Interview Success Zone

Today I interviewed presentations expert, Beth Harvey, who I often send clients to for a presentation masterclass. Here is what Beth had to say about what to do and what not to do to make a winning presentation in interview

ISZ: Hi Beth, thanks for sparing some of your valuable time to share
some pearls of wisdom with Interview Success Zone’s readers. Why
don’t you start by telling everyone how you became to be the
‘presentations guru’ and why this has become such a passion of yours?

Beth: My first ever presentation as a management trainee, longer ago than is appropriate to share, was probably the most terrifying experience I had ever had. But I persevered, and eventually learned to love it, so much so that I ended up training and presenting for a living. It’s a passion for me because I firmly believe that presentations are just conversations with groups of people and don’t have to be huge ordeals – and I’d rather other people reached that conclusion earlier in their careers than I did! Consequently, I really enjoy working with people of all ages, levels of seniority and backgrounds to help them enjoy their presentations, regardless of subject matter.

ISZ: Fascinating! Okay, to get everyone started, perhaps you can tell
us a couple of stories. One of a particularly great presentation, and
one of a badly prepared presentation. What made them so good or so bad?

Beth: A professor of positive psychology at a conference delivered the best presentation I have seen recently. The worst was a results presentation to City analysts. What was fascinating for me was that although the content in the latter was (arguably) better composed, the presenters approached their audience as “the enemy”. In the first one, the whole session felt like a conversation with a very large group of friends. What both sessions reinforced for me was the importance of treating your audience, and their views, with respect.

ISZ: thanks. Can you give us a top 5 Do’s and Don’ts to help job
hunters ace their presentations. What fonts, sizes, colours usually
work best? Should one put pictures or even sounds and moving pictures
in interview presentations?

Beth: Not sure about a top five either way, but there are definitely some golden rules that apply!

Prepare your presentation before you do your slides. Some of the worst presentations are written straight onto PowerPoint, and it shows – mainly because the author has just “brain dumped” whatever came into their head, and then tried to present it. Get your key messages straight first. What do you want the audience to remember?

Remember that a PowerPoint presentation doesn’t replace what you’re saying, so your presentation materials need to support, rather than replace, your content. It’s almost impossible to build a relationship with your audience if they’re trying to read a complicated slide before you move on to the next one. So a good rule of thumb to use is:

• No more than five bullets per slide
• No more than five words per bullet

It’s also helpful to take a minimalist approach to your materials – less is definitely more. No-one wants to endure Death by PowerPoint! Ten slides for a ten minute presentation is, in my opinion, at least six too many. You’ll struggle to get through them. If the organisation you are interviewing with likes to use detailed or complicated materials, provide further, more detailed slides as handouts after the presentation, and cover the “headlines” in your allotted presentation time.

For interview presentations, try and use a font size and colour which are the same as, or similar to, the ones used by the organisation you want to join. You can usually pick these up from their websites. The subliminal message is “I fit here!”

ISZ: Ah, yes, matching - I can just hear the NLP practitioners out there resonating with that one!

Beth: Pictures are helpful, and often illustrate a point far better than words. Moving graphics and sounds can work but again, need to be appropriate and useful and support your key messages, rather than an exercise in demonstrating your IT skills. If you’re in any way worried about how they will work, best to avoid them.

So the questions to ask yourself are:
“Do my materials reinforce my main messages?”
“Are they appropriate to the culture of the organisation that I want to join?”
“Am I confident that I can get it all to work properly on the day?”

A final tip – always take printed copies of your slides in case the laptop or projector fails you on the day. Having a contingency plan in place makes all the difference.

ISZ: are there any good websites where we can pick up more
presentation tips or templates?

Personally, I’m not sure that templates are the answer – if you want to see them used comically to great effect, visit www.norvig.com/gettysburg and see how Lincoln would have coped with modern technology…

www.uncommon-knowledge.co.uk/public_speaking has lots of great tips and ideas, particularly for nervous presenters.

ISZ: So far we have mainly talked about the electronic side of
presenting, you know, how to put together the materials. How about
the physical aspect of presenting. How should one deliver the
presentation? Does one stand up, and if so where? I know when I stand up and present I tend to walk around a little bit, and I try to engage my audience as much as possible with questions. I think that if one is in a situation where the recipients are sitting down, it’s better
to remain in the same plane or at the same level - as it helps maintain that all important rapport. What are your thoughts on this?

