Guide: How to present yourself and your experience to get the job you want

This is a guide to help you structure a short presentation about yourself in preparation for our talent fair or a job interview.

We recommend that you start with thinking about the last section 3 – What I could do for you (an employer)? by focussing on the basic question – What do you want?.

It is worth spending some time thinking this through and then you can plan the other sections so you conclude with What do I want? This will allow you to exclude all other irrelevant information. You will give a strong clear message to those who are listening to your talk.

You are aiming to prepare a talk that will last no more than 5 minutes – it is OK if it is less.

So as a start, try and identify what the perfect job would be for you right now. 

• What do you want ?
• What title would this job have?
• Do you prefer one work sector to another? e.g. Would you like to work in the fashion industry, in energy,…?
• Do you want to work for a big company or a small one?
• How many hours a week do you want to work?
• If you are working in an area where specialised skills are needed what is your preferred area of work? E.g. If you are a finance person do you like general work or specific technical areas.
• What else is important?

It may be that you are OK to accept a job in finance in any area because you want a job so much – it may be that you will only accept a particular job in your preferred area of expertise – be true to yourself about what you want – we are all different!

Write down a clear short description from the notes you have made from these questions .

Structuring your talk

Then use the following structure to write the rest of you presentation always bearing in mind what your answer is to section 3.

Introduction

Name

Nationality

Languages I speak

Countries I have lived in

The job I am looking for ( briefly)

What am I going to tell you about me ?

1. My training
2. The work I have done
3. What I could do for your company

1. My training

• Give key examples of the training you have had (limit these to ones that are most relevant for the job you are looking for).
• Give qualifications and countries where you got them.
• Talk about any memberships of professional organizations.

2. The work I have done

• Give some examples that show your abilities to do the job you are looking for
• Which organisations did you work in?
• Give key facts – e.g. how many staff did you manage?
• Key achievements e.g. what did you do to improve things in your work ? 
• Use STARS to help you identify your achievements and what you could do for a new company:
  • • What was the Situation?
    • What was the Task?
    • What did you Actually do? – How did you handled this task?
    • What was the Result?
• So what ? What could you do somewhere else  for someone else? Link this to the job you have outlined in section 3.

3. What I could do for you (see the description earlier in this guide)

Keep it to 3 or 4 points maximum

Focus on what you want to do

Preparing to talk

• Practice your talk.
• Think about what clothes you will wear and check they are comfortable, professional and true to you. e.g. Don’t wear high heels if you would never normally wear them.
• Get feedback from someone if you can. Ask them to check that your presentation leads logically to what you would like as a job. Ask them how you come across.
• Use cards or a sheet of notes to help you remember everything.
• Go at half your normal speed when speaking and raise the volume of your voice as much as you can.
• Stand on both feet and keep still and steady.
• Breathe and smile!
• Look at the audience as much as possible – look around the group.

Good luck!

Other resources

Presentation example: Katy Kennedy

ideas.ted.com – how to introduce yourself so that you will be unforgettable  (in a good way!) – may give you some ideas