Sample PowerPoint Presentation for Job Interview

Sample PowerPoint Presentation for Job

Interview

PrescottPapers.com, January, 2017

It is increasingly common for human resource departments to require their job

applicants to work up a PowerPoint presentation for their job interview. Job interview

Powerpoint presentations are a requirement when presentation skills are a required

qualification for the job. Hiring managers use your presentation to judge your public

speaking skills, ability to stay calm under pressure, how knowledgeable you are about a

certain topic and more. In this article, we’ll get into the different types of presentations

for job interviews, go over a sample PowerPoint Presentation for a Job Interview ,

discuss the elements that you can also include, and go over general job interview

PowerPoint presentation tips.

The screenshots from an example PowerPoint for a job interview throughout this

document are by no means a complete sample of what can be done on a job interview

PowerPoint. Regardless, it demonstrates some of the elements that an applicant should

include in such a presentation. The example PowerPoint presentation demonstrated in

this article is completely fictionalized.

First, there are different types of PowerPoint presentations that a job applicant can

prepare for the interview. It depends on the type of position that the job seeker is

applying for and what the company is requiring in the presentation. The following are

just three kinds of PowerPoint presentations for job interviews:

1. Background Presentation

The sample PowerPoint presentation shown in screenshots in this article

demonstrates this kind of job interview presentation. You give a background

presentation when the company wants to get a general idea of how you present

yourself and what your personality is like.

2. Demonstration Presentation

A demonstration presentation is one in which you demonstrate your knowledge

of a particular topic or how you would follow a process.

For example, a person who is applying to be a graphic designer may show step

by step in a PowerPoint presentation how they would design a particular logo for

a client.

Another example: There is an applicant for a position as a history instructor at the

local community college. If they get the job, they are going to teach American

History. So, the school asks them to demonstrate with a PowerPoint presentation

how they would teach that subject.

3. Sales Person Presentation.

With this kind of job interview presentation, the applicant shows the potential

employer how they would sell their company’s products. They want to see how

creative and innovative the applicant can be in their sales techniques. The

applicant can also show how knowledgeable they are about the company’s

products.

The first slide is where the potential employer should get the best impression of you. It

needs to stand out. It should include the following:

1. Name and contact information

2. Professional photo

Although not always necessary, it can also include:

1. A descriptive statement, also known as a vision statement

2. Photos of previous work

3. Three to four characteristics about yourself

The first slide above gives a hint of who this person is. The applicant also presents the

information in an easy to follow manner.

In the second slide, the applicant is showing why the company should hire them. Here,

the applicant is just giving glimpses into why the company should hire them. The point is

not to just repeat the resume and cover letter. You do not need to go into a lot of detail

with this information on a PowerPoint. The interviewers can look at your resume and

cover letter for further information. An interviewer can also look at this information and

know how the applicant will contribute to the company. For instance, with this

presentation, they’ll note that the applicant will bring her energetic and outgoing

personality to the management position.

As you can see, the information is presented in a simple, but eye-catching graphic.

Using graphics like this in a job interview presentation will make it stand out and shows

personality on your part.

In this slide, the applicant goes over three accomplishments from a previous job. These

are not all of their accomplishments, which is good, because again, the hiring manager

can look at the resume for further information.

As you can see, a nice picture of a lake at Sunset is included. Including personal

pictures in your presentation can give the people interviewing you for the job a further

sense of who you are as a person. For instance, the people interviewing this applicant,

Lillian Orangegrove, will learn that she has a love of sunsets.

There are other types of slides that a person can make when they are preparing a job

interview PowerPoint presentation.

1. Work Samples

A work sample slide shows work that the applicant has done on previous jobs.

For instance, a person who is applying to be a web developer can show

screenshots and give links to websites that he has done for past clients.

2. Testimonials.

An applicant can put testimonials by other clients on one of their job interview

PowerPoint slides. Testimonials allow the people who are interviewing the

applicant for a position to see what other clients say about them.

There are elements you can use in a PowerPoint for a job interview that can make your

presentation stand out. These include motion paths (animations), sound, and even

video. These work especially well when the company is looking for a creative

personality.

For instance, a person who is applying to be a film editor can attach a video reel of her

previous work in one of the PowerPoint slides.

1. You need to find out what kind of presentation the job interviewers are expecting

from you.

2. You should put extra effort into how you design your PowerPoint. A presentation

that has too much text, pictures, and objects on each slide is cluttered. A cluttered

PowerPoint will only prove to the job interviewers that you are an unorganized

person.

3. Do some research into the company so that you know what their culture is like and

the type of person they are looking to hire. This information can help you when

you are preparing your presentation.

4. There needs to be a clear message throughout your job interview PowerPoint.

That means you need to decide what your overall message is, and then present

information that builds around that message.

5. Before the presentation, practice multiple times. You want to ensure that you have

the timing right. You should also practice again and again so you can memorize

the additional information you are going to say about each slide. Hiring managers

may not allow you to use a print out with speaker notes as a reference during your

presentation. Also, practice in front of a mirror, so you know how you look while

you are presenting. You can also record yourself to make sure you sound

confident and that there are no word crutches such as “um” and “ah.”

6. Ensure that your presentation is readable and has no mistakes. To do this, have

someone else look at it for you. Also, make sure you are using a readable font

face. You want the person interviewing you for the job to be able to read the

information on the presentation.

For further help, you can also turn to Prescott Papers. We have professionals who

specialize in PowerPoint that can help you put together a PowerPoint presentation for

your job interview. We can help you with the organization and readability of your

presentation. We’ll even compare it to your resume and cover letter (as long as you

provide that information) to make sure the PowerPoint is not just a regurgitation of your

resume and cover letter.

If this process is daunting to you or it’s been a while since you’ve used PowerPoint,

Prescott Papers is a great option. Besides, your use of our service and all of your

information is kept completely confidential. We also offer fast and reliable support.

Overall, the PowerPoint presentation you give for your job interview can be the

difference between getting the job and not getting it. Therefore, it needs to be cohesive

and professional while giving the potential employer a glimpse into who you are and

what you will be like as an employee.