5 Tips for Interview Presentations

Confidence in an interview presentation is key. Here are our top 5 tips to be successful and stand out against the competition. A presentation allows you to share your public skills, knowledge of a specific topic, ability to stay calm under pressure and many more. 

Here are our top 5 tips that you should follow: 

1. Structure your presentation

Make sure the structure of your presentation is clear.  You should include:

• A Consistent theme and colours. 
• A short introduction explaining what the presentation is about and what you are going to cover. 
• Clear sections within the presentation, ensuring your argument has a logical structure. 
• A summary of your arguments. 
• A clear conclusion with specific recommendations, identifying the resources required to deliver them.

2. Less is more

It is better to keep your presentation short and simple. This will allow the audience to ask follow-up questions at the end rather than rushing through a mound of information. It is especially important that any slides you use are visually clear and not text heavy.

Remember, you do not have to put all your points onto your slides, it is fine to put some top points on a slide but then elaborate on them verbally.  This will give you greater control over the subject, and you can stay on each as little or as long as you like.

3. Manage your time

It is important that your presentation lasts the amount of time you have been given, as too short can make you appear as a lightweight candidate and too long may make you seem poorly organised. It is always a good idea to have a practice of a timed run-through of your finished presentation, but this is not always effective as nerves can often lead people to speed up.

You can always give yourself some flexibility by having an extra slide or two on your presentation if you are running ahead of time, and/or you can decide in advance on a slide which you will be able to skip if you are running over.

4. Do your research

Make sure you have researched your topic thoroughly. Find out how the institution or department have handled this issue in the past. Research what their competitor institutions are doing in this field and have some relevant facts and figures to illustrate key trends at your fingertips. This can enhance your credibility and show impressive levels of preparation.

Before writing your presentation, you should also consider your panel members. What are their job responsibilities, priorities, professional backgrounds, and interests? You can find out a lot through online research on sites such as LinkedIn.

5. Do not read from a script

Instead, repeat the key points from each slide, and then talk around them in more detail. If you practice what you are going to say beforehand, this should become ingrained, but bringing verbal prompts in the form of cue cards just in case can always be ideal. By avoiding spending, the whole presentation reading from a piece of paper or slide, you will allow yourself to make eye contact and gesture as you talk, ultimately engaging with the interviewers and further building rapport.