Why a Printed Presentation?

A printed presentation works terrifically well in many ways, including

the following:
• A well-crafted printed presentation communicates that you are
well prepared and highly motivated for the interview.
• It clearly differentiates you from other candidates.
• It shows your ability to assemble and communicate pertinent information in a clear and
succinct
manner.
• It demonstrates important job-related behaviors—presenting information and then
responding to
questions.
• It contains the information the hiring manager needs to know to make an informed hiring
decision.
• The visual nature of the presentation increases the hiring manger’s retention and your
persuasiveness.
• A presentation reduces the hiring manager’s FUD level and makes it easier for her to hire
you.
• It serves as a powerful leave-behind that the interviewer can refer to as she begins to
compare candidates.
In addition, according to David Peoples, author of Presentations Plus (Wiley, 1992), using
visual aids results in:
• The audience being 43 percent more likely to be persuaded.
• The presenter covering the same material in 25 to 40 percent less time.
• The listener’s learning improving up to 200 percent.
• Retention improving by 38 percent.
• The presenter being perceived as more professional, persuasive, credible, and interesting,
as well as better
prepared.
Why should your presentation be in printed form and not electronic form? Using a laptop or
projecting a
presentation interferes with eye contact and rapport during an interview. As you will learn,
each bullet point
in your presentation is very brief—no more than 170 characters—and quickly read. The goal
is to introduce
a topic, speak to it, initiate a conversation, and not have the interviewer distracted by
reading the information.
Also, even in today’s electronic age, there is still something about having a printed and
bound document
that communicates credibility and professionalism.
Is an Interview Presentation Appropriate for a Job in…?
When I talk about using a presentation in an interview, I often get the response, “But I’m an
accountant/software
developer/project manager/financial analyst/…. I don’t think a presentation is really
appropriate for
my profession. I think it is really for a marketing or sales position.” All I can say is that
candidates in every
profession who have used an interview presentation have gotten excellent results. Even
technical professionals,
such as software developers and engineers, benefit from addressing non-technical qualities
they bring
to the job and selling themselves in the interview. The issue is not the profession; it is how
comfortable you
are with using a presentation in an interview. If you choose not to use a presentation, that’s
fine—just know
that it works for your profession, and your competition may be using one.
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Chapter 15 Develop an Interview-Winning Presentation
“Men trust their ears less
than their eyes.”
—Herodotus, Greek historian
A related question is, “Isn’t an interview presentation good only for senior executives?”
Again, I can say that
interview presentations have been used very successfully by recent college graduates
applying for their first
job and senior professionals applying for CEO positions. Recent graduates can actually be
more impressive
than senior professionals when they arrive at an interview with a polished, professional
document and make
a powerful presentation. Hiring managers don’t expect such a high level of preparation and
professionalism
from a recent graduate, and they are duly impressed.
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Active Interviewing: Branding, Selling, and Presenting Yourself to Win Your Next Job
“I received positive and quick feedback from an interviewer that my materials—the interview
presentation—
were far superior to and more professional than anything the other candidates were using
during
their interviews. I believe using the interview presentation as a discussion tool and a leave-
behind
was instrumental in securing my current position.”
—Richard, academic administrator
USING A PRESENTATION TO LAND A FIRST JOB
Allan, a friend of my son Zach, graduated the same year as Zach from Penn State—into the teeth of
the
recession. For 12 months, Allan had been experiencing the recent-graduate career blues, which
include
working at low-level temporary positions with minimal compensation, having lots of failed interviews,
and
living at home with his parents. Allan had been actively job seeking and had eight interviews with no
success
and, of course, no feedback about why.
With a great deal of networking and persistence, Allan landed an interview with a marketing agency
in New
York for an assistant account executive position—a dream job. He was about to blow another
interview by
preparing and interviewing the same way he had interviewed for the previous eight jobs—until he
spoke
with Zach. He told Zach about his upcoming interview, and Zach, having landed two jobs using an
interview
presentation, said, “Dude, like, you should totally get your interview on and use an interview
presentation if
you don’t want to screw up again and live with your ’rents forever. (Actually, I’m sure Zach, being a
Penn
State graduate, was more articulate than that, and he did convince Allan to use a presentation.)
