Did you know that serial killers tend to be highly intelligent? It’s true, they show this by being skilled manipulators who are able to easily convince others to believe whatever it is they are trying to get them to believe.
While hiring managers are obviously not trying to hire a serial killer, or someone that is manipulative, it is still important to possess the ability to change people’s minds. It’s a quality that is often hard to find in others, and yet it is very important in many roles where you need to influence others by presenting a clear and articulate argument. This is why you may be asked:
Behavioral Interview Question: Tell me about a time you had to use your presentation skills to influence a person or team’s opinion. What was the outcome?
This is a simpler presentation question than others you may face. The interviewer simply wants to know that you can push people toward your side. If you have an example that ended up benefitting the company, that is best. But something as simple as the confidence to talk in front of a class may be enough to prove you know what you’re doing.
Sample Answer
“I was preparing some supporting documentation for an upcoming project team meeting when I thought it would be a lot more effective to turn my supporting materials into a brief presentation for the team. I knew there was still some resistance to the ideas I was presenting and I wanted to make sure I could persuade the last doubters of the validity of my argument.
I spent a great deal of time gather as much market research data as I could to support my argument. This allowed me to present an accurate and well supported argument that did not become emotional or personal in any way. I used the data to help me make my case and supported it with a confident presentation style which gave more credibility to the facts I was presenting. I found this approach worked very well with the team and I have applied this same approach to other project based work that requires a general consensus to be reached. ”
As always, work related answers are going to be the most effective ones. The example above is general enough that it can be used by most people but if you have project specific details to add then by all means add those into your answer.
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