Chapter 4 — Microsoft PowerPoint
A short portfolio deck or presentation you can show in an interview
Why It Matters for Your Job Search
Not every job needs a slide deck, but being able to build one confidently is a widely expected office skill — and a short "About Me" or portfolio deck can set you apart in an interview, especially for creative, technical, or client-facing roles.
Core Skills
4.1 Slides & Layouts
- Home tab > New Slide (click the arrow under it) to choose a layout — Title Slide, Title and Content, Two Content, Blank, etc.
- Click any placeholder box on a slide and type directly into it.
- Drag slide thumbnails on the left to reorder them.
4.2 Design & Themes
Design tab applies a consistent color/font theme to every slide at once. The Design Ideas pane (same tab) can automatically suggest polished layouts based on content you've already typed — a fast way to make a deck look professionally designed.
4.3 Adding Images, Icons & Charts
- Insert tab > Pictures to add your own photo or image file.
- Insert tab > Icons for simple, free vector icons that match any color scheme.
- Insert tab > Chart to bring in the same kind of chart you'd build in Excel.
4.4 Speaker Notes
The Notes pane below each slide (View tab > Notes if it's hidden) holds your talking points. The audience never sees these — they're for you, visible only to you in Presenter View while presenting.
4.5 Transitions & Animations — Use Sparingly
Transitions (Transitions tab) control how one slide changes to the next; Animations (Animations tab) control how elements appear on a single slide. Both are easy to overuse. In a professional context, a simple "Fade" transition (or none at all) reads as more polished than flashy spinning effects.
4.6 Presenting
- Slide Show tab > From Beginning (or press F5) to start presenting full-screen.
- Presenter View shows you your notes and the next slide while the audience only sees the current slide — turn it on from the Slide Show tab before you start.
- Press Esc any time to exit presentation mode.
4.7 Exporting
File > Export lets you save the deck as a PDF (safest for emailing, since formatting can't shift) or as a video (useful for an async "introduce yourself" submission some employers request).
Step-by-Step: Build a 5-Slide Portfolio Deck
- Slide 1 (Title): your name and a one-line professional identity, e.g., "Jane Mokoena — Customer Support Specialist."
- Slide 2 (About Me): 3–4 short bullets on your background and strengths.
- Slide 3 (Skills): a short bulleted list or simple icon row of your key skills.
- Slide 4 (Example of Your Work): a screenshot, chart, or short case study of something you've done, even informally.
- Slide 5 (Contact): your email, phone, and LinkedIn if you have one.
- Apply one Design theme to all 5 slides, then export as a PDF.
Trick
Select any text box and press Ctrl+Shift+> a few times to bump the font size up quickly — useful for making a title dominate a slide without opening the font-size dropdown.
Common Mistakes
Common Mistake
Cramming full sentences and paragraphs onto a slide. Aim for the 6×6 guideline: roughly 6 words per line, 6 lines per slide, maximum — say the rest out loud instead of writing it out.
Common Mistake
Stacking multiple transitions and animations on every slide. One consistent, simple transition (or none) looks more confident than a different flashy effect on every slide.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|
| F5 | Start the slideshow from the beginning |
| Shift + F5 | Start from the current slide |
| Esc | Exit the slideshow |
| Ctrl + M | Insert a new slide |
| Ctrl + D | Duplicate the selected slide/object |
| Ctrl + Shift + > / < | Increase / decrease font size |
Practice: Build your portfolio deck
- Create the 5-slide deck described above with your real information.
- Apply a single Design theme across all slides.
- Practice presenting it once using Presenter View.
