 PARAMETER WHICH ARE MAINTAINED IN YOUR OFFICIAL

PRESENTATION

o Dress smartly:don't let your appearance distract from what you are saying.
o Smile. Don't hunch up and shuffle your feet. Have an upright posture. Try to
appear
o confident and enthusiastic.
o Say hello and smile when you greet the audience: your audience will probably
look at you and smile back: an instinctive reaction.
o Speak clearly firmly and confidently as this makes you sound in control. Don't
speak too quickly: you are likely to speed up and raise the pitch of your voice
when nervous. Give the audience time to absorb each point. Don't talk in a
monotone the whole time. Lift your head up and address your words to
someone near the back of audience. If you think people at the back can't hear,
ask them.
o Use silence :
o to emphasize points. Before you make a key point pause: this tells the audience
that
o something important is coming. It's also the hallmark of a confident speaker as
only
o these are happy with silences. Nervous speakers tend to gabble on trying to fill
every
o little gap.
o Keep within the allotted time for your talk.
o Eye contact is crucial to holding the attention of your audience.
o Look at everyone in the audience from time to time, not just at your notes or at
the PowerPoint slides. Try to involve everyone, not just those directly in front of
you.
o You could try to involve your audience by asking them a question.
o Don't read out your talk, as this sounds boring and stilted, but refer to brief
notes jotted down on small (postcard sized) pieces of card.
o Don't look at your notes too much as this suggests insecurity and will prevent
you making eye contact with the audience.
o It’s OK to use humour, in moderation, but better to use anecdotes than to rattle
off a string of jokes.
o Take along a wristwatch to help you keep track of time – the assessor may cut
you off as soon as you have used the time allocated, whether or not you have
finished.
o It can be very helpful to practise at home in front of a mirror. You can also
record your presentation and play it back to yourself: don't judge yourself

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 harshly when you replay this - we always notice our bad points and not the good
when hearing or seeing a recording or ourselves! Time how long your talk takes.
Run through the talk a few times with a friend.
o It's normal to be a little nervous.
o This is a good thing as it will make you more energized. Many people have a fear
of speaking in public. Practising will make sure that you are not too anxious. In
your mind, visualize yourself giving a confident successful performance. Take a
few deep slow breaths before your talk starts and make a conscious effort to
speak slowly and clearly. convinced their mistakes are much more noticeable
than they really are:
o we focus on our own behaviour more than other people do and so overestimate
it's impact. This is called the spotlight effect. If you make a mistake, don't
apologise too much, just briefly acknowledge the mistake and continue on
o Build variety into the talk and break it up into sections: apparently, the average
person has a three minute attention span!

o Have a beginning, middle and an end. Use short sentences.

 Consider:
 Who are the audience?
 What points do I want to get across?
 How much time have I got?
 What visual aids are available? Powerpoint projector? flip chart? Don't necessarily use
these. Sometimes the best presentations are the most informal.

 Introduction
 Welcome the audience.
 Say what your presentation will be about: the aims and objectives.
 The introduction should catch the attention. Perhaps a provocative statement or a
humorous anecdote:
o “Genetically-modified crops could save millions of people from starvation”
o “The first day of my vacation job went with a bang, but it wasn't my fault that
the microwave exploded.

 The Middle should outline your argument or develop your story

 In five minutes you will only have time for two or three main points and allow
everything else to support these. List your main headings and any key phrases you will
use.
 Don't try to say pack too much content in or you will talk non- stop trying to get all your
content and the audience will switch off with information overload long before the end.
 Use graphics or anecdotes to add variety.

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  Conclusion
 Briefly summarise your main points.
 Answer any questions.
 Thank the audience for listening. Look at the audience again, smile and slow down.
 The end should be on a strong or positive note – not tailing away to “..well that's all I've
got to say so thank you very much for listening ladies and gentlemen”. You could try
something along these lines:
 “Hang-gliding is brilliant, so try it you'll believe a man can fly!”
o “The danger is increasing if we don't all act soon it could be too late!

