Interview Tip: Create a Leave Behind

This was excellent advice I received during my first layoff in 2009 from a former coworker. He suggested that I create a brief PowerPoint deck as a leave-behind from an interview. I did, and I got the job!

I brought a printed copy to my first in-person interview with the hiring manager, the person who later became my boss. I mentioned the leave behind at the beginning of the interview. I said if we had time, I would like to walk him through it, and if not, I could leave it with him. 

We did run out of time, so I left the printed copy. When I came back for a second round of interviews, the SVP of Sales and Marketing was paging through my deck. When I walked into his office, he said, “This is very impressive!”

Creating a custom PowerPoint deck, a small brochure, or a piece you design in Canva just for them is a great way to leave a lasting impression and to set you apart from other candidates. It is a valuable tool that goes deeper than your resume and showcases specific skills that directly match the job description, including things the company may not have even thought to ask for.

This extra step can go a long way in today's competitive hiring process. It keeps you top of mind and helps you keep interviewing for the job, even after the interview is over. 

Timing

I’ve only done this for a handful of situations in my career. Maybe five. Two of them led to job offers! And I get it, the job search process can be brutal. You don’t have time to do this for every interview. 

I start rough tinkering on the leave-behind as part of my interview prep for the first phone-screen interview. I go through the job description line by line and make notes of the real-life examples I plan to mention if asked. I pay special attention to my weaknesses and areas where I might need to explain context.

When I am invited to the second round of interviews, and I am super excited about the role, I put together the full deck. 

Now, let’s dig into how you can make it awesome!

How to Create a Job Interview Leave Behind

1. Basic Outline

Before you start creating the actual document, I would think through the content you want to include. Here is a quick outline: 

• Highlight experience directly related to the job description, not detailed on your resume.

• Demonstrate additional desired expertise.

• Present preliminary 30-60-90 day plan.

2. Customize for Each New Role

While some of your ideas may apply to multiple jobs, the majority of the content should be customized for each specific opportunity. 

Customize your leave-behind materials so they directly connect to the company’s needs, the job expectations, and the specific examples that directly relate to the job you are interviewing for. 

Bonus: The prep work you do for the leave-behind doubles as interview prep.

3. Analyze the Job Description

Highlight your specific skills or experiences that directly match what they want, along with details that are not on your resume. 

For example, one role asked for project management experience. This was covered on my resume, but I went into much more detail about specific projects at a few of my past jobs. I called out creative details, budget amounts, and information about the complexity of the projects I managed. 

They also asked about branding and messaging.  I used the PowerPoint deck to name-drop all the brands I had worked with. Well-known brands like HBO, ESPN, Disney, Marriott, and Ritz-Carlton weren’t mentioned on my resume, but they made a big impact in the leave-behind.

4. Address Weaknesses 

Have fewer years of experience than they want? Missing a technical tool? No worries. Use your document to proactively handle these gaps the same way salespeople handle objections. Highlight adjacent past experiences or talk about the training you are currently taking to bridge the gap.

One role asked for magazine publishing. The job description listed “overseeing editorial content” as a requirement. I did not have this exact experience. So I mentioned overseeing website and white paper content, plus my experience partnering with a magazine publishing team.

I spent so much time analyzing every line item in the job description, I was over-prepared for the interview!  He literally went line by line and asked me about each requirement. All that prep paid off, especially for the areas where I lacked direct experience.

5. Spotlight Extra Value

Sometimes a job description misses skills that could really help the company or its current employees. Think about your superpowers! Or what makes you unique? Why would you be a great fit for this role?

In one situation, I was interviewing for a Director of Marketing role. The job description made no mention of tracking, reporting, or analyzing results. I thought this was critical, so I added in a slide titled “Measurement and Tracking” and talked about a marketing dashboard I created, along with back-end analysis of direct mail campaigns.

