Being asked to prepare aformal business plan or presentation at interview can be daunting for even experienced professionals. The trick to overcoming this stage is to gain confidence from detailed preparation.
Please see below our key tips for a winning presentation.
- Ensure each page is created with the same background, and include the logo of the interviewing company on each page
- Start with an Overview of what will be covered, and finish with a Summary - highlighting conclusions from the plan
- Include a slide highlighting your understanding of the interviewing company, including their strengths, competition and ambitions
- After any business plan, include a page about yourself, including your experience, your skills and your successes
- Keep it as brief, and where possible use Bullet Points and Imagery. You want to be able to expand on each point in detail
- Always include time frames and financials in your business plan. Explain what you will do in your first 3, 6, 12 months etc.
- Always ensure the content of your business plan closely matches what was being asked of you. Keep it simple and dont go off on a tangent.
- Make notes alongside each page of your plan. This will be the expanded content that you will deliver verbally.
- Time yourself with a stopwatch, and ensure the presentation (including the verbal content) matches the requirement
- Practice 5-6 run-throughs, so that you feel 100% comfortable delivering the presentation
- Always confirm whether you need to take your laptop, or a memory stick well before the presentation is due.