Beth: I agree with you, Jason, and I think that the culture of the firm is important here too. Don’t forget that national culture also has an impact on presentation approach, so if you’re interviewing abroad, do your research on this. Check out the expectations of the audience in advance if you can. Do they expect a formal approach, where you stand up and they sit down? Can you ask people to interact, or will questions be kept until the end? Or is the organisation the kind of place where everyone sits down and has a chat? Ask the person who is organising the interview as many questions as you feel you can – about the people attending, what style the organisation prefers, and even the room itself. Preparation really does count here. The more information you have in advance, the more confident you’ll feel about your approach – leaving you free to concentrate on the content.

One final thought. Presentations are rarely the first stage in a selection process; the organisation has usually decided that you have something to offer before they ask you to prepare something like this. So remember – this is your opportunity to share your wisdom with a wider audience, and prove conclusively that you are the person for the job. Have fun, and good luck!

ISZ: Thanks Beth for all of your advice, I know that Interview Success Zone readers will have found some fantastic tips here.

Gill Hicks is a well respected NLP expert and Image consultant, and it was through Gill that I first got involved with NLP.

Gill consults at the same outplacement firm that I do, helping hundreds of people every year, who have been made redundant, to maximise their chances of success at interviews by making massively important changes to the way they look, act and speak. Gill also runs her own image consultancy business, called Positive Potential.

Like you, I was curious, to understand why dressing for success is so important, and how you can improve your chances of success in interview just by wearing the right clothes. Gill agreed to take some valuable time out of her schedule, to share some of her pearls of wisdom with Interview Success Zone.

Here’s what Gill had to say:-

Jason Economides: Gill, Firstly thank you so much for taking the time out to share your views and your experience with Interview Success Zone’s readers. Gill, can you explain to us what an image consultant is and why we all need one?”

Gill Hicks: I’d like to start by saying we don’t all need an Image Consultant Jason! We are born with ‘perfect dress sense’ and it is this dress sense that tells us when we have made the right purchases – they are the items we love wearing, they make us feel good and more confident. Some people are really in touch with this dress sense – they love and wear everything they buy and they always look good.

For most, it is the 80 /20 rule, they wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time – it is these people who would really benefit from a consultation. Not only is this type of wardrobe a huge waste of money, but the biggest waste is people going around much of the time feeling very mediocre – what a waste of life! An Image Consultant will demonstrate a wide range of colours, styles, accessories, and textures to harmonise with their client’s colouring, shape, personality and lifestyle so the client can then confidently purchase items that will appeal to their dress sense, will make them feel and project an air of greater confidence.

The image consultant should give advice on dressing appropriately for their client’s working environment and career aspirations. If an interviewee has any doubts, a consultation would be a very sensible investment, reaping huge financial rewards by raising the chances of obtaining a better paid position more quickly.

Jason: You work with a wide variety of professionals, and I’m sure there are certain expectations depending on which industry someone is working in. Perhaps it might be useful for our readers to see some contrasting stories, for instance someone in financial services, and someone in Information Technology. What are some common themes?

Gill: Yes, I have worked with thousands of individuals from a huge range of industries. Well within Financial Services there are obviously a wide range of cultures – from back office to front office, traders to H.R. etc and from private banking, hedge funds, investment banking, retail banking and so on. An appropriate style of dress is slightly different amongst all of these, so what could I helpfully say is a fairly common theme?

I see a number of people dressing at a level they have come from rather than investing in the level they are aspiring to. Think of the Tesco Value range packaging versus their Finest range – we believe the quality of the packaging reflects the quality of the product inside – we respond to people in much the same way, it is quite simple really.

So up the quality and aim to dress to the ‘highest common denominator’ for the position and culture and prepare to try on dozens of suits until you find one that really makes you feel great – or ideally go for made to measure.

I.T. is another story altogether! I think it is fair to say that appearance will be less influential in interviews for technical, non managerial roles than in almost any other sector I can think of. However, a good ‘technician’ is somebody who has a certain amount of creativity, is results focused and detail conscious – so think of trying to reflect these qualities in your appearance with particular attention to a high level of maintenance (i.e. everything clean, polished and contemporary).

The common theme I have noticed amongst the IT profession is poor attention to detail in their appearance.

Jason: (Adjusting my tie and checking my hair) Great thanks Gill, that’s really interesting stuff. What sort of motivating feedback from clients can you share with us, after they have come to see you for a consultation? How does it help inner confidence and results in meetings?

Gill: I have a stackful of letters from clients – I keep them all! I hear that not only have clients received far more rapid promotion than they could have imagined, but the thing I love is hearing how confidence levels have soared – it always gives me a little shiver, and of course it impacts on every part of their lives.