6. Include a 30-60-90 Day Plan

Big bonus points: create a simple 30-60-90 day plan. This gives the hiring manager a real glimpse into how you will proactively handle your own onboarding, tackle your new job, and help drive positive changes for their team. It shows you're serious, strategic, and ready to make their life easier.

This is a great place to include other areas of expertise and position yourself as a top candidate. 

• Mention that you will review the strategic plan. You may find that many companies don’t have a strategic plan! This will allow you to flex your past experiences, working to align your work to the company’s goals. 

• For marketing roles, I like to mention reviewing Voice of Customer research. Many companies don’t do this either! It shows that I have experience they may need!

• Similarly, if you mention wanting to evaluate KPIs, reports, or standards that they don’t currently have, this may help to set you apart as you are asking the right questions. 

  
  

If you have never done this before, don’t be afraid!  This is a great place to play with ChatGPT for ideas.  Upload the job description and ask ChatGPT to create a few bullet points for the plan. 

Here are a few ideas you can steal:

(It’s just a framework for how you’d approach the job.)

• 30 Days

  • One-on-One with [Supervisor Name] to understand strategic plan, goals, and objectives

  • Schedule meet and greets:

    • Your team, peers in other departments, and senior leaders

  • Deep dive

    • Products/services

    • Review tools/software

    • Processes

    • Competitors

    • Other important things mentioned in previous interviews or in the job description

• 60 Days

  • More one-on-ones with partners, distributors, customers, vendors

  • Implement quick-win process improvements

  • More tasks specifically related to the job

• 90 Days

  • Begin reporting a monthly/quarterly dashboard

  • Identify skills gaps, potential tools or process changes, etc. 

  • Create a plan/roadmap for the remainder of the fiscal year

7. Keep It Short and Impactful

This is not your memoir. Focus on key highlights, meaningful insights, positive results, and not a repeat of your resume.

Here is an outline of my 13 slides:

• Title 

  • [Company Name] Interview with [Your Name}

  • [Date]

• Objective

• Resume deep dive 

  • Six slides, each one dedicated to a specific skill or experience, like project management, branding, or personnel management

• Additional desired experience title slide

  • I had one detail slide here

• 30-60-90-day plan

  • One slide for each

  • If this feels like too much, just go with your own 30-day plan

8. Make It Visually Appealing

Use a simple design tool like Canva or the AI design features and pre-made templates in PowerPoint to add light visuals, personal branding, section breaks, and some color that matches your personal brand. 

Obviously, if you are interviewing for a creative role, you should show off your design skills. If you are not a PowerPoint or Canva person, don’t stress, clean and simple is perfectly professional.

9. Include Your Contact Information

Seems obvious, but seriously, put your contact information on the last page. Make it easy for them to reach out for next steps.

10. What If You’re On a Video Interview?

Email the document after the job interview with your thank-you note. I have an entire post to help with this: How to Write a Thank You Email After an Interview.

Include a line like:

“As a follow-up, I’ve attached a brief leave-behind deck that highlights additional strengths I bring to the role, along with a high-level 30-60-90-day plan.”

11. Help Them See You as a Future Employee

By handing over a custom leave-behind, you are literally helping the hiring manager and hr manager picture you among their current employees. You shift from ‘candidate’ to ‘future colleague.’

12. Be Authentic

I know my advice isn’t always a good fit for everyone. Trust your gut. If PowerPoint or Canva isn’t your thing, that’s fine! A well-formatted Word or Google Doc might work better for you. Your voice and tone should match who you truly are, while staying professional.

Bottom Line: I believe that leaving something behind after a job interview gives you a serious edge in today’s volatile job market. Nobody does this! It helps you build a lasting positive impression, handle objections, showcase your talents, and show that you are already thinking like part of their team.

Taking the extra time to create this valuable tool could be the thing that moves you from initial interviews to a job offer. And it doubles as interview prep!

Good luck!

Additional Resources

• 25 Tips to Prepare for an Interview

• 6 Steps: How to Tailor Your Resume for Every Job

• 10 Tips to Be Pickier When You Apply for Jobs Online