Interview presentation, going over the allotted time.

[Benbay001]

Hi all,

Quick question.
I have an interview for an engineering role next Wednesday.
Ive been asked to do a 7 minute presentation on myself, my skills and my work experience.

Ive made a presentation thats as short as i feel i can make it without skipping over crutial things.

Its coming in at 7 mins 50 seconds.

Should i worry?

The interviewers will have a copy of the presentation before hand, so im thinking they will see that i am on the last slides and wont worry about stopping me.

What do you all think?

Thanks

[rolando]

If asked for a seven minute presentation, that is what is required.

[mikeiow]

Benbay001 said:

Hi all,

Quick question.
I have an interview for an engineering role next Wednesday.
Ive been asked to do a 7 minute presentation on myself, my skills and my work experience.

Ive made a presentation thats as short as i feel i can make it without skipping over crutial things.

Its coming in at 7 mins 50 seconds.

Should i worry?

The interviewers will have a copy of the presentation before hand, so im thinking they will see that i am on the last slides and wont worry about stopping me.

What do you all think?

Thanks

I'd personally trim it.
For a 7 minute presso, I'd aim for 6-6½ minutes, with a minute for questions.....remember you don't want to be speaking super-quick 'just to fit it all in'.

Mind you, I doubt they would worry too much. If they cut you short at bang on 7 minutes, either it went badly, or they really only had a very limited time for all candidates!

[Benbay001]

Thanks both,

Its a 45 minute interview

Anyone else got a view?

Ive looked for ways to trim it but nothing is standing out without a full redesign.

Happy to share it if anyone is bored

[Benbay001]

Update... i had another go at the presentation, and it went alot smoother. 6 mins 20 second!

Thanks all, think i just need to practice.

[Cyder]

As others have said, if it’s a 7minute presentation then expect to finish at 7 minutes or you could be stopped even mid sentence.

It’s a test of time keeping and how concise you can be.

[Wacky Racer]

Benbay001 said:

Thanks both,

Its a 45 minute interview

Anyone else got a view?

Ive looked for ways to trim it but nothing is standing out without a full redesign.

Happy to share it if anyone is bored

Just talk faster.

HTH.

[Benbay001]

Thanks all. Ill keep practicing tomorrow and if 9 times out of 10 im under 7 minutes then ill go it as it is.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Whatever you do, do NOT go over time. They want a 7 minute pitch. At my place they'd stop you if you haven't finished. It flusters I'll-prepared candidates and is a very bad start.

It's the only part of the interview that is entirely in your control so own it and get it right. Good luck.

[Cyder]

Work out your time limit for each slide then make sure you stay within that. (Ie, slide 1 must be done with 1m15s, slide 2 by 2m30s etc.) and watch the timer on presentation mode.

That way you won’t arrive at the last slide with two seconds left and a whole page to run through.

[NewNameNeeded]

Definitely keep to time including time for questions. They are testing you ability to deliver information clearly and concisely.

I've used the same myself as part of the recruitment process. I also specify the audience they should prepare the presentation for to see if they can pitch what could be a quite complicated topic (e.g. blockchain) to a non-technical audience, for instance.

It has often been the part of the selection process that separates two candidates that performed equally well during interviews.

[rog007]

Cyder said:

As others have said, if it’s a 7minute presentation then expect to finish at 7 minutes or you could be stopped even mid sentence.

It’s a test of time keeping and how concise you can be.

In my experience; if you’ve been given 7 minutes, plan to take 5.

It absolutely does give an indication of your time keeping and ability to convey a message effectively in the shortest period of time. And if you do overrun, which is usually the case, then you’re more likely to be within the 7 minute maximum.

It may also be a bonus for the panel if they’re having to sit through 5 others.

Less can often be more!

Good luck!

[55palfers]

Also, say you'll be taking any questions at the end of your presentation.

[Johnniem]

Agree with all the above about not running over. Also, don't just read what is on the screen. Let the slides show experience etc and talk about the slides, not just reading off a load of words they can see already.

Good luck.

[Jasandjules]

Benbay001 said:

Its coming in at 7 mins 50 seconds.

Should i worry?

Yes. IMHO you want to be coming in at 6 minutes 30 seconds or so at a "casual" pace i.e. you are not rushing your speaking rate That helps show that you can ascertain what is important and remove extraneous information.

[klan8456]

Benbay001 said:

Hi all,

Quick question.
I have an interview for an engineering role next Wednesday.
Ive been asked to do a 7 minute presentation on myself, my skills and my work experience.

Ive made a presentation thats as short as i feel i can make it without skipping over crutial things.

Its coming in at 7 mins 50 seconds.

Should i worry?

The interviewers will have a copy of the presentation before hand, so im thinking they will see that i am on the last slides and wont worry about stopping me.

What do you all think?

Thanks

This is a weird one.

Does the role involve presenting?

Why 7 minutes and not any other random number?

I suspect they’re testing you, and they want exactly 7 mins, or less

[Cyder]

It’s not that weird, it shows the candidate can work in a timely and concise manner under pressure and can communicate clearly with others.

[DozyGit]

Good luck firstly.
Stick to finishing with a few seconds to spare.
7 mins is a lot of time.
You won’t have as much information to fill half of it - I can tell it because you won’t be on here asking this question. Look carefully and remove the padding. Speak slowly and clearly!

[C2Red]

Think about it, as above to be able to work under pressure and to a given timeline.

It’s an engineering role.

Let’s say for arguments sake, they asked you to design a product; would you be saying “yeah that’s close enough, a little over doesn’t matter”

When I interviewed, the spec for the interviews was part of the job interview criteria, make that work, and you’re part way there.

[ClaphamGT3]

Do not, under any circumstances, run over.

Do not read your slides but use them as backdrop to your narrative

You will talk faster than you think. Give yourself time to consciously slow down, so you come across as calm and in control

If in practice your presentation takes five and a half to six minutes, then it’s the right length for a seven minute slot