Powerpoint Presentation for Job Interview?

[Biff Tannen 45,761]

Is this a thing now?  

I am applying to a couple of positions within my company and a few people have told me to create a powerpoint to present during the interview.  

For those on the Surl who interview prospective employees, is this expected?  If so, do you let the interviewee know that it is expected?  If not, would you view it as a positive or negative?

Honestly, I find it to be redundant and even a bit arrogant, at least for an initial interview.  Now, if you're interviewing for a very high up position or something, fine.  But for basic, semi-entry level positions?

[DonkeyCigars 143]

1 minute ago, Biff Tannen said:

Is this a thing now?  

I am applying to a couple of positions within my company and a few people have told me to create a powerpoint to present during the interview.  

For those on the Surl who interview prospective employees, is this expected?  If so, do you let the interviewee know that it is expected?  If not, would you view it as a positive or negative?

Honestly, I find it to be redundant and even a bit arrogant, at least for an initial interview.  Now, if you're interviewing for a very high up position or something, fine.  But for basic, semi-entry level positions?

Of course it's a thing, you serious?

Oh wait, sorry, just saw the basic, semi-entry level position caveat. That is weird then. 

Edited February 4, 2021 by DonkeyCigars

[Biff Tannen 45,761]

3 minutes ago, DonkeyCigars said:

Of course it's a thing, you serious?

Serious as a heart attack pal.  Thanks for the surly response though.

[closetohumping 17,521]

I've had to do it for sales jobs.

[StruggleBus 3,922]

Tell them you don't want some slapdick job that requires you to be proficient in Microsoft applications

[Biff Tannen 45,761]

15 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

I've had to do it for sales jobs.

Were you aware that it was expected prior to the interview or did you just assume?

[BearSchlong 8,134]

it's a trick question.

"No, good try but I'm not about to do death by powerpoint because it insults you and me.  You want me?  Make an offer.  My track record speaks for itself."

I just hope I never have to make that pitch to the pimply-faced assistant manager of a Chick Fil A.

Edited February 4, 2021 by BearSchlong

[closetohumping 17,521]

15 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

Were you aware that it was expected prior to the interview or did you just assume?

Sometimes expected.  They gave me ample warning time though. 

[ZB'Tejas 594]

1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said:

Were you aware that it was expected prior to the interview or did you just assume?

Most of my consulting / sales positions over the last 10 years had the last / one of the last rounds be a presentation to the interviewers. Sometimes a case study they gave me and sometimes a pitch for either their products or something I was already familiar with.

[Biff Tannen 45,761]

13 minutes ago, ZB'Tejas said:

Most of my consulting / sales positions over the last 10 years had the last / one of the last rounds be a presentation to the interviewers. Sometimes a case study they gave me and sometimes a pitch for either their products or something I was already familiar with.

Right.  This makes sense to me.  However, I'm being led to believe that a powerpoint is like an assumed and expected tool for interviews now.  Even introductory interviews.  I'm just a little blown away by this.  This should be expressed somewhere in the application process or with the interview invite.

[Cheeseweasel 26,438]

Make sure you take all of your pictures leaning up against a tree with your arms folded.

[Biff Tannen 45,761]

6 minutes ago, Cheeseweasel said:

Make sure you take all of your pictures leaning up against a tree with your arms folded.

A little disappointed this wasn't the first response.

[SDG 3,319]

Not really interview related, but I’d do strategy and I’ve found it both productive from a promotion/bonus standpoint and super easy to drop a ppt into my annual review.  I always have slides with results from various projects laying around so I’d welcome using them in an interview.   

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,537]

I would walk in with a jenga set to explain why you're the best candidate. And bring in your quant that doesn't speak English and won a national math contest in China.

[Biff Tannen 45,761]

4 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I would walk in with a jenga set to explain why you're the best candidate. And bring in your quant that doesn't speak English and won a national math contest in China.

Would get points for creativity at least.

[Surly Bevo 25,322]

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/8a25c5be-a9da-49aa-afb5-2e04fcf68b10

 

[Bevo&Pevo 5,305]

You would be better off just to use us for references about your personal integrity. 

