Presentation on Photography for a job interview

krazy_horse

krazy_horse

Suspended / Banned
Messages
824
Edit My Images
Yes
Hello there,

I have recently applied for a new job, and for the 2nd round of interviews, they want candidates to prepare a presentation on the topic of hobbies, so therefore i have chosen photography.

The thing is i'm not sure what part of photography i want to focus on (no pun intended), the job is for a role in Technical support, so i want it to be as techincal as i can without going into too much detail, plus i want to be on a topic i'm fairly comfortable with, i was thinking of how a DSLR camera works, or maybe just a lens, or should i do it on a more general topic?

Any help would be greatly received.

Thanks,

Jonathan
 
Also, some tips on lighting and post-processing wouldn't harm the presentation, IMO.
The question is, how technical do you want it to be? Yes, I've read the position you are applying for, but just like with, say, PCs, it's often a problem of the user doing something wrong rather than the tool, so perhaps some tips on good practices of handling cameras and some basic photography tips could find their way in too.

One thing. Do NOT go too fast. Watch this one too:
[youtube]HLpjrHzgSRM[/youtube]
 
If the request is for a presentation about hobbies, then they want to see that you can be enthusiastic about something that is not work related, so don't get too hung up on the tech side. What if your hobby was, say flower arranging? Talk about what you know - you won't go far wrong that way.
 
I think the presentation should be snappy! If you make the presentation too technical the interviewers might lose interest and mark you down. I feel it's best to say how you got into photography, what subjects you like taking and include examples. Also don't make the presentation too long.
 
Northstreet has some good points up there ^, said pretty much what I was thinking.
 
Northstreet1 said:
I think the presentation should be snappy! If you make the presentation too technical the interviewers might lose interest and mark you down. I feel it's best to say how you got into photography, what subjects you like taking and include examples. Also don't make the presentation too long.
Click to expand...


Well that depends on what the interview is for. I had to do a presentation for a technical role a few years ago, and the content had to be technically based, although I could do what I liked.

That is why I asked what job he is applying for :)
 
I reckon you MUST use Powerpoint for your presentation whatever the subject. If you dont have a laptop and projector yopur prospective employers most certainly will. You can then bring it on a memory stick or CD.

If you do not have Microsoft Office whice is expensive you can download FREE a very similat office suite from Sun (the JAVA people so it is pukka) called Open Office. Just Google it to find it. Some folk offer it on eBay but all they have done is downloaded it and put a cd up for auction!

I suggestr that if you get technically into your hobby it will be too much for them. As ex training manager for KOdak I can honestly say that most people hae not a clue how to get the best from their compact and have no idea about the auto functions it has so why not say you are a keen photographer and rather than show them how much cleverer you are than them at it, simply demonstrate:
focus. (holding button ha;lf way before pressing
how to get an action shot: use the program but also pre focus on a spot and fire as the action hits it
Backlight
explain why you should staedy the camera on night mode ...and all that stuff!
I garauntee it will get you brownie points!
 
Thanks for all of your advice.

I won't/can't go into detail about the position, but it will be for Technical Support Engineer for a Composites company.

I think they are simply looking at my presentation skills as well as my ability to put forward technical content, as there will be a lot of presenting data and new technology to BIG customers. :eek:

I think i might just take a few basics of photography as mentioned above, i.e. How Aperture, Shutter and ISO work.

Thanks,

JB

ps, does anyone know how Aperture, Shutter and ISO work? ;)
 
I'm going to make a massive assumption here but in a multi stage interview you wouldn't get through to a presentation stage if they didnt feel you had the technical knowledge. I would imagine this is more about how you present than what you present.

If someone was to do a presentation about their hobbies for me i would want to sucked in by their passion for what they are talking about, and the knowledge to answer questions about what i'd like to know when i ask a question.

Most important tip from me is to practice the talk as it's going to be about photography i'm sure some people from here will be ore than will to listen.
 
mjwman said:
I reckon you MUST use Powerpoint for your presentation whatever the subject.
Click to expand...

No, no, no! I'm sorry mjwman but death by Powerpoint is the worst thing you could do. I present to clients all the time and now very rarely use PP as everyone is sick to death of it. I did a course a few months ago about how to present without using PP and it was a revelation, just stand up, be yourself and use a few props and a whiteboard.
 
You really must consider your audience.

The job might be technical, but if you just put across a load of 'gobbledy-gook' (as far as your audience is concerned) it won't go down too well.

As someone has already mentioned, I would assume they are looking for a 'passion' and something to

a) give a better understanding of you, as a person
b) see how you can put a subject across

If you really must include anything 'technical' then make the explanation suitable for dummies.

Its best to avoid 'circles of confusion' or the Scheimpflug principle.

I would keep it to what you do, favourite subjects etc. describe your kit in general terms, if you have non togs in the audience, and you start waxing lyrical about a 14-300 f1.4 lens, you will have lost them.

Anyway - good luck :thumbs:
 
Hacker said:
No, no, no! I'm sorry mjwman but death by Powerpoint is the worst thing you could do. I present to clients all the time and now very rarely use PP as everyone is sick to death of it. I did a course a few months ago about how to present without using PP and it was a revelation, just stand up, be yourself and use a few props and a whiteboard.
Click to expand...

Absolutely completely 100% support that view. Powerpoint is dying a very quick death and 'death by powerpoint' is just awful.

To the point, but detailed enough, no padding (especially if it's technical) and try to relax.
Very best wishes and above all good luck,
 
Forget the topic of the presentation, that is in reality irrelevant and in fact if you choose one which you are too passionate about could in fact be your undoing.

john-oh said:
You really must consider your audience.
Click to expand...

This is the most important thing to consider.

Ask yourself this, why do they want me to present on one of my hobbies? Are they really interested in me? Or are they interested in how I can communicate? I'd bet my mortgage it's the latter.

Use photography, but try to find an example of how being able to explain the technology has helped you in a situation. One such example could be in a portrait sitting, where by explaining everything you're doing you can put the sitter at ease. It shows that you can work with people and that you can convey technical information in a way non-technical can understand.

Another example would be how you managed to work around a technical issue by being resourceful and creative. Here lighting could be the example, how you didn't have the right lighting gear but by making reflectors from tinfoil and flash diffusers from plastic bowls you were able to get the job done.

My company uses quite a formal structure for these examples called SOARA. Anyone who works for them will recognise this! SOARA stands for Situation, Objective, Action, Results, Aftermath. Here's how it works, you have a situation (issue/problem etc) from which your Objective will be to resolve the issue/problem. The Action is what you do, Results are whether it was successful and the Aftermath is what you learnt from the whole process, or what you put into place to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Hope that helps.
 
Well, i've just done it, i did it on "the basics of photography - understanding exposure"

It went pretty well i think, only had 10 slides in the end, but didn't really use them, just managed to talk around the subjects rather than bullet point the topics and read what was already on the screen.

They asked me a few technical questions at the end, but fortunately i knew the answers, i feel more confident about photography now, as i know more than i thought i knew, which was a nice feeling.

I find out whether i get the job on friday, a quick turn-a-round i know, but hey.

Anyway many thanks for all the advise you have given me, it was a real help!

JB
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top