Third interview - with a panel - asked to do 12-15 minute presentation on anything of my choice

[ChristianaTheSeventh]

When I asked for clarification they said 'anything that I feel passionate about'.

It is for a pretty high powered role at a financial company. I think that I should do something related to the job, although it is a job I haven't done before, I have some related skills (though I haven't worked for three years owing to having children).

Do you agree that it should be something financially-oriented rather than just something I'm interested in?

If I was the interviewer I would be hoping for someone who felt passionate about at least some aspect of their job.

So yes, I would think it should probably be something finance related, but something that it is believable that someone would feel passionate about iyswim.

That probably doesn't help much, sorry!

What about stuff like protecting pensioners, employee stakeholders, corporate responsbility, customer service etc.

What about a hobby that you really enjoy? It will give them an opportunity to see more of the "real you" and will probably be more interesting than something financial.

No, this all helps.

I was thinking about doing something about savings for children (particularly post CTF abolition), as I am pretty passionate that children should be able to able to graduate without a mountain of debt, and they don't seem to offer products that specifically cover that area.

I am glad that I am on the right track though, doing something specifically work related, as I am passionate about the job as I think I could offer a lot and it would suit me very well. It's just hard to second guess if they have already looked at products like that - I guess though that they are seeing what my presenation skills are above anything else, so maybe the content is less important than how I actually say it.

I hope! Just hard when it's so long since I've done interviews, I got through the first two rounds but this will be my first panel interview in a while.

Casmama my concern is that my hobbies are quite frivolous - I'm obsessed with cooking, enjoy reading and have a great book group and love the cinema. Not groundbreaking stuff. If I advised pensioners at the CAB in my spare time that would obviously be something good but I don't. But thank you anyway.

Sorry PixieOnaLeaf do you mean 'Actually fill the brief' that I should speak on a hobby?

I think that they will want you to discuss something financially orientated.
Even though you havent done the job before, if you have reached this stage of the recruitment process, then you must have some relevent skills or experience.
It there anything that you could talk about that would make you seem an appealing candidate now, but that you could also evidence that interest from your past experience?

This is more a marketing role, and I would be selling the kind of funds I used to manage. So I do have lots of knowledge, just not so much on the marketing and sales side. So they want to know my ability to sell myself/ my products in a presentation.

I think they think I am an appealing candidate, and the interview will also ask a lot about my past experience.

I wouldn't do the child savings thing actually as you don't want too much attention given by the panel to the fact that you have not been working in an office for 3 years.

What do you enjoy most in your job? What would you like your obituary to say you had achieved in your job?

What I would enjoy most about this job I think would be growing the sales of their funds and communicating their philosophy really clearly and well.

I don't think that I can hide that I haven't been working for three years, but I take your point.

Thanks for the clarification Pixie

F**K I'm all confused now. I am getting so wobbly about it. I find it hard to focus on what the best thing I could talk about is. AAAAAAArrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh. I have come out the other side of PND and I thought my confidence levels were fine but they are not.

I have recruited people and often used a third interview with a presentation to select someone from a good group of candidates. I would ensure that your time your presentation, prepare yourself to be questioned on it and put together something physical and tangible - presentation document, power point presentation.

I think you should present on something that is job related for sure. Corporate Governance or something financial with an ethics focus for example.

I did not ever go there with the hobbies question with candidates, you can not really tell if someone is well rounded from their hobbies.

Thank you snowdropz, very helpful.

I will practise and practise!

I'd go for the job-related subject also. And pick something you know LOTS about, it will increase your confidence

I wouldn't do anything that might be seen to criticise their choices to date. I wouldn't focus on child centered ideas as you are more than just a mother.I would take the focus off children for the interview.

I'ld try to pick something that is topical for them, and maybe put a personal twist on it.

Are there any government bond saving schemes being discussed (ok boring i know), but maybe you could incorporate some saving schemes that are designed to get us out of recession and will be the way forward in the immediate future?

I'ld focus on something that might make them money!

What about a generic subject e.g. your commitment to quality. Then you can cover a range of experiences and roles e.g. your personal commitment to quality by being reliabe and resiliant, quality in relation to work standards, quality in raltion to projects or assignments that you have completed previously.

I often recommend using a 4-part structure for presentations like this:

• why is the topic relevant / or current interest
• details about what you have actually done (timimngs, dates, budgets, projects etc)
• the outcomes / consequences e.g. increased turnover, reduced costs, customer satisfaction
• what you have learnt or benefitted from on a personal basis.

Thank you for these ideas.

The reason I thought to focus on CTFs is I thought it could be a gap in the market post abolition next year. Do you really think it will just mark me out as a mother and not as someone thinking about the future of children in the UK and how savings products can be sold to provide for their university tuition?

...and do not forget your audience... who will they be and what will they be looking out for?

Also do not just use descriptions, but also show and demonstrate understanding, and problem solving or some critical insight.

Not just the what but the how and why.

Commitment to quality is a good idea but I think that my old job could really just be drilled down to whether I beat the stockmarket or not that there isn't much detail on projects and assignments that I could talk about.

If you can make it about marketing a new idea, thereby showing your research skills and marketing pitch - yeah go with it.

I don't know anything about ctf's as I'm Irish. If you can sell the idea and show you have identified a gap in the market, go with it.But I'ld focus on the benefot for them over and above the benefit to the masses.

One other thing, remember if you have a panel interview, that it means that they think well of you, especially so for a third interview.

In my case it meant from a hiring perspective that the position was important and so was the candidate. I would not waste my time roping in other managers, using up precious managerial time, unless I thought the process was worth it.

The amount of time a company invests in recruitment can demonstrate that they selective, so you have done incredibly well thus far.

If your job, or the company was likely to see CTFs as important then go for it - although I thought there was ambivalence about them ...this might be something you could tackle though, talking about market leaders etc.

I would not worry about being singled out as a mother - as long as you know your stuff and can relate it back to your industry and how it could help your company fulfil your duties, i.e. keeping abreast of changes in the economy, sales opportunity.

Thanks Molly