[Sbbruin 21,908]

[NeverMarryAStripper 22,000]

As long as the power point is full of pictures of tits and snatch I don’t reall see a problem with it

[Pato del Muerto 52,702]

If it’s not a mock sales presentation to evaluate your skills in that area, what would be the point?  Wouldn’t it just look like your CV but each bullet revealed individually?

[Upgrayedd 5,824]

2 hours ago, Cheeseweasel said:

Make sure you take all of your pictures leaning up against a tree with your arms folded.

Scroll, scroll scroll.

Dammit.

[fattyflattie 4,639]

Genuinely curious about this. I’ve only switched jobs to people who’ve I’ve previously worked for. Hell the last 2 didn’t even interview.  

[TwiceHorn 31,667]

35 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

If it’s not a mock sales presentation to evaluate your skills in that area, what would be the point?  Wouldn’t it just look like your CV but each bullet revealed individually?

Like every fucking powerpoint ever.

God I hate that software.

[Biff Tannen 45,761]

1 hour ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

As long as the power point is full of pictures of tits and snatch I don’t reall see a problem with it

See, this is what I was thinking!  Everyone shot it down though. They just don’t get it. 

[Biff Tannen 45,761]

1 hour ago, Pato del Muerto said:

If it’s not a mock sales presentation to evaluate your skills in that area, what would be the point?  Wouldn’t it just look like your CV but each bullet revealed individually?

Yes. It’s insane. That’s what I think. 

[Homercles 10,206]

Just do one

[luke duke 6,420]

[BearSchlong 8,134]

Genuinely curious about this. I’ve only switched jobs to people who’ve I’ve previously worked for. Hell the last 2 didn’t even interview.  

Me too. Credibility was very established. I'd almost be insulted if I was asked to do a ppt. Maybe just have 1 slide with my previous W2s and an animated scroll "im coin operated, I like money, strap a quota to me and let's do this"

You're not paying me to do polished presentations. You're paying me to expand your enterprise market share.

PowerPoint can DIAF.

[Biff Tannen 45,761]

11 minutes ago, BearSchlong said:

Me too. Credibility was very established. I'd almost be insulted if I was asked to do a ppt. Maybe just have 1 slide with my previous W2s and an animated scroll "im coin operated, I like money, strap a quota to me and let's do this"

You're not paying me to do polished presentations. You're paying me to expand your enterprise market share.

PowerPoint can DIAF.

This is what I’m saying!  I’ve been at this company for 6 years and have jumped around to several departments. I know this shit backwards and forwards. Why the fuck do they think an archaic software program that is nothing more than a smoke and mirrors distraction suddenly some measure of skill for a fucking account management job?

[After irth 1,245]

Shit like this is why I don’t work. 

[Celery Man 21,025]

I went through a job search this year. In none of the introductory rounds was there a bit where it even occurred to me that anyone was looking for a powerpoint presentation to be fired up. The last round of the job I took did involve a presentation in front of a whole group (executive leadership, my future boss, the team, and UX) followed by rounds of questions with each of the group. But, they gave me a heads up about that when they invited me for the last round.

I could see certain types of positions where that would be a good idea, or at least an opportunity to stick out a bit. I think if I interviewed someone and they just loaded up slides I would totally hate it unless it was really great, in which case I'd be impressed. That sounds obvious but I guess I mean my reaction would be fairly binary with a moderately high threshold to flip to "I want to hire this person". But most interviews I've done have been with technical candidates where it would be very unexpected.

Internal interviewing, I don't know if I'd have a slide deck ready but I would definitely have a well framed argument prepared with examples and numbers to demonstrate that i am the person they need in the role (or why they should adjust the salary upwards, or anything else where you're negotiating with your current employer). I've not prepared slides for internal interviews before but that does make a lot more sense to me than interviewing as a new hire where you're trying to have a conversation where you get them to like you, convince them that you're interesting, interested, and supremely qualified, and also figure out if you want to be a part of their organization/work on their product/take this job. Internal position, you're past that and so it makes much more sense that you would come prepared with a spiel about how giving you this position and more money is the best idea they could possibly have. You already know each other, you should know about the role, you can talk about your accomplishments without having to create the entire context, you should be able to deliver that case and I can see how someone might use slides to do it.