 The above has been neatly summarised as

 "Tell them what you will tell them (introduction), tell them (development), tell them
what you told them (conclusion)"

 In preparing your talk, first jot down any interesting points you want to include in your
talk, put these in a logical sequence, then try to find an interesting title, and a good
introduction and ending.

 For a 15 minute presentation on "Why you are the right person for the company's
graduate recruitment programme" the following might work:
 1 minute introduction - what you are going to tell them
 2 minutes on the challenges facing the organisation in the current market: economic
downturn, competitors, potential areas for growth.
 4 minutes on "What skills the organisation requires in their graduate recruits
 6 minutes on evidence showing that you have these skills
 1 minute summary of your key points.
 1 minute asking for and answering questions

 USING POWERPOINT, OVERHEAD PROJECTOR OR FLIP

CHART
 You may be allowed to use an overhead projector(OHP), data projector, or flip chart as
part of your talk, If you think that you might like to use one, then it's wise to try to
practice on one beforehand so you know what you are doing!

o Before you start check the computer and the lighting: make sure no bright lights
are illuminating the screen.
o Stand to one side of the projector/flip chart, so the audience can see the material.
o Face and speak to your audience, not the screen. Inexperienced PowerPoint
presenters have their backs to the audience most of the time!

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 o Don't try to write too much on each slide: 30 to 40  The average
words in a large font size is ample for one PowerPoint slide
transparency. Use note form and bullets rather than contains 40 words
full sentences. It is very hard for a member of the
audience to read slides and listen simultaneously -
they are unlikely to do doing either well.
o Slides can contain prompts to remind you of what you will say next.
o All too often the slides are just a security blanket for the speaker, not visual aids for
the audience.
o on't use too many slides: Three or four should be sufficient for a short presentation.
For a 15 minute session 8 would be the absolute maximum and probably less. Don't
have too much text on each slide - no more than about 40 words. Each slide should
last for at least 2 minutes. The more slides and the more words on each slide, the less
the audience will listen- whereas the less and simpler slides you have, the better you
will communicate. Plan your presentation carefully and
only use slides where they will clarify points.  Dark blue on
o Press w to blank the sceen or or b to black it out white or cream
gives a good
(pressing any key restores the slides) when talking
about a point which does not require a slide thus contrast,
reducing the distraction for the audience.
o Use colour and bold for emphasis but don't use too
 whereas red text
much colour. Have a good contrast e.g. dark blue text
on a cream background. on a green
background is
o Pictures, especially tables, diagrams and charts
harder to read
are good. Powerpoint is excellent for the delivery of
pictures and diagrams and they will help to break up
and add variety to the long streams of text seen in many (bad!) presentations.
o A little humour can grab the attention of the audience. For example some performing
crocodiles?

o Don't get carried away with flashy PowerPoint transition effects as these may
distract attention form the content.
o If using PowerPoint use the Format|Apply design template command. Gives you
a wide range of nicely preformatted slide designs to choose from and saves you a lot
of time.
o Write down your main points on a postcard sized piece of card as a prompt and
also as a backup in case the technology
fails!
o Too many bullets can machine gun
your audience to sleep!
o Good presentations will have a variety of
slides: some with bullets, some without
and many with images and charts. Twenty slides with 5 bullets on each means you are
trying to get across one hundred points, whereas the average person will absorb at
most 5 points from a presentation.

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  PARAMETER WHICH ARE MAINTAINED IN
YOUR INTERVIEW:
 All interviews may appear similar, but they differ in terms of what the interviewer is seeking
and the skill level the interviewer brings to the process. Situations may differ, but there are
certain skills that will increase the odds of a successful interview or at least reduce some of
the stress.

 Preparation
 Prepare for the interview as soon as it is scheduled. Immediately place yourself or
someone who is better suited into the role of the interviewer. Make a list of questions
you would ask if you were the interviewer. Recall questions you have been asked in
similar job interviews. There are certain topics that you know will come up, such as your
job history, education, goals and your positive and negative qualities. Conduct an entire
interview with yourself no matter how ridiculous it seems.

