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 Tea Queen Laura   Administrator  |
This is a bit self-indulgent (and probably looks like a spambot topic at a glance!  ) but I've applied for this job and have this scary group assessment day coming up. I really miss the days where you just had to attend one face-to-face interview and that was it. This particular process seems pretty extraordinary for just a low level Store Assistant role... The company is ALDI, by the way.Anyway, after some investigation on Google, because the invitation e-mail they sent me literally didn't tell me anything, part of this assessment involves each of the candidates making a five minute presentation about themselves. Apparently this serves to break the ice and help everyone learn about each other. This makes me extremely nervous, because I've never been great at talking about myself. I never know what to tell people - let alone fill enough time for five minutes - and I'm acutely aware that all the while the assessors will be looking on and scrutinizing my every word and seeing how I handle myself. Does anyone have any ideas for topics, or other suggestions, please? Maybe some of you are able to share some insight, if you've had to face a similar scenario?  I can't begin to tell you all, or put into words how important getting this job will be... Having two incomes coming in will mean that I'll be able to get completely off benefits at long last, and my boyfriend and I will finally have the means to really start saving for our future together and our shared life goals. This is also the first interview that I've been offered in a long time. I really don't want to ruin my chances by not being properly prepared... I feel that once in the job, I'll really get to shine through my nerves and show them how suitable I am. I'm just worried I won't get that chance if I screw this up, lol. Much love and thanks - especially if you read this far! ![[heart]](/images/smilies/heart.gif "[heart]") |
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 GimmeCat |
I would love to help, but I have absolutely no good advice about this sort of thing. I've always been terrible giving presentations and talking in front of a crowd. I wish you all the best, though! Hopefully others will have some good tips. |
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Tea Queen Laura Administrator |
I would love to help, but I have absolutely no good advice about this sort of thing. I've always been terrible giving presentations and talking in front of a crowd. Thank you anyway, and thanks for the good wishes! Same here really, I'm not sure yet I'm going to pull this one off... I'll have to just try my best to relax and pretend the whole thing is just a get-together with friends, or something??? ![[nlaugh]](/images/smilies/emot_laugh.gif "[nlaugh]") |
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 Peppery One Papriko |
How about your hobbies? Point out in a few sentences that you like to read for example, perhaps mentioning the latest thing you read as well. Makes you seem more appealing as employee too, people who read are still typically considered smart. Lets play plants! Photosynthesis... Photosynthesis... Photosynthesis... |
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 jcnorn |
When the unemployment agency sent me on a bunch of 'how to conduct yourself during an interview' and 'how to write a resumé'-talks I learned that, at least when it comes to resumé and writing about yourself, you should keep about an 20% of the time talking about your past, 60% about talking about you in the present and 20% on what your plans for the future are. I don't know if that'll be good in an oral presentation, but it might help you plan up your presentation a bit? For holding an oral presentation my tips would be to not forget to breath and to smile. Try to relax your shoulders as it'll help the rest of your body relax too. Breath with your stomach and not your chest, that helps to signal the brain that everything is ok and will instinctively keep your body more relaxed and calm During interviews I've been to for jobs I tend to tell them I am nervous abut the interview, I have no idea if that is a good strategy or not. But it might help them look past some nervous ticks? Break a leg for your interview Laura! I will keep my fingers crossed they will see what a wonderful person you are, that we get to witness every day here on CCaves |
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 toxic biohazard Freylaverse Moderator |
Ah, I went through this process with all my college interviews, although I don't think I ever had to speak for five minutes straight about myself! Just be modest and humble, but don't sell yourself short either! What's the thing you're most proud of? Tell the story of that. And make sure to time yourself at home, that'll give you a good idea of how long five minutes really is. Science is a beautiful gift to humanity; We should not distort it. |
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 Lollipop Lord C-Rex |
Not sure if you've done it already, but cue cards are a great way of helping to guide yourself through the presentation. I found it came in handy as a way of jogging my memory during my last presentation at uni. |
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 Arnout |
As a teacher in training, I might be able to tell you a thing or two about giving presentations. One of the first actions that I was taught to do before giving a presentation (or lesson for that matter) is drafting goals. While that may seem rather tedious for a 5 minute presentation, I would advise you to make a list of topics/themes that you would like to discuss with the group anyway. With such a list you ensure that you don't run out of stuff to talk about during your presentation, and once you write something down or type you'll see that it's a lot easier to remember. For a job assessment, your attendance probably expects to see your positive sides, so keep that in mind while choosing subject-matter. Once you've chosen topics, pick some ways to transmit your information. I always start out with some humor to soothe my own nervousness. You could also try to tell something interesting that you once experienced or tell an anecdote. The key is to keep people interested in your story and to present yourself as a fun (would-be) coworker. Something that I often advise against is to completely write out what you want to tell everybody and then learning the whole thing out of your head. Although that may seem like the only way to prepare some presentations, I've noticed that (in inexperienced speakers) the presentation might come off as a bit synthetic this way. Using a small paper with keywords could work well instead. I'm completely drugged at the moment, so I'm not entirely sure if I read your post well enough to give you sufficient advise for the presentation, but I wish you the best of luck anyway! For a store assistant role I don't think people will really try to analyze every single sentence or word that you bring in there. Also keep in mind that there isn't really anything that could go wrong. You've got this. |
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Tea Queen Laura Administrator |
Awesome, thank you everyone for taking the time to respond! This is all a lot to think about, but very helpful because it's a lot easier to talk about yourself and let your personality shine through online than it is offline. I'm sure all these tips will be useful in tackling that. As for funny stories, there is one I could tell. I'm not sure how interesting or relevant it'll be though, so I'll let you be the judge. I'd been left in charge of the charity shop I volunteer at while our manager left to collect her son from school. To cut a long story short, a customer came in asking if she could donate a parrot cage, and a fellow volunteer said she could, thinking it was one of those smaller, round ones that sit on a stand. Anyway, he went to help her collect it from the car. Well, when he came back, his face said it all... Turns out it was one of those giant ones on wheels, the size of a large bookcase. We're a small shop, so did we have room for it? Did we, heck! We were lumbered with this guargantuan thing that we didn't have room for, and we aren't even supposed to accept furniture donations, not really. This is why no one should leave me in charge. |
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 Yaravana |
I'm definitely no official source, but I've had to do plenty presentations before, so maybe some of the things that work for me could be helpful for you too. Arnout absolutely has a point in that writing the whole thing down and learning it word by word isn't the most helpful. I tend to work with the keyword strategy and make sure to practice the whole thing several times. It helps me feel more comfortable speaking and it'll help you recognize how much time it takes so you can adjust when needed. During practice, I can find the sentences that flow well and make the whole thing sound natural. By the end I won't have memorized the entire thing, so it doesn't sound robotic or like I'm reading it from a paper, but the bullet points are enough to kick start my brain into remembering what I practiced and how I wanted to phrase this part of my story. Keeps the 'um's and awkward pauses at bay. For shorter talks you might not need your notes at all after a few rounds of practice. Good luck Laura! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. |
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GimmeCat |
I'm not sure an anecdote that ends with "this is why I shouldn't be left in charge" would go down well in a job interview, tbh. |
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Tea Queen Laura Administrator |
Haha, quite.  Edit: My boyfriend just showed me this meme, thought I'd share. I probably won't be doing this during the assessment either...  |
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