Eric Kramer of InterviewBest.com writes most candidates and hiring managers think that an interview is a hum-drum question and answer session mostly repetitious and easily forgotten. You are competing against an average of eight other candidates; don’t you think you should be memorable?

In an interview, you want to powerfully communicate your match with the critical job requirements, your fit with the company culture, and how you will bring value to the organization. Most candidates hope they will be able to communicate this information by simply responding to questions from the interviewer. If the interviewer is skilled, they will typically get most or all of this information from you. An unskilled interviewer will miss most of this information shortchanging you and leaving you wishing you had been more assertive. Take your fate in your own hands and make sure you cover all the important information by using an interview presentation to guide the interview and make sure you are memorable.

Using a presentation strategy, you can either put together a well-crafted presentation to bring to the interview and go through from start to finish or find opportunities within the interview where you can give brief "mini-presentations". Regardless, you need to develop a presentation as part of your interview preparation and then decide how you want to use it.

An effective interview presentation consists of a structure that communicates the reasons why you are the best choice for the job, covers all relevant issues, transitions smoothly from topic to topic, and finishes strong. In addition, it should be well organized, short, focused and relevant. A powerful interview presentation includes the following:

A goal This is the one thing you want the interviewer to remember when you leave the interview. Typically, this is the same for any interview – based on my background, experience, skills, education and personality traits I am the best candidate for this position. An interview presentation can be introduced into the interview with this exact goal. For example, "I have a presentation which communicates how my background, skills and experience match the critical requirements for this position and makes me an excellent candidate can I share it with you".

Critical Information The most critical information in an interview is how well you can perform the job. Performing well consists of doing the job tasks with high quality and getting along with others. The first piece of important information is the critical job requirements an employee must do well to excel at the job. Thus, this becomes the first part of your presentation; "These are what I consider to be the critical job requirements for this position. I would like to discuss them with you to make sure we are in agreement about the requirements." This aligns yours and hiring manager’s expectations and once there is agreement about the requirements, the rest of the presentation focuses on your match with the requirements.

Benefits Every person listening to a presentation is thinking, "How does this affect me or benefit me?" If there is no effect or benefit, the person quickly loses interest. Each item presented in an interview presentation should be linked to a benefit for the hiring manager. For example, "You are looking for a person with experience in new consumer product introduction. In my last position, I introduced three mass consumer hardware products that accounted for $4.5MM in sales. As part of the introduction, I was responsible for consumer research, product development, marketing strategy and sales. As you introduce new products, I will be able to provide expert leadership in each of these areas which means that you will require fewer managers, save personnel costs and bring products to market faster". Use your presentation to communicate your benefits clearly, visually, and memorably.

Using a written, printed, and bound presentation (which makes an excellent leave behind) is the most powerful way to present in an interview. Candidates who have used interview presentations report amazing results and hiring managers are bowled over by their level of preparation, professionalism and organization. Imagine being in the interviewer’s seat and having a candidate bring a presentation to the interview. Wouldn’t you be surprised and impressed?

By becoming a "presenter" in your interview you become an active participant guiding the interview as opposed to a passive participant hoping for the right questions. The interviewer cannot help but be impressed by your level of preparation, professionalism, and ability to organize and communicate critical information. When the interview team gets together at the end of a long day of interviewing to discuss the candidates, your presentation will insure you will be a memorable standout.

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