5 Tips to deliver an amazing interview presentation

Not every company out there has a straightforward hiring process. Some require multiple rounds of conversational interviews, while others may ask you to prepare a presentation as part of your interview. If you’ve been asked to prepare an interview presentation, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog post, we’ll discuss a few tips and tricks to help you get ready for your big day and keep those jitters at bay!

1. Start with a basic outline

The first step towards preparing any presentation is to identify the purpose and key message of your presentation. It’s also important to figure out who you will be addressing in your presentation.

Your initial presentation outline should be well-structured and it must contain a catchy introductory statement, a compelling argument in the body, and an impactful conclusion. At the end of the day, it is still an interview. So, you’ll want to mention your skills and abilities during the interview and talk about how they can prove useful in solving complex problems at work.

The outline should take into consideration the company’s vision, mission, and values, and your tone should align with these. To improve your chances of getting hired, try to mention how you will contribute to the growth of the company and what you will bring to the table.

2. Interview presentation: keep the 80/20 rule in mind

Just like a carefully-worded argumentative essay that combines statistics with an emotional appeal, your presentation should be both insightful and thought-provoking. As a general rule, you would want to keep 80% of your slides informative and 20% of the slides thought-provoking. 

If you’re wondering why interviewers ask for presentations, here’s your answer. A presentation gives your employer the chance to assess your confidence and candor and your ability to engage and entice an audience. As long as you’re striking a balance between being factual and intellectual, you’re keeping your audience engaged and attentive.

3. Prepare guides and aids

If you’re preparing a presentation on PowerPoint, then think of the content on each slide as one of those billboards you see along the freeway. The content should be impactful enough to capture the reader’s attention, but it shouldn’t be elaborate enough to distract them.

During the presentation, your interviewers are assessing your public-speaking skills. As such, you’d want to keep your content short. Instead of creating large paragraphs of content, you’d want to stick to bulleted and numbered lists.

On the same note, don’t spend too much time adding graphics and colors to your presentation. Sure, a little bit of finesse goes a long way, but don’t overload it. After all, you want your interviewers to focus on your material and your ability to communicate ideas, rather than getting distracted by all the bright colors.

4. Don’t give too much information in a presentation interview

According to research, the average concentration span in human beings is about 8 seconds. This simple statistic highlights the need to get to the point as soon as possible and keep your audience engaged.   

When it comes to preparing your presentation outline, you should consider dedicating each page, slide, or diagram dedicated to one idea. Take one step at a time when walking your interviewers through your presentation. Break down a complex idea into a series of smaller, simpler ideas. Alternatively, you can use a storytelling approach to keep the presentation engaging. 

5. Practice, practice, and practice some more

After creating your presentation, the final step is to practice it as much as you can. Consider standing in front of a mirror, and then delivering your presentation. You can also ask your friends and family members to act as an audience, do a dry run for the presentation, and obtain their feedback. An honest critique goes a long way in helping you perfect your presentation and public speaking skills.

When practicing your presentation, look for signs of nervousness. Try not to use the word ‘like’ too much. Keep your ‘uhms’ to a minimum. Don’t try to talk too fast to rush through important ideas. Also, keep a timer with you when practicing so that you know when to stop.

Key takeaways

Delivering a presentation during a job interview is one of the best ways to showcase your skills, competence, and enthusiasm for the job. It also allows you to display your confidence and the ability to engage your audience. 

1. Preparing a presentation for a job interview can be a challenging task. However, with the right tools and techniques, you can ace even the toughest of all interviews and land that job you’ve been dreaming of. 

2. Presentations are nerve-wracking for a lot of people, but you must remember that the hiring manager wants you to succeed in this task. Your employer likely thinks you have something amazing to offer, which is why they want you to share your ideas via presentation. 

3. The more you practice, the better prepared you will be for the interview.