How to Make an Impact with Your Interview Presentation Slides

Have an interview powerpoint presentation coming up? Make sure you set yourself up for success with a strategically designed set of slides.

We’ve all seen cringe-worthy slide presentation decks that end up detracting from rather than enhancing the speaker’s message.

When you’re delivering a presentation as part of the interview process, it’s especially critical your slides convey that you’re professional and that they effectively engage your audience.

Interview Powerpoint Presentation Tips for success:

Follow these easy tips from our team of executive recruiters to ensure your interview powerpoint presentation has maximum impact.

Avoid Standard Templates

Most Powerpoint templates have been seen by your audience countless times and they’re unlikely to “wow” anyone. A solid white background with a standard font is an easy approach that keeps your slides clean and simple. Keep in mind the aesthetic of the organization you’re interviewing with and choose similar or complementary colors and design elements to the extent possible.

Limit Text & Bullets

A surefire way to bore your audience and ensure they’re not paying attention to your message is to read verbatim from each slide. Your slides should contain your high-level points in minimal, yet intriguing language to engage your audience. (If needed, create a separate handout for your audience with more detail than you have on your slides.)

Skip the Clip Art

Nothing makes your presentation look more dated than using clip art. If you’re using graphics, use high-quality photos or diagrams that support what you’re saying. Ensure that you start with a large image—attempting to make a small photo larger will lead to a pixelated, distracting image. You may want to consider spending a few dollars on images to ensure your presentation looks sharp and polished; large image sites like shutterstock.com occasionally offer free images.

Avoid Animation

Typical animations such as page turning, serve no real purpose and also make your presentation look dated.

Choose Fonts Wisely

Select fonts that look clean and professional and avoid using fancy or scripted fonts. If you’re going to be presenting from a PowerPoint (instead of a PDF), keep in mind that the computer you’re presenting from needs to have your fonts installed or other fonts may be swapped in which can cause layout issues. Good standard fonts to use include Georgia, Garamond, Palatino Linotype, Century Gothic and Arial. Use no more than two fonts (one for headings and another for body content).

Make sure your presentation can be read from afar

If you’re presenting in person, your presentation shouldn’t be an eye test for your audience, so make sure your font is at least 24 point for body text, and 36 point for titles.

Proofread your slides

It should go without saying, but carefully review your slides to make sure your slides are typo-free.  Also, ensure spacing, bullets, fonts, capitalization, and periods are used consistently throughout your entire presentation.

Using these best practices ensures your interview presentation slides effectively complement your message and helps make your presentation a success.

Make sure to also read our post “How to Deliver a Winning Interview Presentation” for tips on interview presentation content and delivery.

Our executive career coaches can help you prepare for your interview presentation. Click here to learn more.

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