The Presentation Exercise

To truly understand what it takes to be successful at the presentation exercise at an assessment centre, you need to understand WHY it is included in the day. This should then enable you to understand what to focus on when trying to give the best presentation you can.

Firstly, the basics.  There are a number of ways that a presentation exercise can be included in an assessment centre. It can be an individual presentation that you prepare in advance, an individual presentation that you prepare on the day, or a presentation that you prepare and deliver as a group, or a presentation that you prepare as a group and deliver individually using the same material. But no matter what option you face, most of the fundamentals remain the same.

Most people acknowledge that presentation skills can be 'taught'. Most of you will go through some sort of Presentation Skills training on your graduate programme, or shortly thereafter. So why assess you on something they are going to teach you later on?!

Why? Reason Number 1: Put you under pressure
At least 75% of the population hate giving presentations. The remaining 25% probably used to hate it once, but are so used to doing it now that they actually enjoy it.  Thus, including a presentation as part of the day is an almost guaranteed way to make you feel extra nervous, put you under time pressure and see whether you crack.

To pass this part of the test: Hold your nerve.  Much easier said than done, but take a couple of deep breaths before you go in to the room; tell yourself "I CAN do this", think positive. Final tip - smile pleasantly at your audience before you start. This says "I'm ready, I'm confident, I can put on a brave face when I'm under pressure - I can hold it together".

Why? Reason Number 2: Can you analyse information?
Most of the time you will be provided with far more information than you need for the presentation exercise. Or you will be preparing on a topic where you are being asked to come up with the information - which can often have the same result.  So what you are being tested on is the ability to pull out the key points of information for delivery.

To pass this part of the test: Most presentations should take broadly the same outline.  Objectives/Agenda/Intro (depending on the topic); 2-3 slides with the key messages; and a summary/conclusion/next steps slide. Make sure you include the key messages; sometimes in the rush to get everything out, grads can forget a major point and that alone can be enough to fail the exercise. Don't try to get too much on your slides. If you need to, make detailed notes on separate paper to take in with you, but don't try to include everything on the slides.

Why? Reason Number 3: Can you empathise your audience?
This part of the presentation is key and in my experience, overlooked by at least 60% of graduates in the rush to get their presentation ready and delivered.  Many companies have the audience - which could be one or more people - play a role. Somewhere in your brief it will say "You are presenting to the M.D./the Sales team/the Project Manager...etc etc". You must pitch your presentation to that audience and not just generically present back the information that you've been given.

To pass this test: Before you even begin to think about slides/flipcharts, take a moment to think about what is important to that person or team. Can you empathise with them?  Your presentation could potentially take a number of forms e.g. if it's a P.M., you'll want to focus on the plan, the risks/issues, the budget, reporting, etc. If it's a M.D. sponsoring the project, you'll talk more about the deliverables, the implementation and the changes that will result to the business.  

The main point I want you to note with the above 3 reasons is they are nothing to do with presenting in itself.

Some other points to keep in mind when presenting:
- First impressions count as always - make a strong start
- Introduce yourself and welcome when you begin
- Don't read from the slides, 'talk to' the information on them, but phrase it differently.
- Take care of your body-language - don't sway from side to side or move your weight from one foot to the other
- Decide if you want to take questions throughout or at the end, and say that up front to your audience (keeping in mind who the 'are' and what is appropriate for them)
- Close with a strong summary and thank you

When considering your presentation exercise, think about the whole exercise - the preparation, the presenting of yourself, the smile, the opening, the closing, the slides. Don't get too pre-occupied with the 5-10mins where you are actually talking. If you get all the other stuff right, you will feel more confident and this will result in better presentation content and delivery.

All you need to do is convince them that you have the potential to be a good presenter - make them want to invest in you.  So do the best you can but don't despair if it doesn't go well - it is relatively unusual for a whole decision on a graduate to be dependent on their presentation skills. Don't fall into the trap of letting a "bad" presentation exercise affect you for the rest of the day... move onto the next exercise without giving it a second thought.

Conducting Useful Research for Interviews

Thanks for voting in the poll everyone... this was the winning article, so here it goes. I will try to get around to writing the other ones too in the weeks ahead as they all got quite a few votes.

