***How Important Are Your Presentation Skills in Getting a Job?

Yes, your education is important; yes, your experience is important; and, most definitely, your attitude is important in landing a job in today’s questionable job market. Have you ever taken into consideration, what your presentation skills are saying about you however?

You may look fantastic, be dressed in the latest fashion, and have ‘good hair,’ but your physical presentation is not what I am referring to. I am talking about your voice, your facial expression, and your body language. These aspects of your ‘presentation’ speak volumes about you. The problem may be, however, that the volumes are saying the wrong thing.

If are over 21 and sound like a teenager or younger still, then you sound immature. If you talk at a 100 mph, then others may not be able to keep up with you. If you talk with a heavy accent, then you may not be understood. If you have a nasal voice, then then your sound is like nails on a blackboard. If you speak with a lot of verbal tics – um, ah, or you know – then your listeners will start counting and your message will be lost. If you speak in a monotone, then you sound boring. If you end every sentence on the upswing, then you sound like a Valley Girl. If you voice quivers when you talk, then you are telling the interviewer that you are nervous. If you mumble when you speak, you sound lazy. If your voice is wimpy or weak, then you project an image of wimpy or weak. If you cannot answer many of the questions asked, then you are not prepared.

I could go on and on but I think you get the message. How you present yourself goes a lot further than how you look. What you need to do is to record yourself in a mock interview situation. Have a friend or family member ask you the type of questions that the interviewer will ask. Study your answers. Listen to your voice and be honest with yourself. If you have a video camera, so much the better. You need to see yourself as well as hear what you are saying.

If you are hoping to make the best impression possible, do not leave your presentation skills to chance. Today’s job market is tough; and, securing that position over all the other candidates is tougher still. If your education and experience are up to the task at hand, you can win the competition with presentation skills that speak for you and not against you.