Interview with presentation, OMG help!

[donutrehomer]

Have my first interview for over ten years, have been set a task and I need to present how I would plan the project. I have all the experience they need, on paper it is my perfect job. The problem is that I have never, ever given a presentation and I am starting to panic.

Retail sector role, lots of projects and I would be mentoring and training staff. Bit of travel, and the role will expand over time.

I have to use handouts and slides, not allowed to present from a laptop.

I have chosen to do it all on excel, as there is budgetwork involved.

Any pointers welcome.

Tia x

How long is the presentation meant to be?

Do you know the basics, like keep it to three big points on each slide - don’t type out everything you will be saying?

You might be better to put the spreadsheets in PowerPoint if you can manage. If you can’t then you can’t though.

Can you make any of it easy to absorb at a glance? Overall % increases, graphs rather than lots of figures?

I also think you’re meant to tell them what you’re going to say, say it and then conclude.

All this sort of stuff is online though.

Just try and think through how you’d like to be told the info.

Good luck.

As above, aim for around 2 mins per slide. If you have a diagram/graph on the slide then talk about it! X axis is blah, y axis is blah, the graph shows blah. Generally keep handout and slide content brief and then talk around it. Smile! Don’t talk too fast. Practise LOADS and in front of other people. The first few times you do it out loud will be crap but you’ll get into it. Good luck!

How are you doing the slides, do you mean on an overhead projector?

Apologies if i sound really inexperienced about this.

I have prepared an excel document for pages for each part of the project. Each page reflects each part of the project leading up to the main event and then post-event review. This is how I work, but I am aware that it is perhaps not what people expect to see in an interview scenario.

I am now considering whether to change some of the slides from Excel to Powerpoint documents. In addition to doing a cover.

I was then going to bind it together and use it to present from.

Thanks for all your comments x

How long is the presentation?

So you can use powerpoint? I don't understand the bit about not able to present from a computer.

The one thing I do know about people, is that presenting a document of excel is likely to go over their heads.

If it is a 10 minute one, one slide that tells them who you are and what your presentation is, 3-4 slides picking up key elements, and one end slide with any questions on it, spend 2-3 mins on the middle slides to explain the key points and summarise your findings.

What they want to know is how you use tools to plan things, and how you ensure nothing goes wrong, and what mitigations you would put in place if it does start to go wrong. What they don't want is loads of excel spreadsheets in a folder.

I will have to print off the powerpoint slides.

Thank you all for your comments, I am going to have a total rethink and redraft today.

I think I have overthought the entire thing and I have approached the task from totally the wrong angle. What I have produced is more of an example of how I would organise the event file. Which of course, is useful to me but not what they want to be shown in an interview.

I never used to have to present either, perhaps the odd catch up meeting. I was just left to crack on with things.

Oh dear, back to the drawing board for me, but at least I have today to get it changed.

Thanks for your input xx

The problem with trying to put everything in, is that they usually want brevity and the task is as much about what you leave out.

What they want to know is, can you do the job without too much hand holding. Knowing how you go about things at the top level, whilst also keeping the detail monitored; that's what is important.