my instructions were pretty vague. has anyone had to do this? any advice? thanks!

8/19/2010 8:51:42 AM

what kind of job are you interviewing for?

8/19/2010 9:35:40 AM

it's for an agri-marketing related position and my only instructions were to make it about a topic in agriculture i'm passionate about...

i've got my topic (supporting local/small farms) but i'm just kind of overwhelmed/at a loss on where to go from there because i don't know what they are expecting...

i love giving presentations, i just like to have a little more of a rubric to work with...

8/19/2010 9:43:42 AM

well there's always standard powerpoint. you could always be creative and do your presentation in the form of a musical number or stand up comedy act or something right

as part of the position you're applying for, would you be dealing with people knowledgeable about the subject? if so, your presentation should demonstrate your mastery of the subject. if you might be dealing with people who are less informed, your presentation should be styled to reflect the skills needed to educate others

[Edited on August 19, 2010 at 9:51 AM. Reason : .]

8/19/2010 9:50:16 AM

20 pts : Presentation is formatted well and aesthetically pleasing (ie: not covered with useless animations)
20 pts : Presentation slides efficiently convey importance and flow of information through formatting
20 pts : Presentation fully covers relative material in a minimalistic way (only the highlights are on the silde, the presenter is not just parroting the slides)
20 pts : Presentation has a clear beginning (subject), middle (point), and end (call to action, for example), and flows well from slide to slide


120 pts : Presenter does not read slides. Presenter does not need slides to prompt presentation, presenter can speak in a conversational manner about topic. Presenter shows high level of content knowledge about topic. Presenter effectively conveys information to audience. Presenter presents in a confident manner. Presenter is dressed appropriately. Presenter makes eye contact with the room. Presenter shows passion for subject.

grade: _____/200

[Edited on August 19, 2010 at 10:01 AM. Reason : Feel free to adjust rubric to fit any presentation medium]

8/19/2010 10:00:46 AM

http://prezi.com/

8/19/2010 1:42:33 PM

I hate that ^

8/19/2010 1:46:36 PM

What if your new firm has a Large-Farm clientele?

im confident that youve done your research

but if the company that I work for had prospects do this sort of thing for an interview, then someone who was passionate about subsistent agriculture and organic farming would be out the fuckin door

8/19/2010 2:54:36 PM

I have done this...of course it varies based on the job, but I was told that while giving the information in a typical presentation format was great, they also wished that any of the presenters had done something to make themselves stand out...a mini activity, something different than just getting up and talking about the topic at hand.

8/20/2010 2:42:29 AM

I've had to do this for instructional/training based positions. IMO, there are 2 things you should consider.

1) Why are they having you do this. Is it simply to see what you know? -- i doubt it considering you're able to choose from what I assume is a pretty broad topic. Or is it to get a feel for your presentation, marketing, public speaking skills or comfort level in somewhat of a pressure situation?

-- for me personally, it has been to see how well I can transfer knowledge and to assess my communication skills. I've been given a specific topic, options, asked to choose my own and I've been specifically asked to present on something they're unlikely to know about (so it would be new to them). In my interviews, for the most part, they didn't really care about to content all that much. What was important for them was that the learning objectives were clear, i communicated well, that knowledge was transferred in an efficient manner, and that it was clear that I know a little something about instructional design and training.

So first and foremost - nail down exactly what they're trying to learn about you, as a potential employee, from this presentation. Then work on it with that in mind.


2) What is their client/consumer base/what the heck would you actually be doing if hired and can you gear it toward that somehow? The "do it on whatever you want" idea is nice. But by choosing a topic that's actually relevant to them you get to demonstrate your knowledge of the company as well as knowledge specifically relevant to the position. It's kind of a "more bang for your buck" deal. Plus it could show that you've done your homework.

-- In my experience, interviewers always like when it's evident that you know more than the very basic stuff about them and what they do (you'd be surprised how many interviewees seem completely clueless to what the company actually does). It also can make it seem like you may not be just "looking for a job" as oppose to actually wanting to work for them. And even if they realize you've simply "did your hw" to impress them... that works too. It will help you because there will likely be candidates who did not. And they want people who are going to do their best to be prepared and to succeed. If it's obvious you did more than the minimum, they'll assume that's how you'll approach work tasks as well.

They're giving you a choice. If possible, use that choice to improve yourself as a candidate.


general advice: If I had the choice, I always tried to choose something that most people would find interesting for a brief amount of time (no brainer). And if I could include some sort of interaction, either as a group, with each other, or with some sort of hands-on activity, I would. Involving the audience keeps their attention and can make even something that may be a little boring, more interesting. Something as simple as passing an object around during the presentation can go a long way in engaging the audience. Well, assuming it makes sense.

Do you have an idea of how long it should last? You don't want to run on and on and take up interview time. It could be annoying for them and it could cut into other parts of the interview. And you don't want to show up with a 3-minute presentation if they're expecting something more like 10 minutes.

[Edited on August 20, 2010 at 5:55 AM. Reason : .]

8/20/2010 5:34:30 AM

Quote :

"1) Why are they having you do this. Is it simply to see what you know? -- i doubt it considering you're able to choose from what I assume is a pretty broad topic. Or is it to get a feel for your presentation, marketing, public speaking skills or comfort level in somewhat of a pressure situation?"

I just had an interview yesterday in which I was required to give a presentation on "anything technical."
They just wanted to see my presentation style and to see how I responded to their questions. They weren't concerned with the topic at all. (My presentation was just a recap of my MS thesis - wind-tunnel testing of a UAV. The company works with gas turbines and does no flight/wind-tunnels at all.)
They wanted to see that I was clear and concise with my slides, that I spoke well and presented my ideas clearly in a technical setting, and that I wouldn't piss myself when they asked me hard questions.

8/20/2010 8:47:15 AM

You know what this reminds me of? This book called Bitter is the New Black... Long story short, she lost her job due to the dot-com crash and then went on tons and tons and tons of interviews. (Actually, this is just a portion of what the book is about.. it's very funny.) But ANYWAY, one of those interviews required she give a presentation of what ideas she could bring to the table. They asked if they could hold the file to help with their decision - at that point she was so desperate she said sure... She didn't get the job but ended up putting her ideas in place

[Edited on August 20, 2010 at 9:00 AM. Reason : btw, it was a memoir, aka true story... but I realize that's not going to happen all the time]

8/20/2010 9:00:27 AM