Using a presentation strategy, Allan was well prepared for the interview, impressed the hiring
manager, differentiated
himself from the other candidates, and landed the job. The only people more excited about the
job than Allan were his parents.
What to Use to Develop a Presentation
A presentation is most effective when it’s presented in a printed and spiral-bound format.
The best interview
presentation-development tool is the iBest program (www.interviewbest.com/ibest.aspx),
which I developed.
The online iBest program will walk you through developing an interview presentation section
by
section; it results in a high-quality presentation ready for printing. In addition, the iBest
program has extensive
expert libraries, and the interviewbest.com site has additional presentation examples.
Expert libraries
(samples of which are in Appendix C, “Interview Presentation Worksheet”) are lists of
suggested content
you can use in your interview presentation. Expert libraries make developing an interview
presentation quick
and focused. The iBest program has a free trial period, so you can experience the
advantages of the guided
process and the expert libraries.
In addition, any presentation-development software can generate a printed document
suitable for binding.
There are a number of good presentation-development programs available, both free and
paid. For
example:
• PowerPoint (office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint): Paid
• OpenOffice Impress (www.openoffice.org): Free
• SlideRocket (www.sliderocket.com): Free
• Google Docs Presentation (www.google.com): Free
• 280 Slides (www.280slides.com): Free
• Zoho Show (show.zoho.com): Free
Introducing Your Interview Presentation
You can introduce presentations in a number of different places during interviews. Most
candidates introduce
their presentation immediately after the interviewer has talked about the job and the
interview is transitioning
to focusing on them. An excellent place to introduce a presentation is in response to the
question,
“Tell me about yourself.” Another opportunity is when the interviewer asks a question that
you have
addressed in your presentation—you can use this as an opportunity to introduce your
presentation. For example,
“What are your goals for the first 60 days?” or “Tell me about a time when you were
particularly effective
in your job.”
One recent college graduate introduced his presentation at the very end of his interview and
saved the day.
Ben was interviewing with a human resources (HR) representative for an entry-level
marketing job at an
advertising company. After 20 minutes, the HR representative was ending the interview,
which had not gone
very well. You know the negative signs—a short interview being closed down with vague
expressions such
as, “Thanks for coming in.We have a lot of people to interview.We’ll let you know.” Just
before he was ushered
out the door, Ben said, “I’ve put together a presentation about my qualifications for this job.
Can I share
it with you?” The HR representative agreed, and Ben gave her a copy of his bound
presentation and took
her through the presentation. Halfway through the presentation, the rep stopped Ben and
said, “Our vice
president of marketing loves presentations. When you interview with her, you have to show
this to her.” Ben
got through to the second round, though unfortunately he didn’t get the job, which was
never filled. But
without using his interview presentation, he likely wouldn’t have even made it to the second
interview.
For most hiring managers, having a candidate use an interview presentation will be a new
and unfamiliar
Active Interview strategy. Thus, it is best to introduce the presentation in a way that enables
the hiring manager
to accept or reject the use of it, maintaining her “control” over the interview. The following is
an example
of how you can introduce your presentation:
“I am very interested in this job, and I’ve developed a brief presentation about how my
background, skills,
and experience match the critical requirements of this position, what I can contribute to
[company name],
and why I’m an excellent candidate for this job. May I share it with you?”
The typical interviewer response will be, “Sure, let me see what you have.” Note that when
you ask permission
to “share” the presentation, the interviewer has a chance to say no. They rarely do, but this
helps the
interviewer maintain her feeling of control over the interview.