It is difficult to attribute interview success directly with a client’s consultation, but since first impressions happen within a couple of seconds, and having talked to possibly hundreds of interviewers, I can confirm that in many instances a decision as to ‘this one looks very promising’ or ‘this is going to be a waste of time’ is frequently taken instantly the interviewer sees the candidate — before the interview has ‘officially begun’ and that first impression really impacts on what the interviewer then ‘hears’.

Appearance and body language is all they have to go on at that first impression stage, so appearance is crucial.

Jason: Wow, well we had better make sure we get it right then. As I’m sure many people reading this won’t have the opportunity to meet with you in time for their next interview, can you give us two crucial dos and don’ts, that will have an immediate impact?”
Gill: Do have a good clear out of the wardrobe, discarding or putting to one side anything that you wouldn’t want to wear on a ‘good day’. Check you have enough really ‘feel good’ items to be able to ring the changes for up to 3 interviews with the same firm, and diarise what you have worn where as it is easy to forget if you are applying for several roles.

Don’t wait until you are called for interview to race out to the shops and buy something new – it will almost certainly be a mistake if bought in haste. You will get interviews, so do some research shopping first and don’t get tempted by buying too early with an ‘it will do’ attitude wait to you find something that makes you feel great.

Jason: We’ll all take your advice Gill! Finally, if someone wanted to find out more about your services, do you have a website they can visit, or a way they can contact you to ask a question or three?
Gill: Ah, I’ve been caught out! This is just the prompt I needed to get on and update my website – which I have been meaning to do for some time! I’d be delighted to answer any questions and can be emailed on gill.hicks@positive-potential.co.uk and they can go to www.positive-potential.co.uk

Thank you Jason, and good luck to all your readers!

Jason: Thanks Gill, I’m sure they all appreciate the advice! I’m off to clear out my wardrobe! Now where are those leather trousers…….

Well it’s Friday night (at least it was when I wrote this article!), and it’s time to relax for the weekend. No more interviews until next week, so it’s time to invest a little time in your personal development! And if you ARE reading this article on Friday night, then you’re truly dedicated to your future success. So congratulations, give yourself a pat on the back, and grab a notepad…

Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m fascinated by NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). Many people study NLP to use it in a therapeutic environment, but I get really excited when I can apply all the amazing rapport building techniques, and questioning models that can really help both the interviewee and the interviewer in the process.

One absolutely vital element in interviews is body language. We use it all the time, it’s unavoidable. Have you ever noticed a couple in love, in a restaurant, gazing in each others eyes? They lean forward together, they reach for their wine glasses at the same time, they laugh and smile at the same time, they might even eat the same vegetable at the same time! They’re in 100% rapport, and are passionate about each other! Wow, imagine even having even half of that sort of rapport with your potential employer (or customer as I prefer to call them).

The chances of being selected to deliver the service will increase massively.

There are so many NLP techniques in interviews that you can apply, and I’ll share with you some tips here.

Take notice of everything your interviewer does - watch their movements
Every action that someone takes, including you, is an individual piece of vocabulary. Only the language is Body Language. If you could understand the body language of your interviewer, to be able to mind-read them and communicate back to them in the same language, to establish irresistible rapport, would you find that useful? Of course you would!

Every emotion that someone experiences, has body language associated with it. Think about it for a second. Whenever you are under pressure, or conversely, when you are excited, you have a very specific body language pattern associated with it. And it’s very difficult to shake it off. Why? because it all happens subconsciously. This of course is an advantage and disadvantage at the same time, so the primary objective of studying NLP is to increase your awareness. It can be advantageous, when you are looking out for it in someone else, because you will know when that person is happy with what you are pitching, or unhappy, even without them needing to open their mouths. This means you are reading their emotions.

On the flip side, this is happening in reverse all the time, and people are reading your body language too and noticing your emotions too. We can help it, it’s natural.

By asking some questions, and listening to the tone of the answer (i.e. whether it is positive or negative), you can calibrate the person’s body language. This means you are building up a dictionary of the other person’s body language!

Even the non-verbal characteristics of each person will give a lot away about the person’s emotions.

Are you wondering why this really matters, and how to use this priceless knowledge in an interview? Well, if you are able to tell if someone is getting agitated by something you are saying, just by looking at them or noticing a subtle change in their voice tonality, then you can immediately change subject to something that the listener is more interested in.

FURTHER READING
There are even more NLP in interview tips in my free email course (see link below) and my ebook

Have a super weekend!