First of all, think about the benefit you can confer on the employer, advises Jane Praeger, a media coach who heads Ovid Inc.

FORBES: How To Craft A Job Search Elevator Pitch

Thanasoulis, Praeger and Attridge agree that practice is essential.

FORBES: How To Craft A Job Search Elevator Pitch

Mr. Marlow, an economics professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, is the author of "The Myth of Fair and Efficient Government: Why the Government You Want Is Not the One You Get" (Praeger, 2011).

WSJ: Michael Marlow: The Skinny on Anti-Obesity Soda Laws