Presentation for a job interview?

6 Comments

1. AnonymousJune 17,2022 at 3:51AM UTC

   I would also like to know the answer to this.

   I was asked to do the same last week for an interview, and did not want them to take any of my ideas. The presentation prompt was, "Show us a 10-minute presentation on one way you streamlined operations at your organization." I didn't want them taking any of my ideas without paying me, so I did a very general, high-level presentation on how I streamlined scheduling (because that is about as much as I wanted them to know), and they did not offer me the role, because my presentation TOPIC wasn't "At the level of a candidate we are looking for."

   They said show any operational improvements. They didn't say it had to be how I fixed a whole company. ;-) They were a start-up, so it felt like they were trying to take ideas, rather than interview folks for the role.

   But if I am asked for something like this again in another interview, how do you turn them down?

2. JYJJune 17,2022 at 2:13PM UTC

   It's a tough one. Depending on how long I think it will take to do and how much I want the job, if it will take me an hour to put together, that's okay. If it's a full day of my time, I will tell them exactly that and that my hourly consulting rate is XX to be paid prior to the presentation. If they're willing to go that route, I know they're on the up and up. If not, it's confirmation they want work for free. I'd like to hear how others have handled as well!

3. AyianJune 17,2022 at 1:13PM UTC

   I have professional advice free at an interview and landed a lucrative position. It was short lived, however, as they came to believe that my qualifications were beyond their need. They were not, but the company was young and the leaders inexperienced in running one. Unless they are interested in and willing to vest you into leadership, I'd beg off providing ideas or advice in an interview format. I now see this as an indicator that there is something amiss in the organization.

4. AnonymousJune 17,2022 at 2:17PM UTC

   This is helpful. I like that you emphasized the leadership aspect. The role is below my experience level as well, but the organization is interesting to me and I want to be back to work. I'm thinking I'll do the initial screening and see how that goes, but then feel good if I remove myself from the process. Thank you.

5. Barb HansenJune 18,2022 at 12:23AM UTC

   I'm leery of presentations although I have done them earlier in my career.

   The last one that I that I chose to not do was just ridiculous:

   -they wanted a full product plan

   -they figured it would take about 20 hours to complete

   -they wouldn't be giving much proprietary data for the product so they expected me to do as much research as I could and then make assumptions

   -they wanted me to present my plan to the board and I should be prepared to present for about 45 minutes and answer questions for another 30 minutes.

   I politely said no.

   I don't mind putting a few hours into a short presentation or document, but I draw the line at anything over 3 hours. If I can't complete your "are you worthy to hire" project in one evening, then you want too much.

   If they want me to write a full product plan and present it to the board - they can pay me.
6. AnonymousJune 18,2022 at 2:45PM UTC

   Thank you for weighing in. I'm curious, how did you phrase your "no"?