Just to clarify before we kick off that this article is about research... but you also need to do preparation (competency answers, explaining everything on your CV, why you want the job, etc). Both are essential to be truly ready for an interview. I'll cover preparation in a future blog if it's of interest to you.

I'm going to have to start with the painful truth about conducting useful research for interviews... it's all about being organised and not just aimlessly surfing on the web (hands up who already knew this?...). We all do it (believe me, I procrastinate endlessly on Facebook/TSR/Twitter/Blogger/etc before I force myself to sit down and actually write these entries). You need to be really disciplined to really make the most of your valuable time. There is so much on the web these days that it is easy to waste a lot of time doing research for your interview without ever actually feeling like you are fully equipped. There is always the worry that something else obvious out there that you've missed that they will bring up at the interview.

The research approach you take will be slightly different depending on the industry and the company that you are applying to, but broadly speaking for "Top 100" type companies, there are 4 categories to consider:

1-the programme/role
2-the company
3-the industry
4-the current landscape/news

Let's take them one at a time:

The Programme/Role
You need to understand everything that is already on the website about the programme or role that you are applying to. This shows your high level of interest, but more important allows you to speak intelligently with your interviewers about the programme and make the right statements about why it is right for you. As an interviewer, if someone asks you a question to which the answer is readily available on the site, it is very off-putting. So, devour the grad website - everything on it.

The Company
You need to understand the company structure - the different departments/divisions/areas (everyone calls them something different). Understand their global structure - where was the company founded (geographically) and what is their presence now. Understand their make-up - there have been a lot of major mergers and divestments in the last couple of years - make sure you are aware of any that have happened affecting the company.

Make sure you understand how they are performing and where the profit is being generated in the company. Have a look at the communications / investor relations / news sections of the site - be aware of what the company is saying to the market about themselves and their work. If applicable, take a look at the high Exec Summary of the annual report. This will usually outline where the company is at (although beware how long it has been since the report was released.... if it was 11months ago, the picture could be significantly different now).

The Industry
Some of this information is quite 'fixed', so some people find it easier to read the information from a book, rather than the web (e.g. "All you need to know about the City" book). Research who their competitors are (and how they are performing relative to them.)

The Landscape
This is about demonstrating your knowledge of current affairs in the industry and that affect the industry. You also need to understand the current landscape of the industry - what is the current market for their products / offering? There is lots of readily-available information on this - blogs, Google News, the FT - but this is also one of the areas where it is easy to spend a lot of time surfing aimlessly. Try to undertake this type of research in careful 30min blocks. Pick a topic, and then research that and only that for that period. If something else springs to mind that you need to look into during that research, make a note on a piece of paper to add it to your plan, but don't go off on a tangent researching the new topic there and then (even if you think it might be more important.

Overall on this last one, it is not really something that you can research in a week before your interview - it is one that you need to be building your knowledge on over a period of weeks and months. Find the blogs / subscriptions that work for you and sign-up as soon as you can. RSS Feeds can also be useful from certain sites. It might even be worth setting up a separate email address rather than cluttering up your own personal address. Check out CNBC, MoneyWeek, Yahoo! Finance, hereisthecity, etc.

Keep all your notes well organised, and bookmark sites that you visit that are useful, storing them all in a folder.

I've put together a checklist for you if you are interviewing for an Investment Bank and are planning your research approach - it can be downloaded here. I'll try to put one together for Consulting too in the next few weeks - I've run out of time tonight - but it should not be that different to the IB one, just tailored slightly more towards that industry. 


Above all, be organised and be disciplined with your time. Ultimately it's unlikely that you'll go into an interview feeling 100% confident that you have everything covered, but if you've covered a reasonable spread of research across the above topics, you should be able to talk to a good amount of what might come up.

My Top 5 Interview Tips

Use "I" NOT "We"

All over the IB and Consultancy websites, you will see talk of the requirement to be a team player and be able to function well with working in groups. And that is 100% true.

BUT, and its a big BUT, during the application and interview process, you MUST get into the habit of using 'I' when speaking about your achievements. A lot of grads use "We did this... and we did that...." and the problem is that at the end of the answer, the interviewer is not clear on what you achieved versus what the team achieved - and that can result in them marking you as having 'failed' the question. So structure you answer by saying up front what the team structure was, what your role was (briefly) and from then on, use 'I' so that they are totally clear that the achievements were yours and no one elses.

