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Four tips for giving your best interview presentation
5 min read | Karen Young | Article | | Interview advice
Interview presentations can be a way for a candidate to shine, but they can also be nerve-wracking. Read on for advice on how to present yourself as the best candidate available.
Interviews are rarely a comfortable experience, but for some candidates a presentation can make the tension even worse. It’s one thing to prepare for some tricky questions, but giving a presentation as well – that’s less familiar territory for a lot of people.
As you progress into more senior roles in your career, presentations are likely to become more of a regular requirement in interviews. In fact, we are now seeing recruiters incorporating presentations for roles at entry level upwards. We recommend honing your presentation skills right away, to improve your interview success rate now and in the future.
To help, we have put together a short guide to presenting in interviews. We explain why employers use presentations, what they are looking to find, and how you can use the opportunity to wow them.
Employers use interview presentations to seek proof of your abilities. They are looking to judge:
By taking the time to prepare a presentation that showcases each of these qualities, you will also prove your commitment and enthusiasm for the role. With this in mind, let’s look at how you can use the presentation to stand out from the crowd.
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The interviewer wants to feel confident in your ability to perform well in the advertised role. You need to use the presentation to demonstrate just that.
You know what you want to cover during your presentation; now it’s time to think about how you are going to convey it. Even if it is not a core element of the role, writing skill will be central to many day-to-day tasks. Writing emails and assembling briefs, or giving presentations once you’re in the job! – these are just a few areas in which written communication proves crucial.
A well-written presentation is one thing, but delivery is equally (if not more) important. Presenting clearly and in an engaging way is essential, as your interviewer will be assessing your verbal communication skills.
The interviewer will want to see evidence that you approach tasks in an organised and conscientious manner. Your presentation is a great opportunity to demonstrate these qualities.
Presentations can be an effective way to convince prospective employers that you are the best candidate for the role. Yes, they are nerve-wracking and they require work and prep, but remember that every candidate is facing that challenge. By focusing on what you can control, staying calm and remaining focused, you can seize the chance to shine.
For further insight and advice on securing your next role, download our Ultimate Guide to Interviews.
Karen is a Director and recruiting expert at Hays Accountancy & Finance for UK&I. She provides strategic leadership to a team of over 300 accountancy and finance recruitment professionals across nearly 100 offices. With 25 years of finance recruitment experience, Karen has a track record of recruiting top finance talent for businesses across a range of industry sectors, and is a trusted industry voice on recruitment, career planning and market insights.
Karen also leads development and delivery of social and environmental purposes at Hays UK&I. This focuses on how the business supports local communities with a particular focus on improving skills and employability, as well as steps to safeguard the natural environment. Karen leads a Hays UK Charity partnership with End Youth Homelessness focusing on strategic input to the employability element of the EYH Independent Futures programme, that supports young people into work and independent living.