Just cause I'm thinking about it, this was something I watched during the search that I thought was interesting/worthwhile. The guy is the type of professor I always enjoyed and I've definitely used a few of the things he talks about in presentations (circling the point, minimizing clutter, I should watch again...). Good luck with your interview buddy.

 

[Biff Tannen 45,761]

This all makes sense. I did speak with a department head who said they are using presentations in interviews more and more, but they should be giving you a heads up beforehand. That was my main issue. If it’s an expectation without any prior knowledge, that is bullshit. I haven’t heard back yet, but if I don’t get it and they bring up that a presentation would be a good idea in future interviews, I’ll be sure to tell them it’s also a good idea to let the prospect know that. 

[BrazilHorn 6,648]

Some people (not me) love to see a “30/60/90” day plan. I think they’re stupid as they are incredibly basic typically in terms of what someone can put down. 
 

For the ppt you’re being asked to do:

Have no more than ~15 words/slide

Have data (especially for sales roles) 

    -achieved x% of quota

     -top 5% of reps in group

as examples. You’re the point though not the slide. Don’t read the slide(s) to them. Use them as touchstone for you to reference vs make it some super verbose/dense text wall. 
 

-edit - also at the end of the interview when they ask you if you have any questions have some prepared. Your final question should be some version of "Based on what you've seen and heard today is there any reason you wouldn't consider me a strong candidate for this role"

Once you ask that STFU. I don't care if you sit there for 5 minutes in silence while the interviewer is processing. You can only hurt yourself by yapping first. If they tell you "no, you are a strong candidate" that's your cue to ask for the job and then bid them adieu

If they say "as a matter of fact I have X concern" that's your cue to address that concern directly/overcome their objection and then ask  if you did indeed address said concern (again STFU until they answer). If they say "yes, you have all is good etc" then ask for the job and thank them for their time

Never ceases to amaze me how many mofos don't ask for the job they are interviewing for.

Edited February 8, 2021 by BrazilHorn

[Da Fino 2,787]

Impossible is nothing...

[DonkeyCigars 143]

On 2/7/2021 at 12:00 AM, Celery Man said:

I went through a job search this year. In none of the introductory rounds was there a bit where it even occurred to me that anyone was looking for a powerpoint presentation to be fired up. The last round of the job I took did involve a presentation in front of a whole group (executive leadership, my future boss, the team, and UX) followed by rounds of questions with each of the group. But, they gave me a heads up about that when they invited me for the last round.

I could see certain types of positions where that would be a good idea, or at least an opportunity to stick out a bit. I think if I interviewed someone and they just loaded up slides I would totally hate it unless it was really great, in which case I'd be impressed. That sounds obvious but I guess I mean my reaction would be fairly binary with a moderately high threshold to flip to "I want to hire this person". But most interviews I've done have been with technical candidates where it would be very unexpected.

Internal interviewing, I don't know if I'd have a slide deck ready but I would definitely have a well framed argument prepared with examples and numbers to demonstrate that i am the person they need in the role (or why they should adjust the salary upwards, or anything else where you're negotiating with your current employer). I've not prepared slides for internal interviews before but that does make a lot more sense to me than interviewing as a new hire where you're trying to have a conversation where you get them to like you, convince them that you're interesting, interested, and supremely qualified, and also figure out if you want to be a part of their organization/work on their product/take this job. Internal position, you're past that and so it makes much more sense that you would come prepared with a spiel about how giving you this position and more money is the best idea they could possibly have. You already know each other, you should know about the role, you can talk about your accomplishments without having to create the entire context, you should be able to deliver that case and I can see how someone might use slides to do it.

Just cause I'm thinking about it, this was something I watched during the search that I thought was interesting/worthwhile. The guy is the type of professor I always enjoyed and I've definitely used a few of the things he talks about in presentations (circling the point, minimizing clutter, I should watch again...). Good luck with your interview buddy.

 

Thanks for sharing this; I enjoyed it. Saw this guy passed away in 2019 after a pretty distinguished life.

[Godzillatron 293]

Make sure you take all of your pictures leaning up against a tree with your arms folded.

