I went to a job interview for a middle management position in quality.

19 Comments

1. ChristyNovember 22,2024 at 3:11AM UTC

   Make you feel better about saying NO? Say no girl, say no. Listen to your gut.

2. AnonymousNovember 22,2024 at 7:32AM UTC

   This is quite a normal request in the hiring/interview process. So from that standpoint there isn't anything abnormal here.

   As for your time available for the presentation.....would you be able to delay the date until after the holiday next week? maybe that would buy you more time? i would definitely not send then anything until closer to your interview date.

3. AnonymousNovember 22,2024 at 7:32PM UTC

   So, the presentation is an hour long? That seems a bit much to me. I have had to do presentations for positions --they usually asked for 15-30 mins max. My concern is that they may be looking for something for free to use for themselves.

4. AnonymousNovember 22,2024 at 8:48PM UTC

   I don't think that it is fair at all to ask for so much work from candidates. Unfortunately, I hear more and more about companies asking a lot through their selection processes. It is a lot of work to put in something that we don't know if it's gonna result in something. Your feelings are absolutely valid.

5. AnonymousNovember 22,2024 at 9:46PM UTC

   I'm hearing that some companies are putting people through these hoops, don't hire them and use their presentations and the work they presented. Did you sign a waiver of any sort? On your lunch hours, give yourself time to make notes to prepare for your nightly homework. I worked full-time and went to school at night and spent my lunch hours reviewing notes, or studying. You can do this, but don't put more into than they may give. We also ask for presentations for our candidates in my workplace, however, it is only good for the moment. Do your best and be engaging. Don't read from the presentation either. Use it simply as notes, and then explain as you present. It works so much better.

6. AnonymousNovember 23,2024 at 5:45PM UTC

   Many companies are using this "homework" and "presentation" to find new hires. Spend a maximum of one hour putting it together. Use your experience in the conversation to guide you. Take the time to read each bio on the audience and practice presenting your "homework" in front of a mirror or your spouse at home. This sounds hard but it isn't because you probably have the experience needed to do the job and that matters the most.

   Do ask them how they will grade that interview before you do it, do ask them what the other next steps are in the interview. Don't leave this to chance. Go on glassdoor and see if others have shared their interview experience there and see how it went for them and if they have pointers. You could also ask others who have left the company from the same role. Do you know why the role is open? Is it a replacement? An addition? A new role? this does matter since it can guide you toward how to set up your presentation. If the job is a replacement find out if you can why the person left or failed. If the role is an addition is it a temporary overloading - too much work, new internal group, etc. If the role is new - how well defined is the job and expectations, or is it a wing it situation where they don't know. Knowing these things will definitely help you, DO NOT be afraid to ask this and do this now not later in the process. You got this sister! Good luck!

7. AnonymousNovember 23,2024 at 11:10PM UTC

   Just say no. I was asked for the same thing while I was interviewing and knowing that it was going to take me at least 4 full days to put something together, I gave them my consulting rate. They said no. I said bye. Pay attention to your gut. I felt they were using me to get free work. Turned out I was right. They also never filled the "role".

8. Sue Gordon- retired Career CoachNovember 24,2024 at 2:17PM UTC

   Not always a good answer. If someone told me “no” to a presentation (which I did require), I would have wished them well and moved on. But my presentations were shorter (10-20 min).

   Remember when someone asks for “work”— it’s not necessarily to get “free work” out of someone (some of the presentations and written pieces I saw were AWFUL), it’s about seeing what a candidate can do rather than taking their word for it. I have not hired someone who submitted a writing sample that just stopped mid-sentence. I have also not hired someone who clearly didn’t know the basics of what she was talking about — I worked in Career Services, and this candidate stumbled badly on a presentation on resume writing.

   So, I say to all, in some fields there are valid reasons to ask for presentations or other samples of your work— as long as the timeframes are reasonable and it is not to use your work to their own profit.

9. AnonymousNovember 24,2024 at 4:03PM UTC

   You are correct that there is a big difference between a 10 minute presentation and an hour. What you requested is more than reasonable. Since this is an hour and will take considerable time to create, I stand by advising her to walk away.

10. Sue Gordon- retired Career CoachNovember 24,2024 at 5:05PM UTC

    She should make a judgement based on the presentation prompt and it’s relevance to the role, rather than length of time. I remember one search for a director level role where the candidates were asked dor 45 minutes and it was totally appropriate and in no way could have been used for other purposes. So the answer is it depends. And if she actually wants to be considered, she should comply. Otherwise she will not be considered at all.

11. AnonymousNovember 24,2024 at 1:50PM UTC

    It sounds to me like you’re interested in this job and they’re interested in you. Being asked for a presentation is typical, especially in management roles. The prospective employer can quickly evaluate your executive functioning, organization and presentation skills.

    Are you really willing to walk away from this interview because you can’t figure out how to squeeze a few hours of prep time into your work week and evenings? Will it be tight, of course! Will you need to juggle a day of PTO, will you family need a night or two without you…yes. If your spouse can’t manage this or you’re a single parent, spend the money on a sitter.

