Are you giving a presentation at an upcoming job interview? Presentations are stressful for a lot of people, but they don’t need to be. This guide will help you with how to give a presentation at an interview – with confidence.
The first thing to do is find out what kind of presentation you’ll be giving. Sometimes it’ll be a ‘blind presentation’, which means you’ll be given the topic on the same day as your interview and have minimal time to prepare. In other cases, the company will give you a subject in advance or ask you to pick a topic. Sometimes the subject will be relevant to your field, and other times it’ll be about an ethical or theoretical scenario.
Whatever kind of presentation you’ll be giving, here are our top interview presentation tips:
Join the UK's leading graduate careers network
Becoming a Bright Network member is free and easy. Sign up to get exclusive access to jobs, events, networking opportunities, advice and more.
Research
Research the company you’re interviewing and the topic you’re giving the presentation on (if you know it). If possible, research the interviewers too.
Research will help you do a better job and prepare you for any follow-up questions.
If you’re allowed to pick your presentation subject, use your research to choose something that your interviewers are interested in.
Make notes on what you find out and bring them to your interview. Having pre-prepared notes is a game-changer if your interviewer assigns you an on-the-day presentation task.
Start strong
A good impression is important. You want to win over the interviewers and make sure that they remember you. A strong opening line will help you stand out from the other candidates. An opening line that addresses the audience works well. Starting like this draws the listener in and makes them engage with your presentation.
Structure your presentation
A lot of presentations fall flat if they’re too muddled to follow. You want your presentation to tell a story, so this means having one idea per slide and progressing as you go.
Don't give a conclusion to your findings at the start. Your audience should follow you on the journey you experienced while researching, so no spoilers! Give your audience a problem or a premise first, then evidence in small segments (one per slide) and, finally, reveal your conclusion.
Think about the style of your presentation
A professional presentation should be neat. Any slides you’re using need to be organised and easy to follow. Don't have too much text on each slide and pick your illustrations carefully. Avoid anything irrelevant to what you’re talking about.
If you’re building your presentation in PowerPoint, use the Designer function and SmartArt Graphics. Theming your presentation colours to match the logo colours of the company you’re interviewing is a nice touch.
Pay attention to details
Be careful of slip-ups that make your presentation look sloppy. So, check for spelling and spacing errors, font changes and off-centre graphics. It's always a good idea to get someone else to read through your slides and your notes. Your friends and family will be able to spot errors and typos.
Practise
Preparation is vital for interviews and doubly so for presentations. Do multiple practice run-throughs to make sure that you’ll be comfortable when it comes to the real thing.
Your first practice runs are to check that your presentation will fit in the allocated time without rushing or waffling to fill time. Once you’ve got your timings right, practise in front of someone else. Delivering your presentation to other people will help you get more confident speaking to an audience. Take on feedback from your practice audience, as they’ll let you know if anything was unclear.
Prepare for potential questions
Your interviewers will almost certainly ask you questions after your presentation. These questions will be about your presentation or you as a person and your application. Prepare for all likely questions by thinking about what the interviewers will ask you. Encourage your practice audiences to ask questions as they’ll potentially say things you didn't expect.
If an interviewer asks a question you don't know the answer to, don't lie and try to make up an answer. Be honest if you don't know something about the subject.
Relax
It’s easier said than done but try to relax. There’ll be an obvious difference in how well you do the presentation depending on whether you’re stressed or relaxed. Practice will boost your confidence, so being well-rehearsed should ease some nerves.
Take the time to prepare your presentation materials, your outfit and anything else you need the night before your interview. Advanced preparation stops you from being in too much of a rush the next day. Plus, you’ll be able to sleep knowing everything’s in order.
Before you head off to your interview, consider meditation and breathing exercises.
If you’ve taken on our tips, be confident that you’ll ace your presentation.
Summary
Interview presentations are sometimes scary. But, with the right preparation, they don't need to be. Make sure you know your subject and have a presentation with a strong start that progresses naturally to a conclusion. Practise so that you’re familiar with what you’re saying and ready to give the presentation in front of an audience.