Came here to make sure this was posted

[davidg 4,040]

21 hours ago, BrazilHorn said:

For the ppt you’re being asked to do:

Have no more than ~15 words/slide

Have data (especially for sales roles) 

    -achieved x% of quota

     -top 5% of reps in group

 

Try to slide in at least one dickbutt, preferably as an animated transition.

[Helobious 9,498]

22 hours ago, BrazilHorn said:

 

-edit - also at the end of the interview when they ask you if you have any questions have some prepared. Your final question should be some version of "Based on what you've seen and heard today is there any reason you wouldn't consider me a strong candidate for this role"

Once you ask that STFU. I don't care if you sit there for 5 minutes in silence while the interviewer is processing. You can only hurt yourself by yapping first. If they tell you "no, you are a strong candidate" that's your cue to ask for the job and then bid them adieu

If they say "as a matter of fact I have X concern" that's your cue to address that concern directly/overcome their objection and then ask  if you did indeed address said concern (again STFU until they answer). If they say "yes, you have all is good etc" then ask for the job and thank them for their time

Never ceases to amaze me how many mofos don't ask for the job they are interviewing for.

Agreed with your post except these parts. I don’t think it’s wise to highlight/call attention to negatives at the end of an interview. The interviewer might’ve loved how you did in the interview, but then you’re actively asking them to go back and think about your interview through a negative lense, potentially causing them to find faults they might’ve otherwise overlooked.

Just in my own opinion outright asking for the job at the end of an interview is silly and awkward. I don’t know what good manager would make a hiring decision on the spot like that, and for the candidate it wouldn’t seem like they’re a thoughtful person if they don’t even want a few hours or a day to process if the job is going to be a good fit. 

[BrazilHorn 6,648]

27 minutes ago, Helobious said:

Agreed with your post except these parts. I don’t think it’s wise to highlight/call attention to negatives at the end of an interview. The interviewer might’ve loved how you did in the interview, but then you’re actively asking them to go back and think about your interview through a negative lense, potentially causing them to find faults they might’ve otherwise overlooked.

Just in my own opinion outright asking for the job at the end of an interview is silly and awkward. I don’t know what good manager would make a hiring decision on the spot like that, and for the candidate it wouldn’t seem like they’re a thoughtful person if they don’t even want a few hours or a day to process if the job is going to be a good fit. 

I think confirming your desire for job at end always helps, it doesn't need to be cheesy, you're not asking person to make decision at end of the interview but rather to appreciate the fact that you are truly interested in the role. Making a statement thanking them for their time and saying that you really want the role to me isn't asking for a decision on the spot, but rather leaving the interviewer with a favorable feeling.

People almost always have something they are mulling over in regards to you, having them address what that concern is gives you a chance to overcome that issue. Interviewers unfortunately will rarely tell you what issue they have, if you can ask for it and try and over come it to the best of your abilities that can help.

I get where you are coming from, I just know from a sales perspective if someone doesn't ask for role or close me I wonder how hard they will close whatever product/service etc I am asking them to sell.

 

 

[Helobious 9,498]

9 minutes ago, BrazilHorn said:

I think confirming your desire for job at end always helps, it doesn't need to be cheesy, you're not asking person to make decision at end of the interview but rather to appreciate the fact that you are truly interested in the role. Making a statement thanking them for their time and saying that you really want the role to me isn't asking for a decision on the spot, but rather leaving the interviewer with a favorable feeling.

People almost always have something they are mulling over in regards to you, having them address what that concern is gives you a chance to overcome that issue. Interviewers unfortunately will rarely tell you what issue they have, if you can ask for it and try and over come it to the best of your abilities that can help.

I get where you are coming from, I just know from a sales perspective if someone doesn't ask for role or close me I wonder how hard they will close whatever product/service etc I am asking them to sell.

 

 

See that may be it, I don’t really work in sales. I was blessed with a soul.

[TwiceHorn 31,667]

On 2/4/2021 at 7:18 PM, TwiceHorn said:

Like every fucking powerpoint ever.

God I hate that software.

I should temper my venom here a bit.

