It might boggle you to know that, on average, a job opening gets around 250 CVs. Out of that, 4-6 people get called for the interview, and one lands the job.
So, a lot of companies take the help of interview presentations to shortlist the best candidate.
Generally, interview presentations are needed for roles that require interaction with people (sales representatives, business analysts, product managers, and client interaction).
You might be looking for a new job or trying to move higher up the ladder. Preparing an impeccable presentation might be the key to achieving your target.
So, if you are in line for an interview that might need you to share a presentation, we have the best tips and techniques lined up for you. Read on to know more!
What Do You Mean by an Interview Presentation?
As you move up in the hierarchy, a lot of companies prefer presentations to understand your skills and knowledge.
The presentation might involve a lot of things like showcasing research findings to a panel, presenting a business plan, or telling how you are fit for the new role. It is basically on a subject matter that is of interest to the company. The purpose is to see how well you will contribute to the company.
If your future role incorporates pitching to investors, clients, etc., it becomes all the more necessary for managers to assess your presentation skills.
What Could Be the Topics of Your Interview Presentation?
You might get topics in advance, or it might be a blind presentation (with little time to prepare) at other times. It is good to be a little prepared to nail your interview presentation.
- Technological developments in your industry
- Persuasion/pitching skills for a sales pitch
- Trends and current scenario in your industry
- Detailing your background and skill set
- Customer retention and growth cycle
- Business strategies and competitive landscape
What Recruiters are Looking for in a Presentation?
The answer is not that difficult or different. Just recall why you were hired in your previous job roles or how you reached the stage of landing an interview.
Yes, it is a combination of your skills, education, personality, knowledge, etc. But that part gets more refined on the basis of how you presented that information.
The hiring process involves recruiters looking for people that seem like a right fit for the role and company, so keep all that in mind in your presentation.
- Understand the company and its structure
- Your roles and responsibilities
- Communication skills
- Leadership qualities
- How you can contribute to the future of the company
What Presentation Skills are Employers Looking for?
If you are applying for a role that requires client-side interaction or interacting with stakeholders, an interview presentation will give everyone a quick peek into your skill sets.
Generally, the kind of skill set needed would be-
- The ability to create catchy and interactive pitches
- Design skills
- Attention to relevant details and content
- The ability to understand your audience when crafting the content of your presentation
- Time management
- Work experience
- Industry knowledge
- Visual content
These points are relevant in the case of blind presentations as well. However, the employer might be looking for a few additional things, like-
- How well you can think on your feet.
- Your confidence and how well you are able to perform under pressure.
- Your creativity and intelligence
Now, let’s move on to the key part of this article, i.e., how to create a flawless interview presentation.
How to Create and Deliver an Impressive Interview Presentation?
Preparation is key to delivering a good presentation. If you know of your presentation topic in advance, be mindful to include these tips to create a flawless presentation.
1. Look for guidance
Seek any clarification you might need before starting with your presentation. If you have been assigned a topic, it’s great. Otherwise, ask the managers if they would like any specific topic to be included.
By asking for guidance, you give recruiters the message that you take your work seriously and are attentive to details and open to communication and feedback.
2. Be thorough with your research
Your topic might differ according to the role you are applying for. For instance, if you are applying for a marketing position, you might need to prepare a marketing plan. Similarly, if it is the role of a data scientist, you might need to showcase your understanding of data analysis and decision-making.
Sometimes, instead of any specific topic, the interviewer might tell you that they need to see a particular skill set, leaving the topic to you. Let’s say if it is your analytical skills, you can include data crunching for the company, competitors, and the industry.
3. Understand your audience
You should know your audience well, i.e., their understanding, cultural background, and knowledge level, before creating a presentation for them. Crafting your content accordingly will help you build connections with them and include information that’s relevant to your role.
4. Work around a key point
It is easy to try to include a lot of information in presentations. The risk of overdoing your presentation might become the thin line of you not landing the job. Decide on your focal point (if that has not been assigned) and work around that.
That way, you will be able to structure your presentation well and not go all over the place with your content. Keep in mind to keep your points to a minimum to create a thorough and structured presentation.
Also, remember to keep one message on one slide. It will give you the leverage to expand upon the point as much as you like.
5. The 80/20 rule
Of course, you would want to create an impactful presentation deck and catch everyone’s attention while presenting. But that won’t happen if your content is too factual or just concepts without any data to back it up.
So, remember to follow the 80/20 rule to create harmony in your content. Create 20% of your content as thought-provoking information and the rest 80% as informative and insightful.
It will hook your audience to your content better as they have the surety of new knowledge at the end of the presentation.
6. Use the power of storytelling
Storytelling is a powerful tool for any presentation to hook the audience and help them remember the content. You can weave a story around a problem, telling the challenges you faced while researching and ending with a powerful CTA/resolution.
