FIVE TIPS for when you’ve got TWO DAYS…

….to plan a STAND-UP PRESENTATION REQUIRED IN A JOB INTERVIEW!

The GOOD news is you’ve landed a GREAT job interview with a stellar firm. The BAD news is you have two days to prepare a 20-30 minute presentation for nine executives of the firm on why YOU are the best candidate for the job. (Note: This is a true scenario faced this week by a former student.) Here are some tips to survive and thrive in this situation!

  1. Have fun putting it together – even in the short time frame. You earned this! Start with a list of ten things you’re great at and edit it down from there. Let the language come easily and say things in your own style. They’ll pick up on the natural you and that’s all you can be anyway.
  2. Have an A+ opening line. What does that mean? (In contrast, a C+ opening would be, “Thank you for your time today. I’m happy to be here. Thank you for the opportunity to be a candidate for this position. I’m going to talk about…” Conversely, an A+ opening “throws out the meat,” – the essence of what you believe; for example, “One of the biggest challenges companies face today is engaging and keeping good employees, and here’s how I will help you do that…”
  3. Tell them you have (you choose) 3-5 points to present. Then immediately start on the first one. Executive audiences are listening for your key arguments so they can dialogue with you later about them. All audiences like to know where you’re headed – briefly!
  4. Have an example of a success story for each point. This is your best opportunity to “tell a story” – granted a business story – but one that adds interest. During your stories, have a fitting visual background on your slide – just a visual! No copy or bullet points, please.
  5. Close with a review (yes, a review because they have not been listening to your every word) and a final smiling, uplifting compliment to the firm’s work and mission and how much you would look forward to being a part.

If you’ve done these five things, you already are better than most! Good luck!public-speaking

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