As a lawdog, I have to sit through a lot of CLE lectures.  There's almost always both a ppt and an actual paper.  The ppt is usually not a whole lot more than the headings of the paper, graphic'ed up.

This may be peculiar to me, but in the old days, you just got a notebook or a bound volume with the paper and you'd follow along the lecture, if you were into it, and maybe highlight and annotate the paper.  I'd generally rather read information than be video spoon-fed it.

I find a lot of powerpoints to be this way.  Redundant and duplicative of other material.

Other times, they can be used to great effect.  Seems to be the exception rather than the rule, though.

There's one guy, a lawyer at Baker Botts that I actually went to high school with, that always adds some humor to the whole thing, usually poking fun at the litigants, their positions or technology, and his power points reflect that and it actually adds something.

[BearSchlong 8,134]

See that may be it, I don’t really work in sales. I was blessed with a soul.

What do you mean by that comment?

Amazon has the best PowerPoint policy. Don't use it. A well written one page brief should be sufficient for any meeting.

[Helobious 9,498]

27 minutes ago, BearSchlong said:

What do you mean by that comment?

Amazon has the best PowerPoint policy. Don't use it. A well written one page brief should be sufficient for any meeting.
 

Oh it was this thing called a joke.

[BearSchlong 8,134]

Oh it was this thing called a joke.

/laysdownsword

[HornOnTheBayou 8,966]

A related interview question: what do you wear for a Zoom interview? I've got one tomorrow and I'm thinking a suit and tie is too much for a Zoom meeting. Would just a tie work better?

[VolenteHawk 495]

48 minutes ago, HornOnTheBayou said:

A related interview question: what do you wear for a Zoom interview? I've got one tomorrow and I'm thinking a suit and tie is too much for a Zoom meeting. Would just a tie work better?

I interviewed mid Covid over Zoom. Dress shirt, athletic shorts, and barefoot.

Got the job.

[VolenteHawk 495]

On 2/8/2021 at 2:08 PM, Helobious said:

Agreed with your post except these parts. I don’t think it’s wise to highlight/call attention to negatives at the end of an interview. The interviewer might’ve loved how you did in the interview, but then you’re actively asking them to go back and think about your interview through a negative lense, potentially causing them to find faults they might’ve otherwise overlooked.

I can see it both ways, but here’s my personal version. EE degrees, highly technical and fairly specialized, good at mentoring and people management, can explain hard technical concepts clearly. These are my strengths. I fucking hate project management and, because I won’t lift a finger doing it, have been (and will continue to be) terrible at it if you put me in that role. This is my biggest weakness.

”But Volente, you’re not interviewing for a PM role?” Welllllll, kinda. In 2021 we’re in a place where lots of electronics companies need engineers to review designs from low cost geographies, manage BOMs, and generally handle logistics of procurement and schedule, while doing very little design work. These come with engineering titles and good salaries, but it’s day to day PM work. I do not want such a job short of personal emergency. So, if I’m interviewing, I want to ensure that if there is a PM job hidden under the flowery prose of solving technical problems or managing people, that they clearly know I’ll suck at it because I’ll hate it. It is generally hard to get good engineers to take PM centric roles, so these are often intentionally disguised.

 

[Biff Tannen 45,761]

Just got scheduled for another interview for next week.  This is in an adjacent department and I have known 3 of the 4 hiring managers for years.  I reached out to one of them and he said a powerpoint was recommended.  Had I not had this connection, I would not have known.  This has me fucking livid.

This is not a gotcha game to see which candidates will have a presentation prepared of their own volition.  These are not high level positions, and even if they were, I would still think it is in the company's best interest to have all candidates on a level playing field.  /rant over

[Celery Man 21,025]

you should start some watercooler talk about how they're expecting presentations in tiktok

[Doc Holliday 199]

I know Microsoft requires this for many interviews and figure they absolutely want to make sure your proficient in their app suite. 

In consulting, I've had to do this many times.  I still have to create ppts for many other purposes and I think you should wow your interviewers with all the badass transitions. 

Boom stage right enter!  See ya, we're going down! Oh crap, no! it's being pushed down! here it comes from the top! New slide!

Also, always close with your youtube channel links.