7. Simplicity is the key
It takes a lot of work and effort to create simple ideas and keep the information as simple as possible. Spend as much time as possible in tweaking your content and filter your content to just one great point rather than going for multiple under-practiced points.
Craft your slides using the principle of glance technology. The audience should look at the screen (like a billboard), get curious about the content, and turn to you for greater depth.
8. Remember to highlight yourself
The whole point of the presentation is to tell your recruiters that you are an ideal fit for the role. Remember to include your most relevant skills and past accomplishments in the presentation.
However, remember not to make it too self-promotional, or it will put people off. Use facts and figures wherever you can to corroborate your claims.
9. Positivity is important
Everyone faces certain kinds of challenges and obstacles in the course of their career. Include the obstacles you have overcome in your roles and responsibilities and maintain a positive attitude while doing so.
You would want to showcase yourself as a positive and proactive person with a positive mindset in dealing with challenges. Your recruiter should understand your thought process, so lead them with your information and attitude.
10. Practice well
No amount of stressing this point can tell of its importance. You must practice your presentation well. Try to present the content without referring to the notes and time of your practice sessions.
It will help you with the ideal time without pacing too fast or going too slow. Identify the central points of your presentation and expand upon them. Try to make it look natural and not a monologue or robotic conversation.
11. Don’t forget about nonverbal communication
Learn about the company’s dress code to dress appropriately for the interview. Remember to maintain eye contact when delivering your presentation and smile when needed. Use hand gestures to emphasize important points. Make sure your posture isn’t slouchy when you are standing. Face your audience with confidence to create a positive first impression.
12. Include attractive visuals
Visuals will give your presentation the life it needs. However, remember to enquire about the technological tools available for delivering the presentation. For instance, if you have to present on a projector and screen, you can include a slideshow in your presentation. You can also use pre-designed, customizable templates for a consistent look.
If you are not too tech-savvy, you could also distribute printouts or sketch ideas on a whiteboard. People with technological prowess can take the help of AI-powered tools to create attractive designs and improve upon them.
13. End with a strong statement
According to psychology, we end up remembering the end more than the process. So, even if you were not satisfied with the delivery, make sure that you end your presentation on a powerful note.
You can end your presentation with an open-ended question corroborating your research data. Another way is to end with a short-worded key takeaway that will help everyone remember the key point of your presentation. You can also try ending with a tagline that reflects the goals and mission of the organization.
14. Be open to feedback and questions
Communicate to your audience that you are open to feedback, discussion, and queries to make your presentation interactive and engaging. No one wants to listen to a monologue. It will also give your recruiters an idea that you have a positive outlook toward feedback.
Keep your audience engaged by keeping them active participants in your presentation. You can do so by incorporating questions and discussions. Also, asking for feedback will help you improve the content and make it more impactful.
Tips to Present Well in Front of the Interviewees
Being mindful of these few tips can help you become a confident presenter.
- Be clear with your communication, i.e., speak clearly with the correct modulation.
- Remember not to read from the slides.
- Be thorough with the technological tools (you will be using) to avoid any awkward pauses later.
- If you were not given any timeline, try to stick to a 10 minutes mark. The idea is to keep your presentation short.
- Write minimal text with a font size of at least 24.
- Go for a few bullet points with limited text on each line. For example, 4*6, i.e., 4 bullet points with 6 words maximum.
Tips for Fixing Things that Go Wrong in Your Presentation
It is likely that something goes wrong during your presentation, so let’s find out what you can do to deal with that situation.
a). Technical difficulties
We can’t do much in case of technical issues when we are using other people’s computers. But a good way to prepare for this is to keep multiple files in hand. You can mail your presentation to the recruiter and yourself, have printed handouts, and keep a USB stick with your file on it. Choose whatever seems comfortable to have multiple access to your file.
b). You forget mid-way
It might happen that your mind goes blank during the course of the presentation. But there is nothing to fear as it can happen with the best presenters too. Just take a sip of water and take the help of the cue cards. Even if you repeat the last point, expand on it a little bit. By doing so, it will seem like you wanted to add more information to the content. Keeping your presentation structured will help you remember your presentation thoroughly.
c). You are asked something you don’t know
Your interviewer might throw some questions at you that you don’t know. Sometimes they want to assess how you respond to challenging situations, and your reaction might be more defining than your answer itself. Just ask them to elaborate on the question more, in case you have not understood. In case you don’t know the answer, provide information regarding what you know and offer to come back later with the complete solution.
Final Thoughts
Your interview presentation is a critical milestone in your journey to get hired or promoted to a higher designation. Research well about the company and craft an impressive presentation. Remember that your potential employers already like you, the reason you are there presenting. Be confident and warm during your presentation, and address everything relevant to the topic you are presenting.
Take the help of the tips given above, and you are all set to go!
