short.

There is a difference between talking yourself up and lying.  Eventually, the truth will come out and you will burn bridges in the process if you are dishonest.  Stick to the facts and win over IT recruiting companies with your personality!

Practice

Always practice your elevator pitch so there is a smooth transition from first introductions.  You may be nervous, but the more your practice, the easier it will become.  Try not to make the routine too rehearsed and vary your tone and body movements so it appears natural.

Nearly anyone can memorize a speech, so bring some life and personality to your elevator pitch.  It may be what sets you apart from other candidates and snags you the position!