Category Archives: Interviews

Careers Advice, guest blogger, Interviews, Networking, Project Management

Five Ways to Improve Your Presentation Skills

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Over the course of your studies there tend to be countless public speaking opportunities, whether it be in assemblies, presentations, acting or accepting awards. Mastering being heard, listened to and informative is a skill which will not only get you through school, college and university with good grades, but also through your career and social life, too.

Being a great public speaker is a gift very few people have innately. The poise, the charisma and the connection with the audience are things that can be learnt and honed. Whether presenting a finding from your BTEC or A Level to your teachers, in a job interview, speaking at a friend’s wedding or reporting to your boss, here are five ways to improve your presentation skills that will see you through your life…

Connect

Whether your audience is 2 people or 2 hundred, connecting with them is vitally important. It’s essential to connect through body language and eye contact and using open, friendly gestures with your arms and hands. Likewise, moving (if you’re not sitting) confidently and freely, keeps the audience’s attention on you. Also, the use of eye contact, and frequent questions (and listening to the answers, of course) maintains engagement. Feed off your audience – involve them if you can.

Notes

It’s never a bad idea to have notes to give you guidance, but by the same token it’s important not to try to not read from them. While preparation is key, too many notes can be a hindrance, particularly when used as a crutch. This goes for interviews, award ceremonies and exam presentations.

Practice

As your own worst critic, practising in front of a mirror can help enormously to hone your presentation skills. Practice does make perfect – and timing yourself and owning the information you are going to portray is crucial. Practising in different environments is also important – that way you are more likely to be prepared for any eventuality. You are there to deliver something: make sure you really get through to your audience, think about how you are going to do that and practise that method.

The Message

Message is everything. Ensure what you are saying is actually relevant, interesting and concise. If humour is appropriate, add it. What do you want people to take away from your presentation? Identify it and ensure it comes across clearly in your speech. If you are presenting at the end of your course or part of an interview, ensure your conclusion or your findings form the focus of the presentation.

Be Memorable

Using aids or props such as PowerPoint, PDF presentations or music adds interest and can make the presentation more memorable to your audience. If you want audience participation and are worried about them not coming forward, have sweets or things to throw to get them to lighten up, relax and realise it’s a bit of fun for them.

Sarah Spencer is a teacher and guest blogger who is passionate about education.

Careers Advice, Interviews, Job Applications, PMO, Project Management

Interview questions you should be asking for a Project Management job

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OK so we’ve worked hard to secure a job interview – most of us actually feel that we can clinch the job if we can just meet with the hiring manager and talk through how good we are. Up until this point the emphasis has been on you, your CV, your application, your flexibility to meet on a set day…. Now you get to meet the hiring manager and it’s all about you performing… Yes and no, yes – you do need to articulate yourself and respond to questions confidently whilst allowing your lovely personality to shine through. But this is also where the tables turn, it is the time when you meet your potential boss in your potential office building and make a decision as to whether you can work with these people or whether it is just not for you. Often we forget that the interview is a two way process, placing all emphasis on ourselves alongside a great deal of pressure. Take a deep breath – it’s a meeting, you are testing them as much as they are testing you.

Be prepared – practice scenarios to talk through which are relevant to the role and do your research on the business. 9 times out of 10 you will be asked if you know who they are and what they do. Now here’s the bit that people forget – your questions to the employer.

You will almost certainly be offered the opportunity to ask questions as the interview draws to a close, here are some things to consider:

  • Are there any issues the team are currently facing which you would like me to address?
  • How well is change received in the organisation and what is your policy on implementing it?
  • In the bigger picture, how does this role fit organisationally within the business structure?
  • What in your opinion are the most enjoyable aspects of the role?

 

And finally…

 

  • Is there anything else you would like to ask me – anything I haven’t covered or have been unclear on?

Avoid questions such around areas such as money, holidays and sick leave – this will be clarified should you be offered the role and you should have a fair idea having researched before the interview. Do not be afraid to take a neatly written (ideally typed) list of questions to the interview in a folder and ask permission to refer to them when prompted to ask questions. By not asking questions, you are not demonstrating a keen interest in the role. Keep the balance right, do not bombard the interviewer with lots of questions keep them to a concise list which is structured to ensure you are told everything you need to know about the role.

Another tip: when you are researching, find something out about the business which is in the public domain such as new product / initiative / partnering etc and mention this in one of your questions. For example; “I was interested to read that you are currently integrating a new web system within the organisation – will it have any direct effect on this department?” A sneaky way to demonstrate that you have indeed been doing your homework and are very interested in the business. I once had a client call me after interviewing one of my candidates laughing because my candidate knew more about a new initiative within the business than he did. He promised to find out the response to her question for next time they met. She got the job!