Don't express doubt or uncertainty about your direction

We all know that a LOT of people are not sure about what job they want to do, what career they want, etc... However, when you are interviewing for a job, you have to play the game. Say that THAT is the job you want and have clear reasons why. No interviewer wants to hear "To be honest, I'm not sure, but I think this is the right move for me.".... or "I think I'll do this for 3-5years and the re-evaluate". Let's be very clear here, I know that loads of you will have these thoughts, but do NOT express them at interview. Every interviewer wants to believe that you want the job that they can offer you above all others. And you need to make them think that too.

Get your best stories out early

First impressions count. Even though your interview is supposed to be evenly weighted throughout, you want to get them on your side early. For that reason, be sure that you can spin your best experiences to answer a variety of competency-based questions - e.g. problem solving, team work, flexibility. If you can put your most impressive experiences out there early, they will be on your side from the outset.

Yes, you will be asked technical questions

At some point during the interview process you are likely to get a technical question of some sort. A technical question is one which tests your educational or technical skill that you have listed on your CV. So it might be something from one of your recent modules, something on a computer skill you have listed, etc. But it is highly possible that you will get challenged on something at some point in the process to make sure what you have on your CV is all legit.  Don't get all flustered about this, it's just one aspect and as long as you give it your best shot (the approach is often more important than the answer), you'll be fine..... a lot of grads seem to live in fear of "the technical question" and spend far too long studying for that part at the expense of other parts of the interview.

Questions

This old one is still true. Have a few good questions to ask at the end to make sure you leave them with a good impression. Have a few options incase some of the questions are already answered during the course of the interview.

Feedback most welcome! What do you want to hear? Email me at gradjobsuk@yahoo.co.uk. Thank you!

Group Exercises: "just be yourself" - the right advice?

One of the most intimidating parts of an assessment centre for a lot of graduates is the group exercise. The interview and inbox exercises are within your own sphere of influence so there is less of the unknown about them. But the group exercise, with up to 8 other unpredictable individuals that you don’t know, can be very difficult.  It is also the one that is often a 'deal-breaker' for recruiters and hiring managers. Ultimately on a day-to-day basis, you will be working in a team in the job and so your ability to work constructively with others will be fundamental to your success as an employee.

There are many good websites who document very well the different types of group exercise that you might face and what to expect for each, so I don’t want to cover that again here. (At the bottom of the article, I have provided links to some sites that do this).  What I want to go over is how to act during the exercise to really show yourself in the best light. Everyone always gives the advice of 'just be yourself', but in a pressurised environment with everything riding on it (if its your dream job…) then that is more easily said that done.

If at all possible, try to participate in a group exercise before you attend one that is for a job that you really want. If you're invited to an assessment centre that probably isn't for your ideal job, definitely go along. The experience will be invaluable. It is extra challenging if the first g.e. that you participate in is the one for the job you really want.

Typical group exercise competencies. 

Group exercise can be used to measure a number of competencies, but the core ones will almost always be teamwork, communication and problem solving/analytical ability. Let's look at some practical examples of how you can demonstrate these:

Demonstrating teamwork: 

- Make sure everyone is comfortable. Be the one who breaks the ice. You can start this long before the exercise itself - e.g. waiting in the lobby downstairs. A group that are comfortable / have gotten to know each other a little will often do better as getting to know the personalities gives you an idea of how to work with people.

- Make sure everyone is equipped. If there are post-its, paper, highlighters, pens, etc, in the room then they are there for a reason. If no one has touched them, then bring them to the centre of the circle and distribute

- Remember peoples names and address them by name through-out the exercise - this is pretty simple and really puts you in a good light in the eyes of the assessors. I highly recommend it.

- Bring in the quieter members who are not participating. I've met some grads who think "well I definitely did better than him" because they spoke a lot more than someone else. But what would have made them look good would be getting that person to talk more, not talking more than them….

- If you're strong enough, trying to timebox the talking of the really loud members of the group, especially if they are causing the group to get off-point or are clearly intimidating other

- realise your own strengths and weaknesses and don't take on a task that you are unlikely to deliver on

Show yourself to be a good communicator: 

- REALLY listen when others are talking. Don’t be writing, don’t be thinking of what you are going to say next, just listen. It is very clear to the assessors when someone isn't listening. It takes real concentration on your part because there are so many things going on, but it makes a big difference to the impression of you that the assessor take away.

