Interview Presentation Tips

We know interview presentations can be daunting, but they’re also an incredible opportunity to showcase your skills, knowledge, and personality. We’ve put together a list of top-rate interview presentation tips to help you get the most out of your presentation. 

Preparing your presentation

Your mind might be racing ahead to interview day already but let’s start with some preparation. To develop a successful presentation, you need to follow these steps. 

Understand the requirements

Yes, this one seems obvious but it certainly shouldn’t be overlooked. Properly understanding the requirements for your presentation should be the first step you take. Make sure you’ve read and understood the task you’ve been given before diving in to create the presentation itself. If you’re unsure, it’s best to ask for clarification. 

Top tip

Make sure you know what equipment will be used/available so you can prepare accordingly. And remember to take a backup of your presentation on the day if you’re having a face-to face  interview.

Research the company and the role

Do your research on the company and the role you’re applying for. Hopefully you’ll have done some of this already, but if not, it’s time to get cracking. This will help you tailor your presentation to the company’s goals and objectives and give you the best chance of impressing the interviewer. If you’re not sure on where to start with your research, check out our blog on How To Research A Company For An Interview. 

Compose your slides

Now that you’ve done some research, it’s time to start organising the content for your presentation. If you’re planning to wing your presentation without preparing any slides – think again. Whether your presentation is in-person or online, slides are always the best way of keeping things structured. 

To order your presentation logically, start with an introduction, followed by the main points you want to make, and end with a summary and a call to action. Make sure your presentation flows smoothly and the audience can easily follow your train of thought.

Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to putting your slides together:

• For engaging and interactive presentations, you could try Prezi, Google Slides or PowerPoint. These have all got plenty of presentation templates to get you started.
• Avoid cluttered, text-heavy slides. 
• Bring your presentation to life with some visuals. Avoid using too much text on your slides – instead, use images, charts, and graphs to illustrate your points and to support your message.
• Proofread your presentation before you share it with anyone. Typos are a massive red flag for employers so you need to avoid them at all costs.

Keep it concise and focused

Don’t try to cover too much ground in your presentation. Yes, you need to go into enough detail to show your knowledge of the subject, but it’s important not to overwhelm the interviewer with too much information or too many slides. Your presentation should be concise and focused on the key points. So keep it simple and to the point.

Make it on-brand 

When we think back to the most compelling interview presentations we’ve ever seen, they all have this one thing in common. Branding. Use the company logo, brand colours and other brand elements to make your presentation relevant to the company you’re interviewing with. This will give your presentation a really personal touch and will no-doubt catch the attention of the interviewer. 

In most cases, you should be able to find the company logo online. If you’re not sure what the brand colours are, you could use a tool like ColorZilla – a Google Chrome and Mozilla extension that allows you to grab  a colour reference from any point on a webpage. 

Practise your delivery

The final step is to rehearse your delivery, timing, and pacing. Ideally, you’ll practise on your own and again in front of someone – if you can rope in a friend or family member. If you can’t find someone willing to sit through your mock presentation then you could try recording yourself (as cringeworthy as this sounds) to see how you look and sound. 

During your presentation 

Generally speaking, an interviewer will expect some nerves. They’re not expecting you to deliver a TED talk or a groundbreaking speech. For most Marketing, eCommerce, and Digital jobs, they’ll be more interested in what you’ve got to say and your ability to engage with people. Unless of course you’re interviewing for a position that’ll include presenting to clients or public speaking. Here are our top tips for making a good impression on the day.

Be confident and enthusiastic

Regardless of how nervous you might be feeling, it’s important to show that you’re self-assured and are enthusiastic about the job and the company. Our top tips are:

• Walk into the interview room with confidence (if your interview is in-person).
• Make sure to greet everyone with a smile. 
• If your interview is face-to-face then you can go in for a handshake to make a positive first impression. 
• Speak clearly throughout. If you’re feeling really nervous, take a deep breath and slow it down a touch. 
• Use eye contact throughout your presentation to keep the interviewer engaged. 
• Try not to fidget as this could be a tell-tale sign of nerves. Keeping your hands in your lap or on the table can help.

Be prepared to answer questions

The interviewer will likely have questions about your presentation, so try to anticipate their questions in advance and prepare some responses. Be honest and provide specific examples wherever possible to support your answers. 

Our final thoughts

On top of the points we’ve already made, our key advice is to play to your strengths to give a presentation that’s authentic to you. Try to let your personality shine through, and remember to keep breathing – you’ll be fine!

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