Got to do a presentation for an interview

SexyGreyFox

SexyGreyFox

SexyGreyFox

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Part of my interview on Tuesday is to do a 5 to 10 minute presentation on anything I want to.
I decided I'll do it in Powerpoint and I'll do it on running.
I've just spent over an hour putting about half of the presentation together and then asked the wife to listen to it.
About halfway through her eyes started wandering and I asked her if she was bored but she said to carry on.
I got to the end of what I'd done thinking I'd spoken for about 7 minutes when I looked at my watch and it was on 32 minutes :eek:

Not easy is it?
 
What's the interview for? I had to do one about this time last year for 5 mins, had a speech all learnt and when I got there, I just winged it and talked about something from the heart. No idea how long it was but it seemed about right and, well, I got the job :)
 
2 important rules for doing presentations..

1. Don't speak too fast, nothing worse than someone rushing through a presentation at the speed of light.

2. Don't just read what is on the presentation slides. The audience can do that for themselves. Add something significant to them! The slides should only be there as a prompt on what you are going to be talking about in case your audience fall asleep briefly and wake up wondering what the **** is going on


Edit: Oh and good luck
 
Time it and don’t overrun.

Make sure that you look at the interview panel and not just at the screen.
 
How many slides do you have?

For a 5-10 minute slide I'd have 5-10 MAX. Even that is going fast.

Do not just read text on the slides, in fact, don't have prose on the slides. Just bullet points and figures if relevant. E.g. instead of saying "Running was invented in 24BC as a means to escape man-eating dinosaurs by Narfal Narfusson", you'd say "* running invented in 24BC" on the slide, and speak the rest.

Just take your time, relax, and most of all, enjoy it!
 
Heres my advice

Don't look at the slides, look at the interviewers make eye contact but not scary style. :D

Also try and get your passion for it across, and that you find it important to keep fit and disipline in your life ;)

Think about what your body language says about you, the way you stand and what you do with your hands.

I recently went for an interview for my graduate job, I was the most underqualified there but I got the job, show your enthusiasm and present yourself well and all will be fine :D

Aero
 
Thanks for the advice.
I've got 12 slides but some are very quick for comedy effect.
My wife has sat in front of interview presentations and she's advised me to talk about the first marathon I ever did and how I went about it.
I've gone over the presentation at least 4 times in front of dolls & teddy bears so I'll have to see what she thinks when she gets in.

The job I'm going for is a job I did on a NVQ placement.
I spent 3 weeks with NHS Apprentices and I delivered and facilitated classes with them.
I've already worked with the 2 women who are interviewing me, they do know what I'm like and we got on like a house on fire.
I also have the advantage that the woman who ran my NVQ course is their best friend and she wants me in that position.

I do have one conundrum though.
Looking at my history it looks like all I've ever done is Engineering for 33 years.
The 2 ladies did wonder why I'm so confident in front of a class of 30 x 14/15 year olds and I didn't tell them but of course clicking on my sig below reveals all.
It also shows that I'm multi skilled, can work in a team and another job description of theirs is 'Updating web pages'.
The internet is one thing but I've never blown my trumpet in public and always kept my hobby to myself.
There are ex workmates who still don't know what I get up to at the weekend and last week 2 more saw me in a pub performing.
I still don't know whether its wise to mention my hobby because some people can take it the wrong way.
 
Last edited:
dmpoole said:
I still don't know whether its wise to mention my hobby because some people can take it the wrong way.
Click to expand...
What way is the wrong way? Maybe I'm just looking at it from my point of view, but I'm not sure how someone could take being the frontman for a rock cover band the wrong way.

As for the presentation itself, as long as you care about the subject and keep it within the time parameters, you should be fine. The other advice in this thread is spot on. I've had two interviews which required a short presentation. The one where they gave me a topic was a complete disaster, but when they asked me to talk about whatever I wanted, I rocked their world with pure enthusiasm :D
 
Pressentations aren't easy you are right. ust make sure you pace yourself and practise in front of someone a few times before hand. Avoid long pauses or repeated words of thought., like "Obviously" :D They can see little pitfulls that you can't. Remember, you are not an expert at presentations and they know this. They are looking to see how confident you are, the ability you have to work alone (motivation) and that you are prepared to go that extra bit further. ;)

I have mailed you back btw

Good luck
 
Good luck! I'd have you as my teacher <3

What subject you gonna do?

For what it's worth, I never use powerpoint. So embarrassing when you get a pc error or something akin. If you really need aids to jog your memory use cards or something. I like to have a good idea of what I'm talking about and just go for it as if you over prepare you'l either speak too fast or speak for too long in order to cram in as much as possible.

Report back on how it went! :)
 
Short as possible to cover subject to a depth you deem to be appropriate, sweet(informative), never too technical, plain slides no gharish colours or text, points on you slides should be talked around and expanded not read out or simply quoted with no additional information.
 
dmpoole said:
It also shows that I'm multi skilled, can work in a team and another job description of theirs is 'Updating web pages'.
The internet is one thing but I've never blown my trumpet in public and always kept my hobby to myself.
There are ex workmates who still don't know what I get up to at the weekend and last week 2 more saw me in a pub performing.
I still don't know whether its wise to mention my hobby because some people can take it the wrong way.
Click to expand...

For a minute there I some how though you were a caboret transvestite LOL just read it the wrong way I suppose.

Aero

GL though.
 
Luw said:
What way is the wrong way? Maybe I'm just looking at it from my point of view, but I'm not sure how someone could take being the frontman for a rock cover band the wrong way.
Click to expand...

When I was a schoolkid anything I did wrong was blamed on my music.
When I became an apprentice at 16, my instructors also blamed any mistakes on my music.
When I started at the factory, workers would constantly take the pee so I decided to keep it quiet if possible.
During my teenage years I'd been given a lot of crap over my music even though I never let it get in the way of my work.

Admiral Huddy said:
I have mailed you back btw
Click to expand...

I've read it - thanks

Voltar said:
What subject you gonna do?
Click to expand...

Its to be a Careers Support for NHS Apprentices.


My wife has just listened to my new presentation and slammed me immediately.
For a bit of a joke I did a Before & After pics of a fat man and a muscle man and she told me that I'd just failed for presenting the fat man in a bad light.
Bloody Diversity.
 
Should really google this but what does it entail?

If the government can present smokers in a bad light why not fatties too? They drain our resources just as much lol.
What's your speech gonna be on if you don't mind my asking? I'd be happy to offer my services in help... but dunno if that's gonna be too useful for ya. ;)
 
Oh yes, another point with using powerpoint. Don't use any dodgy fade in/out effects. I know they are supposed to make it look like you know how to use powerpoint, but they look silly.
 
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