    I share concerns with people who talk about giving away free work but this is easily solved by putting a time limit on prep time. Use AI, pull samples slide decks from the internet, etc. I would not walk away from this opportunity over busy evenings, figure this out and shine. Best of luck to you.

12. Sue Gordon- retired Career CoachNovember 24,2024 at 2:09PM UTC

    Presentations are often a valid part of the hiring process— particularly if conducting presentations is part of the work. The interviewers need to see what you can do. I have been on both sides of this and it’s a reasonable ask.

    The hour-long part seems a little unreasonable to me but then I don’t know much about your field. I will say this— job searching takes time; interviewing takes time; preparing for interviewing takes time.

    If this is common in your field, and you walk away, you may be asked for it again, and it might be a while til you advance to this point.

    If you think the job is a potentially good fit, and better than where you are at, buckle down and do it; ask someone else to take on some of the family things for a few hours, shut the door and do the work. If you can’t do that, can you call in sick to your job? Take another half-day of leave? Can you take a few lunch hours and tuck yourself away somewhere to work on this?

    If the problem is that the technical presentation is beyond your current skill/knowledge set and will require hours of preparation instead of just sitting down and banging out a presentation, then it may not be the right job.

    Good luck!

13. AnonymousNovember 24,2024 at 5:18PM UTC

    During my last job search I interviewed for dozens of roles, many with multiple rounds, all of which required prep work and taking time off from my full time job. I came close several times but landed zero offers. To everyone who is responding here that presentations are a reasonable ask, consider looking through the lens of someone who has burned through untold personal time at work, invested hours in prep only to be passed over for a role for the most ridiculous reasons, once I was told by asking what does a typical day look like, I was signaling I wasn’t able to be flexible. In a tough job market you may interview 3 or 4 times a week and then go weeks with no prospects. Don’t be afraid to turn down an interview because their ask is more than you can accommodate. A job hunt is a journey and no matter where you are in the process there are going to be people who think an hour long presentation is a fair ask, those are likely going to be the same people who ignore your requests for an update, then email you a canned rejection letter two weeks later.

14. AnonymousNovember 27,2024 at 2:16PM UTC

    I hire a lot of people and whenever I get asked what does a typical day look like, I always assume it's because the person just wants a general idea of what to expect on the job. Whoever told you that indicates non-flexibility is not someone I'd want to work for.

15. AnonymousNovember 24,2024 at 6:54PM UTC

    If you don't have the time don't do it and respectfully decline. Presentations are typical asks in my field, we want to see how our candidates can put together data, present recommendations and communicate with others.

    They asked you to present for an hour straight, or prepare a shorter presentation that you will present during your next hour interview? With intros, chit chat, presentation, discussion, Q&A, an hour total time seems reasonable. Break it down into what it actually is should help your unease.

16. AnonymousNovember 24,2024 at 7:00PM UTC

    Please decline. This is waste of time.

17. Marci IacobucciNovember 25,2024 at 1:46PM UTC

    There is a lot of great advice already posted. To me, I see some red flags—if they are as truly demanding as you make them appear. Even though they gave some time flexibility for your interview, they want the presentation immediately. Why? Are they asking for a presentation that you have already created? I would think they want something tailored to the job/their company. Then they want you to send it before the interview. Why? We all know that a presentation is not the same as a report. The slides don’t contain all the info—they serve to visually support your presentation. So how will having the slides without you presenting help them evaluate? It’s also very disrespectful of you and the work.

    This may be an indication of the culture.

    Do not send anything until you have a confirmed date for the interview. And when you do, explain that you’re fine with sending it , but that the slides are not the full presentation—that is what you will do when you present the work.

18. AnonymousNovember 28,2024 at 1:53PM UTC

    This isn't unusual.

    For a presentation, they give a breakdown of the one-hour timing. How many minutes are they designating for Q&A, typically a minimum of 15 minutes.

    The request to see the slides beforehand is an enormous courtesy and ought to be perceived as they really like you, want to be sure you're on track, and will have time to make any adjustments they'd like to see before you present to ensure your success.

    It's not their fault or issue what's going on in your life.

    You mentioned you can take a day off work, that ought to be enough time.

    Sometimes you can scrub a past presentation you have for work.

    Presentation slides never contain everything you will say. You can inquire how many slides they want. Slides should not be jam-packed - too busy looking. The slide accompanies your presentation, they are not the whole enchilada.

    The presentation is for them to see how you approach work, not to solve a problem they have. If that were the case, that would be a red flag.

    Anecdotally, interview processes in 2024 are taking 8-9 interviews incorporating more players than ever before, and even then, rejections are received. This has been an exceptionally hard year to look for work.

    It's a myth that looking for work is easier when we are employed - it's patently untrue and never more so than in 2024. You can start to see why this is so!

    Good luck!

19. April DJune 10,2025 at 12:09AM UTC

    To me this raises red flags. They are asking you to do this work without any compensation. If they are doing that before they are paying you, what will the job expectations look like when they are?

    This tells me, they don't value your time now and probably won't respect those boundaries when you are employed.

    I have also seen that the presentations get "reused" internally with their name on it as their work. Because you were not hired, "you will never know."

    Manager or not, employed or not, your time is just that your time. And while a management position is typically salaried, that does not forfeit your right to have a life outside of work.