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The 3 Keys To A Successful Job Interview Presentation
Job interview presentations are becoming more and more common, especially for more senior level roles. Presentations give the opportunity to see how candidates perform in the less structured way that they can in a traditional interview.
So what are the three keys to a successful job interview presentation?
Planning
This is a part of presenting that people tend to want to take a short cut on in my experience. Despite this being one of the most important foundations in delivering a great job interview presentation.
Planning starts with getting clear about the goal or goals of your presentation. In other words what do you want to happen by the time you have completed the presentation.
You will need to research the topic that you have been asked to present on, even if it is a topic that you already know pretty well. It is easy to be complacent. In your research you also need to try and do some research on those that you are presenting to.
Next you need to generate some ideas for what you might present. Brainstorming and mind mapping are two excellent techniques for doing this.
Preparation
People are sometimes tempted to start by getting their slides together and this is a big mistake. The process of preparing your presentation should only start once you have done your planning.
As a general rule I would suggest a 3 stage process to preparing your presentation.
Produce a first draft in outline only that just sets out your ideas and thinking at a very general level.
Next test the first draft with someone who is going to give you constructive feedback and helpful suggestions to improve your presentation.
Finally use the feedback and improvement suggestions to create a final draft version of your presentation.
Practice
Like planning this is one area that people are often reluctant to spend time on and this is a huge risk.
When it comes to practice I would encourage people to start recording the audio first to hear how you sound.
Then record yourself on video to see how you look when you are presenting.
Finally you want to practice in front of a small and then a larger group.
The Bottom Line: A decision to employ someone is a major investment for an employer. If you want to increase your chances of being the successful candidate, make sure you plan, prepare and practice your job interview presentation.
Duncan Brodie helps accountants and other professionals to achieve more career success. He invites you to sign up for his free audio masterclass here
About the Author Duncan Brodie
Since 2006 I’ve worked with in excess of 8,000 accountants and professionals in workshops, seminars and one to one helping them land their next jobs and become better leaders, presenters and business partners. Before that I spent 25 years in accountancy climbing the career ladder from Payments Clerk to FD. I’m a CIMA Fellow, Certified Professional Coach and Team Coach Facilitator.