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Interview Presentation Sections

The following sections contain descriptions of each section of a comprehensive interview
presentation.With
the exception of the first two main sections—job requirements and your match with the
requirements—all
sections are optional. However, results have shown that candidates who prepare and
present a complete presentation
perform better and win more interviews.
See Appendix D, “Interview Presentation Worksheet,” for interview-presentation
development forms.
Cover Page
An interview presentation is a high-quality, professional document. The cover page gives
you an opportunity
to make a strong first impression and communicate your personal brand. The next few
sections will
describe the components of the cover page.
Tagline
Located at the top of the cover page, the tagline provides a heading and incorporates the
name of the company
with which you are interviewing. Write a tagline that represents your desired outcome in the
position.
Possible taglines include:
• Partnering with [company name] to Increase Sales
• Accelerating [company’s] Success in the [name of industry] Marketplace
• Partnering with [company name] for Excellence in Product Development
• Providing [company name] with Important Marketing Services
• Supporting [company name] to Provide an Excellent Customer Experience
Cover Graphic
Use a high-quality graphic on the front of your presentation. The picture can represent
business in general,
your specific industry, or something that relates to you as an employee. For example, a
candidate applying
for a management position might use a picture of a conference room or several people
meeting. A candidate
applying for a job in transportation might use a picture of a truck or a train. A person who
prides himself
on his computer skills might use a technology-related picture, such as a circuit board or a
computer.
A number of websites provide free graphics. Just Google “free graphics” and select a
professional-looking
graphic that communicates the message you want the interviewer to receive.
Company Logo
Including the logo of the company for which you are interviewing customizes the
presentation and communicates
a high level of motivation for the job. You can usually copy a logo from the company’s
website.
If the logo on the company website is in a banner or uses Flash technology and cannot be
copied, try
Googling the company and then selecting Images from the left-side menu; this usually will
yield logo images
that are easily copied.
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Active Interviewing: Branding, Selling, and Presenting Yourself to Win Your Next Job
Personal Picture
This is a matter of personal choice. A picture might be useful if the company is interviewing
a lot of candidates,
and if it may be a number of days or weeks before they meet to make a final decision. Your
picture
will give them a visual reminder of who you are and will be another clue to help them
remember your background,
skills, and experience.
Contact Information
Include your phone number and email address so the hiring manager doesn’t have to
search for your resume.
This way, he can contact you easily.
Personal-Brand Words
As you now know, a personal brand is what you want others to think or feel about you and a
promise of the
value you will deliver. On the cover page, include up to four personal-brand terms that
represent you. Limit
the list to four terms that best represent your brand in relation to this position. More than
four will dilute
your brand message and confuse the interviewer.
Be prepared to answer questions about your personal-brand terms, including:
• What is the meaning of each of your personal brand terms?
• What is an example of a time when you displayed behaviors associated with your personal
brand?
• How do you think your personal brand will make you more effective in this position?
• Was there a time when you had to compromise your personal brand?
• What do you do to reinforce and maintain your personal brand?
• Do you think this personal brand is different or distinctive?
• How does your personal brand differentiate you from others?
Job Requirements Section
The most important selection criterion for the hiring decision is how well you can perform
the critical job
requirements. It is important that you and the hiring manager understand each of the
requirements and
agree that they are the critical success factors for the job.
The job requirements section gives you an opportunity to engage in a conversation with the
hiring manager
about the specific requirements of the job and come to a common understanding. Once you
have a clear
understanding of and mutual agreement about the requirements, you have the information
to powerfully
align your background and skills to the requirements and be more persuasive. This will
significantly improve
the hiring manager’s ability to determine the fit, reduce FUD, and make an informed hiring
decision.
Selecting Job Requirements for Your Presentation
Earlier in this book, you learned questions to ask to help you determine the critical job
requirements. When
you have a list of critical requirements, categorize them in the following way:
• “Must-have” requirements. These may include years of experience, specific skills or
experience, or
certain training certifications—for example, “Required, five years of experience in mortgage
lending for
a mid- or large-size financial institution.”