This guide explains how to “pitch” yourself in policy settings—whether you’re answering “What do you work on?” at a happy hour or introducing yourself in a formal meeting. A compelling pitch helps you make strong, positive impressions and is essential for effective networking, building professional connections that could lead to valuable opportunities or support throughout your career. 

Why do you need a pitch?

Preparing a pitch can sound intimidating, but it simply means having a professional and thoughtful response to questions like:

• “Tell me a little bit about yourself.”
• “What do you do?”
• “Before we dive in, let’s do a quick round of intros.”

Having this prepared matters because policy careers are relationship-driven: who you know can matter as much as, or more than, your formal qualifications. Your network might later refer you for roles, flag opportunities, provide career advice, or become collaborators. 

In many settings—whether you’re at a happy hour, conference, or even riding the elevator with someone—you might only have a minute or two to introduce yourself. Sometimes, that brief interaction is all the other person has to decide whether to continue the conversation or follow up. This makes your pitch the first and often most lasting impression you make, so it’s worth investing time in getting it right.

Crafting your pitch

Aim for a ~30-second pitch (~50-60 words) that concisely covers the following content:

• Your “why.” What draws you to policy work and keeps you motivated? 
• Resume highlights. Your pitch should concisely (in one or two sentences) cover the most relevant, substantive components of your resume.
• Your unique angle. Emphasize background, perspective, or expertise that differentiates you. What can you tell your conversation partner that they couldn’t learn from your resume? As with your cover letter, your pitch should add color to your pure credentials. 
• Policy interests. Share one or two specific areas where you want to build expertise. 

In some contexts, you’ll want to expand or condense your pitch (e.g. to 60 or 20 seconds)—so it’s also helpful to consider which parts of your pitch are most important. See a later section for more details on adapting your pitch to different audiences and contexts. 

It’s generally easiest—and most straightforward—to structure your pitch as Present → Past → Future. For example:

“I’m [Name]; I’m a [current role/background] focused on [policy area]. [Brief past academic and professional experience that led you here] because [your “why”]. I’m currently [current project/goal] and excited about contributing to [broad policy interests + specific example(s)]. I’m interested in pivoting to a role in [policy area/institution], where I’m excited to contribute my experience.” 

Example pitches

Having a written version of your pitch can help formulate and structure your main ideas. It’s also valuable for many virtual networking contexts—for example, you might include a short pitch when asking someone for a coffee chat, or when asking someone to make an introduction for you.¹

That said, you’ll want to practice saying your pitch aloud in a more natural, authentic tone (as you’ll see, the following examples would sound quite formulaic if read word-for-word).

Example pitches

In most settings, opt for the ~30-second version of your pitch, which could sound something like these:

• “I’m Rachel, considering a move from private equity to economic policy. After years evaluating small business investments, I’ve seen firsthand how regulatory uncertainty can hurt entrepreneurship and job creation. I’m excited to contribute my financial analysis skills to tax and regulatory policy work, particularly around policies that support small business growth.”
• “I’m David, a former Air Force Officer, exploring a transition to defense policy. My experience managing logistics operations in Afghanistan showed me how procurement inefficiencies can undermine mission effectiveness. I just completed a Master’s Degree in Security Studies, and I’m currently at AEI researching defense acquisition reform. I’m interested in informing the development of policy that ensures military readiness through smarter spending.”

In settings where additional context is helpful or expected (e.g. longer coffee chats or informational interviews), you can lengthen your pitch to sound something like this: 

• “My background is in emergency medicine and health informatics. I spent five years as an ER physician at Johns Hopkins, where I led the implementation of our AI-powered diagnostic support system, and later served as Chief Medical Officer at a healthtech startup that developed machine learning tools for clinical decision-making.
  
  I became passionate about AI policy in healthcare after witnessing firsthand how inconsistent regulations were creating barriers to deploying life-saving technologies. During my residency, I watched our hospital struggle for two years to get approval for an AI tool that could detect sepsis 6 hours earlier than traditional methods – a delay that could cost lives. Meanwhile, I saw other hospitals using unvalidated AI systems with little oversight.
  
  I realized that if someone like me – with both clinical experience and technical knowledge of these systems – struggled to navigate the regulatory landscape, then policymakers without medical training must be making decisions about AI in healthcare with incomplete information. That’s what drew me to Hill work: the opportunity to bridge that gap and help craft policies that both protect patients and enable technologies that can support better care delivery.”