- When you contribute, add real content / new material. Don’t repeat what others have said, don’t always just develop the ideas of others. Add some new material.

- Try to express your ideas concisely. 

- Be open to others disagreeing and accept that occasionally you might say something incorrect. We all do. It is a sign of a good communicator who can accept and move on from this.

Be a good problem solver:
- If there is numerical analysis involved, there is an opportunity to undertake calculations to come up with the data the group need.

- If there is a lot of 'material' to analyse, coming up with an approach or methodology rather than just jumping into the task

- Agreeing a template / data capture methodology before jumping into a task
- Asking the right questions of the group throughout the exercise in order to facilitate getting to the right answer

Want to take a risk?

There is a tendency amongst graduates to want to take on one of the 'roles' that often are necessary in the team exercise - the scribe, the timekeeper, or of course, the leader/project manager. There is of course an element of being able to demonstrate your capabilities if you have one of these roles. However, sometimes forgotten is that they are also all fraught with danger. If you do take on one of these roles, take care not to fall into the following traps:

Timekeeper:

- Reminding people of the time at inopportune moments. You need to judge carefully the moments that you interrupt to do this. Lots of times in wash-up sessions with hiring managers after the exercises, I have heard comments like "they were almost there, almost at the answer, and Joe Bloggs kept saying 'we need to move on'… how frustrating for them!"

- Doing it wrong - it happens all the time. "We have 10 minutes left" when infact you only have 5 can really cause the group to miss their deadline and fail a task. If you're going to do it, make sure you have a good watch/phone and do it right.

- Getting hung up on it. You still need to contribute a lot to the discussion/activity above being timekeeper. I guarantee that this alone will not get you through the exercise with flying colours.

Scribe:
- If the scribing is on a flipchart/whiteboard and you have to stand up, you are immediately out of the 'circle' of people. It is extra-difficult to be included and heard if you are physically away from the group.

- Writing notes / slides / flipcharts is a very personal thing - everyone will have a slightly different style / way they would do it. Inevitably there will be someone who says "no, do it this way, or that way" and try to take over. Do not let them do this! Stand your ground. If you are the scribe, be the scribe. Don’t be a pushover.

- Not leaving enough time to create a tidy presentation / taking too much time to create a presentation - both dangerous territory.

- Writing notes quickly on what everyone is saying will keep you extremely busy. But again, this alone will definitely not get you through the exercise. You also need to be participating. You need to be a very strong multi-tasker to scribe and participate to your full ability in the exercise.

Project manager / leader:
The dangers of being the project manager are well-documented (just watch a couple of episodes of The Apprentice! - why do you think they always include the project manager in the boardroom? Even if failure is not your fault, the blame will often lie with you regardless). Key things to watch for are:

- Forcing your own ideas on the rest of the group 

- Listening to other people's ideas, but then when it comes to implementation / presentation, just using your own anyway

- Major danger: appearing culturally unaware and not including people from ethnic minorities to the same levels as those from the same ethnicity/background as yourself. Likewise for gender equality.

- Putting in place a project plan that because of the time it allows for each task causes the team to fail despite the fact that they had the right ideas and the right skills.

If you keep in mind all of the above (ok, so that's a lot to keep in mind, but hopefully I've given you some ideas of how to act in the exercise…), then you should shine in the group exercise. Be careful in particular of any exercises that involve talking about diverse groups of people - e.g. the common one of 'only 3 places in the lifeboat, who shall we save'. If you hear yourself using language like "too old" "too young" etc, then you are on dangerous ground… be careful!

Any particular questions on the intricacies of the group exercise, just let me know….


http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/1384/Assessment%20Centres.html#group
http://www.wikijob.co.uk/wiki/group-exercise

Don't forget... you're assessing us too

Many graduates find themselves nervous and in awe when attend an interview or assessment in a fast-paced office where dozens of people are employed. It is sometimes only when a job offer arrives and a decision has to be made that you may realise that the finer points of the experience have eluded you.

