Marketing recruitment experts, Brand Recruitment, support hundreds of candidates through marketing job interviews every month. They’ve found that 2 out of 3 interview processes within the marketing industry today will require a presentation at some stage. Whether or not presentations will form part of the job remit, a presentation will show the interviewer if you can effectively communicate and influence – two skills that are integral to any marketing job.
Below, Brand share their top tips to help you ace the dreaded interview presentation!
The basics
Firstly, do you know who you will be presenting to and their relationship to the role? Make sure you are directing the presentation to the right person and appropriate level. You should also find out which formats are available for presenting, and what is preferred by the employer.
The brief
Make sure you have everything you need at the earliest opportunity. Thoroughly read through the brief; is it clear? Make sure you get any concerns you may have clarified before starting, and don’t be afraid to ask what the key things are they want to see. If extra detail or data would help you out, you should ask for it because if you don’t ask, you don’t get!
Know your audience
Get to know who your audience will be. Check the LinkedIn profiles of the people you’ll be presenting to, as this may provide clues as to what they will like. You should also research the company further on their website, particularly their company culture and values.
Structure and design
You don’t need to put everything you say on the presentation. Instead, try and keep it as punchy and concise as possible, and use prompts that you can expand on. You should also use graphics and the company’s logo to make it look more visually appealing. However, make sure the images you use are good quality and not low resolution.
Proof, proof and proof
It is essential to proof your presentation thoroughly yourself, and then get it proofed by other people. If you’re going through a recruitment agency like Brand Recruitment, your recruitment consultant will be able to assist you with this. Alternatively, you could ask a friend or family member who you know is a strong writer with good attention to detail.
Practice makes perfect
Even if you get sick to death of your own voice, practising is crucial to getting it right and beating the nerves! Rehearse how you are going to present, and anticipate the questions the interviewers may ask you. Practising will also help you with your presentation timing and pace, which in turn will make you sound more confident on the day.
Disaster aversion
Just in case, you should always come prepared. If taking your own laptop, take a USB with you with the presentation on, and email a copy to yourself in case you need to access it that way. You should also take enough hard copies of the presentation with you so that all the interviewers can have a copy to keep.
Relax
Remember to relax – at the end of the day you’re just talking to people! Take deep breaths, speak slowly and make sure you use your prompts.
Time management
Keep an eye on how long the presentation is. You should try and keep as close to the allocated time slot as you can. Five minutes extra will be fine, but going over by half an hour probably is not.
Eye contact
When talking, keep eye contact with everybody in the room. Try to avoid only focusing on one person.
Finish
To finish, thank each attendee by name for their time and use a simple slide to finish such as ‘Thanks for listening. Do you have any questions?’.
Presentations are challenging, yes, but then that is why you are being asked to do one. Relax and try to enjoy it. If you make sure you prepare well and practice enough then you should ace your interview presentation – good luck!
Contact the team at Brand Recruitment for any marketing career advice. You can also watch Brand’s Top 10 Tips for Interview Presentation Perfection animation video.
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