So many persons put meaningless claims like “good communication skills” or “good presentation skills” on their resume. It is one thing to tell persons that you have these qualities, it is quite another to show it by proving them you have them. Give instances of your capability to interact verbally in small and huge groups, and you’ll prove that you are prepared for the job.
Behavioral Interview Query: Explain the most significant presentation you have had to make in your career so far? How did you go about preparing for that specific presentation?
This query is really a good one for the applicant, because it is essentially inquiring for an achievement that indicates off your communication qualities. But be cautioned: it also tells the employer straightly what kinds of presentations you have been engaged in and if your “most significant presentation” is hardly much of a presentation at all, you may have to locate other ways to prove you are ready to present.
Sample Answer
“I consider the most significant presentation I can recall was one time in the initial stages of my marketing career, when I required giving a speech on marketing planning to about 150 real estate agents at a city convention. I do not mind speaking in public, but I had never made a presentation to a group that huge before, on such significant topic.
To prepare, I 1st made an outline. I also took print out of over 200 copies of the outline so that I could give out for those in attendance to follow along. I then also recorded myself presenting, and went back and monitored it a few times to observe if there was any data missing and to evaluate my body language. I made some adjustments to my earlier presentation and repeated the exercise again to analyze if it was an improvement. Since I had little presentation experience in the past, I was also capable to draw on that and remember what worked in the past and what did not.
The entire presentation went very well, and we secured various customers as a result.”
Any time you speak in front of a massive audience for work, you are instantly indicating that you have experience presenting. Just remember, it does not have to be a huge audience, it can also be something like a serious conversation with leaders about a significant topic. As long as the response is genuinely significant, you will be capable to impress the employers.