It is easy to slip into the mentality that an interview is a one-way assessment. The experience is harrowing enough without having to focus on what's going on in your surrounds. You should remember however, that this is one of the only opportunities you will have to decide whether this is a place of work that fits with your ideal, or even acceptable, working environment - and you should ensure you do not waste this opportunity by being aware of what you should be looking for. You are in a position where you can judge the company as much as they are judging you.

Most companies hold their interviews or assessment days on location - for example, IBM and Accenture both hold the majority of their graduate assessment centres at their base offices in London. If the opportunity to visit a company office arises, be prepared to observe as much as possible in order to decipher the kind of company they are - and occasionally this can be different to that is portrayed at interview or in company presentations. A visit to the location is often the only chance available to see the day-to-day inner workings of the company.

The Staff

Inevitably if the interview is held on company site, the staff who normally work there will be going about their work. Their demeanour is one of the most important clues as to the company culture. It is largely impossible for you to take everything in on the day of the interview, as focusing on the job at hand is of paramount importance, however trying to keep the following in mind will help to assess the culture:

-       Do the staff appear to be enjoying their work?

-       Is there a social atmosphere - are people chatting, or are any discussions very formal?

-       Do they smile at you and appear welcoming or do they avoid eye contact?

-       What is the dress code? Is it very formal, business casual or very casual - are people wearing jeans and t-shirts or wearing suits (be aware that sometimes companies have dress-down Fridays or 'Denim day' charity events)?

-       Look at the age ranges of the employees - are there many who look like they might be recent graduates? A large graduate intake may mean the company has a structured programme which will ensure that as a graduate you get the appropriate career guidance, training and support through your early years working in the industry.

-       Does there appear to be a hierarchy or is it difficult to tell the junior and senior staff apart?

-       If you have 'down time' between interviews, are any staff sent along to meet you for informal conversations?

The Logistics

Whilst the location, layout or office décor may not seem of great importance on the day of an interview, they can again reveal ways of working or indications about company culture to you. It is not always possible to observe everything, but looking at signs, layout maps and what staff are carrying can give some ideas about what facilities are in the building. 

-       How does the reception area look - is it imposing / welcoming / very modern and flashy? Does it have plasma screens promoting the company or posters and advertising campaigns?

-       Is the office open-plan or are there lots of smaller individual offices?

-       What type of facilities is on offer - are there a canteen / an outdoor area / a gym?

-       Do the chairs and desks look expensive? Do the desks have 21 inch monitors? This may imply a company looks after its staff - that their health, safety and comfort and efficiency at work is paramount, and that they are willing to pay extra to ensure this is the case.

-       Are there assigned desks or is 'hot-desking' in place? This implies there may be a degree of mobility involved in the work.

-       Are there a lot of branded folders, bags, and merchandise in view? This may imply that image and branding is of importance.

-       Do they reimburse any expenses you incurred travelling to/from the interview?

The Job

It is likely that there are a large number of job roles in view at any given time on a visit to a company site, there will always be indications which hint at the type of work the staff do on a day to day basis.

-       Do they have posters of their work or clients on the walls? Do you recognise any of the campaigns or customers?

-       Are there many meeting rooms with lots of meetings going on? This may imply lots of teamwork or client interaction.

-       Is the main entrance busy with people coming and going throughout the day? Do these people appear to be staff or visiting clients? Again, this may give an indication of the type of day to day work.

-       Can you see evidence of awards and achievements around the office? This is often a sign that the company invests in research & development, or recognises individual and team achievement amongst its staff.

-       Do staff work from fixed PCs or laptops? Again, laptops may imply that mobility is required.

-       Are there a lot of reference books and manuals on desks? This may be an indication of new development work, research, or an encouragement of on-the-job learning.

Some companies chose to do interviews at hotels or specialist conferencing facilities. Sometimes this is due to lack of office space, or the location of the interviewing staff, or sometimes it is because they want to put across a particular persona to the graduates being interviewed.  Whilst this type of interview does deny the opportunity to observe the company culture and staff in their native arena, there are still a number of indicators which can be taken into account.

-       What type of hotel or conference facility been booked? 

-       How are the staff dressed?

-       Is food, tea, coffee or drinks laid on for interviewees?

-       How many of the company's staff are on location to make sure that everything runs smoothly?

-       Is the time management good or are they constantly over-running and you find yourself waiting an hour for your interview?

-       Again, do they offer to pay any expenses you incur, if applicable?

