Using a pitch in interviews

I've really been focusing on my pitch a lot recently. In part because of prepping for our weekend together going over our pitches, but also in part because I am prepping for the interview for the next phase of my life. I am applying for administrative fellowships at hospitals all over the Northeast, and a select few in the Midwest. I am preparing applications that are more specific and ridiculous than the packages that I prepared when applying to grad school, and am trying to maintain my sanity through the process.

I'm preparing by doing a significant amount of research about the organizations, trying to identify exactly what I want from the experience, taking informal phone interviews with the current fellows, and preparing for my formal phone and in person interviews with sites. I am using the idea of pitching to propel my preparation. In this situation I am also addressing the:

Audience

Message

Messenger

And context 

I am practicing on trying to focus on all aspects of the pitch as well as focusing on the delivery of my pitch about why I am their ideal candidate. I am taking each informal phone interview as a mock interview and honing my response each time. I am trying to really focus on engaging in the listening aspect of the interview and and trying to internalize information as well as prepare solid questions, all the while being personable. Speaking slowly, and instead of focusing on each word I articulate, putting more emphasis on the story that Im painting to represent me, and trying to show and identify where the correct cultural fit is for me. 

Approaching this interview as a pitch -because let's be honest a job interview is a really really long pitch for yourself- is going to be beneficial to me. I think it'll be useful because:

I am generally excited for pitches because I am sharing ideas that I am truly passionate about with other people, and working to find common threads between them and myself and my idea. 

I am focusing on performing, which includes monitoring eye contact, engaging the audience, and inviting them into the experience

I can view this as a constructive critique of my presentation.

This is even more important when on a phone interview because I need to express my interest, capability, and my ability to relate to others without having them in the room. This is why the informal current fellow interviews are so so important because these are also phone interviews, so I can See how I feel about those and how I 

Before I go into my formal interviews, I am going to prep with mock interviews with friends, family, and the career services office here at Simmons. 

The part of this experience that I'm going to have hither hardest time dealing with is the rejection. These are very competitive, and I am applying to 10-15 fellowships in hopes of landing one. In class this past weekend you mentioned that you may have 99 nos that will be worth it once you get that yes even if its at number 100. I only have however many places I apply to as the chances that I have.