Job Interview Presentations
Tips to Improve your Chances of Getting that Job!
Simple yet effective techniques to impress the panel during your next interview presentation.
Giving a presentation is a more and more common element of job interviews these days. A well-prepared presentation gives you confidence, settles you into the interview, puts you in a favourable light and can only swing things in your favour. Follow these pointers to ensure maximum impact.
Preparation, Preparation, Preparation
There is no substitute for this. The interviewers are testing your knowledge of the subject at hand. If the subject matter is new to you, take the time to research it. Make sure you give yourself as much time as possible for this research – you may need to contact organisations or experts to help fill in the gaps in your knowledge. It is helpful to make a list of questions as you carry out your research.
Interview the Interviewer
Don’t be afraid to find out as much information as possible from the organisation you have applied to work for. For example, you may be asked to carry out a presentation on how you would deliver training to a company’s staff. Relevant questions would therefore be: What is the workforce composed of? What are the major training needs of the personnel? Does the company have dedicated training days built in to the calendar? Asking these questions beforehand shows that you want the job enough to prepare thoroughly.
A Good Opening
An eye-catching start will put any interview panel in a more receptive frame of mind. It doesn’t have to be a joke but it does have to be interesting.
A presentation about delivering vocational training courses for learners with Special Educational Needs might open with the question What is the world record for solving a Rubik’s Cube? A) 10 minutes 48 seconds; B) 1 minute 4.8 seconds; C) 10.48 seconds. Once the panel have guessed, tell them the answer ( C ) and use this as springboard to discuss how frustrating Rubik’s Cubes are. This is an analogy for the frustration that students with Special Needs feel in traditional education…and this can be addressed by the courses you are about to detail.
Any picture by M.C. Escher or Gary Larson cartoon (The Far Side) is always thought provoking. The important point is that they are visual and memorable.
Props
If you can incorporate objects it will liven your presentation up. If your presentation is about team building, give the panel some seemingly unrelated objects (a chocolate bar, a football, a DVD) and ask them to say what they have in common. The answer is that they have nothing in common - they are all symbols of how different things motivate different people and you would take this into account by…and so on and so on. People are always more engaged if you get them to do something other than just sit and listen passively.
Easy on the Eye
Your presentation must be visually pleasing. PowerPoint is undoubtedly the best medium for easy-to-produce presentations that look professional. It also demonstrates your ICT skills.
Practise Makes Perfect
Run through your presentation with anyone who will listen – not just once, but until you are feeling really confident. Rehearsing will also highlight areas you need to work on: what do you need to explain more clearly? Is it too long-winded? Have you spelt anything wrong? Do you need prompt notes or are the bullet points on each PowerPoint slide sufficient?
Even with all this hard work, there will probably be things you could tweak ad nauseum. However, with a well thought-out, interesting and polished presentation you increase your chances of getting that job tenfold.