Through these kinds of observations, you may be able to establish if the trip to undertake the graduate assessment is something which the staff approach with enthusiasm because they are rewarded by the company - with a nice hotel, reasonable travel arrangements and comfortable living whilst there.

The actual interview is also an opportunity to unearth something about company culture, but often the interviewers are well-trained and highly professional, so the image they portray may not always be representative of a typical person or personality in the company, depending on the type of interview which is in question. Take in everything they say and do, and then use that in combination with observations on the day, to make a decision about the kind of culture which appears to exist in the company. The culture is a very important part of the company and will be the driving factor of work hours, social activity and ways of working on a day to day basis.

Regardless of the marketing strategies or public perception of a company, what you should be most observant of during your time at interview is the opinions and attitudes of the employees and the atmosphere and ethic of the work place.

If, when that all important job offer arrives, you can see yourself in that place, with those colleagues, in that atmosphere, doing that work, then chances are, following that gut instinct is not something you will regret.

Assessment Centres: Dont be an OMDB

At the end of an assessment centre, everyone involved at the company - interviewers, assessors, HR -  will attend a 'wash-up' discussion. This is where every graduate who attended is discussed.  The majority of the discussion will be quite factual and evidence based, but every so often, despite the evidence, an OMDB will emerge. This is when a graduate has annoyed an assessor during the day that they have decided that "Over My Dead Body" will this graduate be given a job in my company.  I'd like to say it doesn't happen often, but if I'm honest, there is usually at least one OMDB in every assessment centre. And usually the assessor will speak so strongly against that person at the wash-up, that regardless of how well they've done during the day, they will not get a job offer. The severe doubts that that one person has will cast doubts in everyone else's mind too.

The wash-up is driven by a spreadsheet where your scores across the competencies assessed that day are shown.  Most companies I have worked at will add some kind of visual aid for the audience - e.g. using a 'traffic light' system to display who did well or not.

I've put an example here to talk you through the usual scenarios we encounter so that you can understand how to avoid being an unfortunate statistic and instead. The grading is 1-5, with 5 being the best and 1 the worst. 1-2 grades are shaded red - 'not acceptable', 3 - 'did ok' - is graded orange - and 4-5 are graded green - 'did well'.

The definite hire in the list above was Donald Chen him. He got 'greens' in most categories, no reds, and everyone felt they had a good interview with. After a brief discussion about how good he was and an argument about who wanted him in their team, he was immediately categorised as an offer. 

Nicola O'Malley didn't get scores that make a huge impact. But she also didn't get any 'reds'. There is a lot of talk about her potential at the wash-up.  She is a grad that I like to classify as having the 'likeability' factor. Although she might not have packed a huge punch at interview - she didn't reach the kinds of standards that Derek did - all of the interviewers liked her a lot and felt that if they got to spend some time with her in their team, they could bring out the best in her and turn her into something special. The "likeability factor" meant that despite the lack of 4/5 scores, they felt they were willing to give her a chance and put the time into her to develop her.  

John Sheldon was the other end of the scale. Lots of people scored him very highly. But the person who did the technical interview with him classified him as an OMDB. The really did not want him in the company. And that kind of vehemence is difficult to disregard.

Gemima Holden was perhaps the most unfortunate case in the list above. She didn't get any 'reds' and didn't annoy anyone. But she got a 29 in the reasoning test. And whilst there was some talk about her potential, just like Nicola, the low score in the reasoning test overrode this and she was declined.

Put yourself in the context of the above discussion. What would your scores be? Would you do anything to cause someone to put you in their OMDB category??

The best part of my job is making phone calls to graduates at the end of an assessment centre to offer them a role in our company. I love doing it, especially on Friday evenings. It sets me (and them!) up for a great weekend. I've had multiple graduates (male and female!) cry when they hear the news, because it means so much to them. And I'd be lying if I said that once or twice it hadn't made me cry too. For some graduates it has been four years of hard slog, studying during the day and working at night to fund that study.  When I get to offer someone who has clearly faced adversity and challenge in their lives and risen above it all to get an offer from a top company, I am incredibly proud of them, and very excited to have recruited them into our company.

Don't be a statistic. Questions or suggested future topics welcomed.  How can I help unveil the secrets of graduate recruitment for you?