To think a 10 min presentation in a 15 min interview is a bit much? (Also, tips?)

[ThatKhakiGoose]

I’ve got a first interview next week for a Strategy and Change Manager role at a charity. It’s online via MS Teams and lasts 15 min total. They’ve asked me to prepare a 10 min max presentation on my suitability for the role, which seems a bit intense given the short timeframe?

AIBU to think this format leaves barely any room for conversation or questions?

Also, if you’ve ever had to present in such a short interview slot, any tips? Particularly on tone, what to prioritise and how to stand out on Teams. (I’m aiming for warm, professional and strategic).

I’d aim for 5 minutes of presentation rather than 10, I think. But agree that it’s a very strange use of time if the interview is only 15 minutes.

I would do the 10min presentation. I would then assume following it, there would then be 15 minute of questions, making 25mins total

Sounds great to me - you get to display all your skills without the grilling. Hopefully the extra 5 mins is for you to ask any questions.

My tips would be 1) don’t aim for perfection - they’re probably not looking for a polished thing but whether you have the raw skills, energy, passion, strategy etc.

2. answer the bloomin question! (Many don’t). And refer back to the job ad - make sure you display all the points/skills they’ve asked for and how you’d tackle any skills/experience you don’t have.

It sounds like the first stage is actually a presentation with a short Q&A rather than an interview. Presumably there will be more formal interviews in the later stages of the selection process.

Lazy interviewing in my opinion.

Sorry just realised you’ve asked about tips. I would use the headings they’ve used in the job description/ personal specification as the title for each slide, starting with relevant qualifications. Transferable skills and prior experience are also important.

I don’t like animations like each line flying in, in PowerPoints but a picture is useful. Also, don’t have lots of words on each slide. E.g If you’re talking about finance then say ‘budget management skills’ rather than the whole sentence, if that makes sense?

My experience of being in the audience at presentation-based interviews is that often the audience hasn't been told exactly what the candidate has been asked to do. So my main piece of advice would always be to start by saying 'I've been asked to spend 10 minutes presenting on x, y and z' and then outline what you're going to be covering in what order. Otherwise you get candidates creating a bad impression because they're answering some utter bollocks question that the audience doesn't know about, and other candidates coming across better who have ignored the prompt.

Thank you everyone for the tips. They’re kind of in line with what I was thinking. I’ve prepared the presentation but open to hearing if there’s anything else I hadn’t thought of. Fingers crossed!

Don't make your voice monotone... Seriously has an effect on perception of the individual... Think how boring Andy Murray sounds 👍

Is guess this is an initial screening interview and you'll be invited back for a proper one if they like your ideas.

OK, I work in education so a very different role, but I was recently turned down for a job I was expecting (in honesty) to get, and the feedback I was given was that this was due to the presentation I gave as part of interview. I was told that, though I spoke well and conveyed my passion for the role, I focused too much on 'big ideas", whereas the successful candidate was more specific about what actual steps she would take in role. The person feeding back to me also was honest that her presentation perhaps appealed more to specific members of the panel because it reflected strategies those individuals ad already adopted and were actively promotingb themselves.

She kindly agreed to show me her presentation and I absolutely see what they mean - I feel like I wasted my 10 mins presentation time conveying my "big ideas", passion and suitability for the role, which was already inevitably going to be covered in my answers to other questions (and tbh was stuff the panel knew about me anyway - it was an internal role). What the successful candidate did, and what I now wish I had done, was use that time to communicate details about her ideas unlikely to be covered in general questioning.

Don't know if any of that helps you at all. In short, my advice is to work out what they are likely to ask you (some questions are almost inevitable) and don't waste presentation time on stuff you will certainly get the chance to say elsewhere.

Good luck!

Presentation tell then what you’re going to tell them, tell them then tell them what you’ve told them. Rehearse but not in chronological order so it doesn’t sound flat and rehearsed. Consider the audience in terms of language. Use colour and images wisely and not loads of slides. Ask if someone will drive the presentation so you don’t have to worry about page turning and if you can save as a pdf it looks better on screen. Good luck

Presentation tell then what you’re going to tell them, tell them then tell them what you’ve told them. Rehearse but not in chronological order so it doesn’t sound flat and rehearsed. Consider the audience in terms of language. Use colour and images wisely and not loads of slides. Ask if someone will drive the presentation so you don’t have to worry about page turning and if you can save as a pdf it looks better on screen. Good luck

No experience but recently read how an interviewees idea and presentation was then fully utilized by the company she applied for WITHOUT hiring her.

Also, practice the ppt on teams as I do a lot of presentations as part of my role and the format changed and it didn’t display how I was used to which threw me- fortunately not in an imprtant meeting. Not sure whether it was a Teams thing or a PowerPoint thing, but please practise in Teams so you’re used to it!

Sounds like a screening interview. At least you don’t waste time travelling for only 15 mins of interview.

Make sure you check the basics before it starts. Is your camera working? How do you look on screen i.e. is the lighting ok, do you need to wear a brighter top/lipstick, add earrings etc? Is there anything showing in your background that you don’t want to be seen? Check the audio is working and do a test call to make sure your volume settings are appropriate. Have a glass of water nearby in case you get the dreaded nervous dry throat. Make sure you’re somewhere quiet where you won’t be disturbed. Put your mobile on silent. And when you dial in, remember to make sure your camera is on and you’re not on mute.

Once the interview starts, make sure you’re looking directly into your camera rather than at the screen. And smile. Or in ANTM (America’s Next Top Model) vernacular, smize! (Smize = smile with your eyes). Tone of voice matters - go for warm, upbeat and professional.

Keep an eye on your timing. Aim for bang on 10 mins. Too short or too long could mean you’re penalised.

I do a lot of video interviewing as well as a lot of presenting. During lockdown my employer actually paid for some of us to have video presenting training (run by a Game of Thrones actor) because it’s so important in our role. The biggest takeaway? Look at the camera rather than the screen! Throughout the call. (It’s amazing how many people forget to do this).