Great news: you’ve successfully navigated phone interviews and in-person interviews for your dream job – and you’re still on the shortlist. Next up: acing the interview presentation. Are you prepared?

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Great news: you’ve successfully navigated phone interviews and in-person interviews for your dream job – and you’re still on the
shortlist. Next up: acing the interview presentation. Are you prepared?
An interview presentation typically requires you to focus on one of the tasks you’d perform on the job should you be offered the
position. For example, if you’re applying for a sales and marketing position, you might be asked to pitch a company product or present
a digital marketing plan.
Even if you’ve given hundreds of sales or marketing pitches in the past, the interview presentation can still throw folks for a loop. As an
Executive Search Consultant specializing in Sales & Marketing, I frequently help job candidates prepare for the job interview
presentation. Since you’ll have a short time to deliver the presentation, preparation, organization, and brevity are your three keys to
success:
Preparation. Even if the interview presentation is billed as an “informal talk”, it’s still important to be prepared. If you know your topic
in advance, practice your presentation in front of a mirror or record yourself using your computer or smartphone. Watch the playback
to identify places where you spoke too quickly or stumbled over points. Keep practicing until everything flows smoothly.
Organization. Brainstorm your key points in advance and structure the presentation accordingly. Since time is limited, you don’t want
to overwhelm your audience with extraneous facts. Stick to three or four main points. If you can’t fit all these points into the allotted
time, cut down on the details.
Brevity. Time management is absolutely essential for a successful job interview presentation. Budget one minute for the introduction,
two to three minutes for each of your main points, and then two minutes to summarize your key points, thank the audience for their
time and open the floor to questions.
Have you recently had an interview presentation as part of your job application process? What did you find most helpful during the
preparation process? I welcome your feedback in the comment section below.
How to Ace the Interview Presentation
by
Joyce Kiernan
Senior Executive Search Consultant – Sales and Marketing