Tips for your pitch

• Create a compelling narrative, not a credentials list. While your pitch should touch on your resume highlights, it should feel more like a story that conveys your motivation and goals, not a line-by-line recap of your career.
  • Avoid being too generic with vague claims like “I’m passionate about making a difference”—instead, give concise but specific context for your interests (e.g. why do you want to work on [X] issue? Why now?)
• Frame goals with service-oriented, optimistic language.
  • For example: “I want to contribute my experience to [policy area/goal]” rather than “I want to work on [policy area/goal].” 
• Present your experience clearly and accurately. 
  • Don’t undersell yourself with tentative phrasing like “even though I have never worked in a policy role before…” or “I’m hoping I can work in policy one day.” Present your goals accurately and optimistically: “I’m excited to contribute my experience in [X] to [Y].” 
  • That said, you should also avoid overselling—don’t claim expertise you don’t have or exaggerate experience.
• Be broad with interests, but specific with examples. Framing your interests broadly makes it more likely that they’ll overlap with your conversation partner’s work, and following up with a specific example demonstrates your depth of knowledge and gives them concrete topics for follow-up questions.
  • For example: “I’m interested in biotechnology policy, particularly governance frameworks for gene-editing treatments like the recent CRISPR therapies for sickle cell disease.”
• Use clear, accessible language. Avoid excessive jargon and obscure acronyms. If you must use technical terms, provide simple examples (especially when talking with non-technical professionals²). Conversational acronym use is common in DC and can demonstrate familiarity with relevant institutions, but err toward spelling out acronyms when your conversation partner may be unfamiliar. You want to pique interest through approachable language, not overwhelm with niche knowledge.
• Practice smooth transitions. Connect your background to your “why” with phrases like “As a result of that experience, I learned…” or “I witnessed firsthand the need to…” This helps create a cohesive narrative flow.
• Keep it conversational and balanced. In most contexts, keep your pitch under a minute to create opportunities for follow-up questions rather than overwhelming with details. Leave space for free-flowing back-and-forth—don’t monologue or turn the interaction into an interview. If they only remember talking about their own experience with you, they’ll have little context on your interests and skills when future opportunities arise.
• Tailor to your audience. Emphasize areas of mutual interest or experience, and consider how you could help them (and vice versa). Avoid assuming someone’s political affiliation—steer clear of charged political language unless you’re specifically targeting partisan political roles. Leading with strong partisan rhetoric can create discomfort if your conversation partner holds different views.
• Maintain an appropriate tone. Aim for humility and optimism, especially in early conversations. While lighthearted humor can work in context, avoid sarcasm or easily misinterpreted jokes until you have a sense of someone’s humor.
  • Lines like “I guess I sold my soul to DC” or describing frustrating experiences as “living the dream” can come off as cynical or disengaged.
• End with meaningful follow-up. Don’t end abruptly—connect your interests to theirs by asking about their work or looking for potential areas of overlap. For example:
  • “I’d love to hear more about your work on [their area of focus],” 
  • “How did you become interested in [their area of focus]?” or 
  • “I’ve been hearing so much about [their area of focus] lately—what made you want to focus on it?”

Preparing for follow-up questions:

After your pitch, be ready for follow-ups like:

• “How can I be helpful?” / “What would you like to talk about?”
• “What are some of your main interests in this space right now?”
• “Tell me more about [your interest/background]?” 
• “What are you working on now?” 
• “What do you think of [recent policy development]?” 
• “Do you know [person in your field]?” 
• “Do you also work on [related area]?”

Have 1-2 thoughtful questions ready about their work, and don’t worry if you haven’t heard of something they mention—ask them to tell you more. 

Adapting your pitch by audience and context 

While the core substance of your pitch should remain consistent, you should tailor your emphasis and follow-ups to each conversational partner (e.g. whether they’re a potential mentor, hiring manager, or collaborator).