 Attire
 Dress appropriately. If you are unsure whether the company dress code is casual or
demands strict business attire, play it safe by wearing formal business clothing. You
must also appear comfortable in business attire. To accomplish this, wear these clothes
as often as possible before the interview. This is especially useful if you've only worn
suits to weddings and funerals.

 Exude Confidence
 One of the quickest ways to kill an interview is to appear frightened or unsure of yourself.
You scored the interview, so there must be something about you that makes the
company confident that you are up to the job. Make sure that confidence is not lost.
Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Think before you speak so you don't stumble
over words. Sit up straight and resist the urge to fidget, scratch, run your fingers through
your hair or engage in any other body language that suggests you are not totally in
control of yourself.

 Converse
 The typical job interview is constructed in the form of question followed by answer. Don't
allow the interview to become a game of verbal ping-pong. Elaborate on your answers
and ask your own follow-up questions. Turn the interview into a conversation between
equals. This allows you to express your interest in the position, to let some of your
personality come through and to illustrate your people skills. It also makes the interview
less daunting.

 Honesty
 You may have heard that everybody fudges a little during interviews--and that
interviewers expect it. This is simply not true. Resist any temptation to lie about yourself,
your education, your experience or your qualifications because chances are those lies
will catch up to you. Even if your dishonesty isn't caught during the hiring process, it will
probably come out later. It is easier to remember the truth, so stick to it.

pg. 5
  Research
 Arriving at a job interview with a strong knowledge of the company for whom you'd like to
work instills several qualities that will impress the interviewer. You will able to speak
intelligently about the company's operations, you will demonstrate that you are serious
about your career and you will illustrate your initiative.

o Surprises
 You never know what is going to be asked during an interview, and some interviewers
like to toss in wild cards just to see how you react. If you don't know the answer, admit it.
As long as you retain your poise, you've done the job. Don't try to overtalk your way out
of tough or tricky question. Address it to the best of your ability and move on.

Standard Interview Questions

It is not enough to have solid answers for only the above questions. You need to be prepared for
the full spectrum of questions that may be presented. Tell me about yourself.

1. Tell me about your experience.

2. What is your most important accomplishment to date?
3. How would you describe your ideal job?
4. Why did you choose this career?
5. When did you decide on this career?
6. What goals do you have in your career?
7. How do you plan to achieve these goals?
8. How do you personally define success?
9. Describe a situation in which you were successful.
10. What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?
11. What accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction in your life?
12. If you had to live your life over again, what one thing would you change?
13. Would you rather work with information or with people?
14. Are you a team player?
15. What motivates you?
16. Why should I hire you?
17. Are you a goal-oriented person?
18. Tell me about some of your recent goals and what you did to achieve them.
19. What are your short-term goals?
20. What is your long-range objective?
21. What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
22. Where do you want to become ten years from now?
23. Do you handle conflict well?
24. Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor? How did you resolve it?
25. What major problem have you had to deal with recently?
26. Do you handle pressure well?
27. What is your greatest strength?
28. What is your greatest weakness?
29. If I were to ask one of your professors (or a boss) to describe you, what would he or she say?
30. Why did you choose to attend your college?
31. What changes would you make at your college?
32. How has your education prepared you for your career?
33. What were your favorite classes? Why?

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 34. Do you enjoy doing independent research?
35. Who were your favorite professors? Why?
36. Why is your GPA not higher?
37. Do you have any plans for further education?
38. How much training do you think youll need to become a productive employee?
39. What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have?
40. Why do you want to work in the _____ industry?
41. What do you know about our company?
42. Why are you interested in our company?
43. Do you have any location preferences?
44. How familiar are you with the community that were located in?
45. Are you willing to relocate? In the future?
46. Are you willing to travel? How much?
47. Is money important to you?
48. How much money do you need to make to be happy?
49. What kind of salary are you looking for?

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