How to sell yourself in 30 seconds and leave people wanting more

How do you get people interested in you when you only have 30 seconds?

Whether you're in a job interview, networking at a cocktail party, or happen to run into Warren Buffett in the elevator, quickly persuading others to think you're the most interesting person they'll meet is no easy task.

"Most people can't present what they've done effectively," Paul McDonald, a senior executive director at staffing firm Robert Half, told Business Insider. "They're not used to giving sound bites of what they do."

Below, McDonald shares eight steps to crafting the perfect elevator pitch.

This is an update of an article originally written by Vivian Giang.