For potential mentors:

• Show genuine curiosity about their work by asking thoughtful follow-ups. When possible, demonstrate any preliminary research you’ve done. For example:
  • “I really enjoyed your recent piece in [publication] about [topic]—how do you feel that the policy landscape there has shifted since you wrote it, if at all?”
• Request specific advice rather than general guidance, and frame your questions around their area of expertise. For example, instead of “What do you think I should do?” or “What advice do you have for new people in policy?” you might ask:
  • “What surprised you about transitioning from academia/industry to policy work? What cultural shifts can I expect?”
  • “In your experience, how much do congressional chiefs of staff value think tank work? Should I prioritize getting Hill experience first, or would starting at a think tank give me better policy research skills for the long term?”
  • “I’m interning at [X] organization this summer—in your experience, what qualities or behaviors have made interns stand out at [their organization]?”
• Make specific asks near the end of the conversation, especially if they’ve expressed interest in helping you (always give easy outs, and be gracious if they decline). For example:
  • “Who else would you recommend I talk with?”
    • (If you likely wouldn’t be able to contact the recommended person yourself, follow up with “Would you be willing to introduce me?”)
  • “Are there any opportunities you’d recommend I look into?”
  • “Could I get your contact information? I’d love to learn more about your experience at/with [organization/topic], if you’d have time.”

For hiring managers:

You won’t always know when you’re talking with a potential employer, so your general pitch should capture the main points you’d want to convey in a hiring setting. But if you’ve been introduced to a hiring manager, or if you’re at an event with a clear goal of connecting employers with prospective employees, you can tailor your pitch to emphasize your qualifications and your genuine interest in their specific organization.

• Show understanding of and appeal to their organization’s mission and challenges.³ For example:
  • “I’ve been following [organization’s] work on [specific initiative], and I’m particularly drawn to its approach to [relevant challenge].”
  • “I’ve been following [organization’s] work on [specific initiative], and I’m particularly drawn to its approach to [relevant challenge].”
  • “I’ve been following [organization’s] work on [specific initiative], and I’m particularly drawn to its approach to [relevant challenge].”
  • “I’ve been following [organization’s] work on [specific initiative], and I’m particularly drawn to its approach to [relevant challenge].”
• Expand on your most relevant work experiences with concrete examples. For example:
  • “I previously worked in [X] office, where I conducted research on [topic]” or “where I frequently interacted with stakeholders from [their organization]/working on [their organization’s policy focus].”

For peers and potential collaborators:

Individuals in your field of interest with similar or slightly more experience (“peers”) are often among the most helpful contacts, as they’re more likely to take time to engage with you and be familiar with career opportunities, resources and potential mentors relevant to your career stage.

• Identify shared interests and experiences early in the conversation. For example:
  • “I’ve also been interested in working at [organization] – here’s some advice I’ve heard from former staff.”
  • “I’m also excited about [topic area]! What made you interested in this issue?”
• Be generous with resources and connections. Think of ways you could support them throughout the conversation. For example: 

• “I just read a great report on that topic—let me send you the link!”
• “You should talk to Sarah at [organization]—she’s been thinking a lot about this topic recently and may have useful feedback! I’d be happy to introduce you if you’d like.”
• “I have some datasets from my research that might be useful for [project they’re working on].”
• “I’m going to a happy hour next week that you might be interested in—let me send you an invite!”
• Exchange contact information and follow up within 48 hours, if you’d like to keep in touch.
  • “It was great meeting you at [event] last night! As I mentioned, here’s that article I thought you might enjoy!” or “I’d love to get coffee to chat more about [topic], if you’d have time!”

The setting of the conversation can also shape how much detail to include and what to emphasize. For example: 

• At a topical event, emphasize how your interests intersect with the theme of the event (even if only adjacent). 
• During a one-on-one coffee chat or informational interview, expand beyond your ~30-second pitch. Aim to give your conversation partner enough context to understand your goals and ask good follow-up questions. Consider concluding your pitch with a sentence or two on why you’re interested in this person’s work, what you’re hoping to learn, or a specific uncertainty you have (that they have more context on). 
• In group conversations, consider shortening your pitch to a sentence or two (try to match the introduction lengths of others). Try connecting your pitch to the interests or backgrounds of others in the conversation, and make your pitch easy to follow. 

Practicing your pitch

• Refine your pitch. Once you’ve drafted your pitch, practice saying it out loud for different contexts. Rehearse without notes; spontaneity and genuine enthusiasm matter more than perfect wording. 
• Practice your pitch with a trusted friend or mentor and ask for honest feedback. 
• Ensure that your pitch aligns with your professional materials, and vice versa. Consider how your pitch could inform your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn “About” section, and professional website bio (if you have one).
• Attend low-stakes policy events to practice networking and test different versions of your pitch.
• For more advice on networking in policy contexts, see our networking guide.