SCIENCE MEETS: The Academic Job Talk
How do you deliver an academic job talk that highlights who you are as a scientist?
One of my favorite teaching activities is to give a workshop on ‘How to Deliver an Academic Job Talk’ for our Research Training Centre. I liken my role to that of Al Pacino as the football coach in the movie Any Given Sunday – I show trainees that there are so many little things they can do (‘inches’ as Mr. Pacino would call it in his speech here; note language NSFW) that will, collectively, add up to success. While perhaps a bit dramatic of a comparison, I do have loads of tips on how to organize the slides, how to carefully walk through graphs, and I devote an inordinate amount of time to the appropriate use of the laser pointer. (As a scientist who uses eyetracking, trust me, laser pointer etiquette is critical. I’ll get back to that later.) But, over the years, I’ve realized that, really, the most important “inch” of crafting the job talk is the introspection done behind the scenes. That is, before trainees even *think* about collating all of their data figures and mangling them into some kind of presentation, I want them to be grounded, unapologetically, in who they are.
One of the challenges of academia is that if you don’t grow up in it, it’s a big mystery. Now, add to that mystery a few other layers of complications. First, the academic job market is brutal. No other way to describe it. Positions aren’t numerous and the field is competitive. Second, if you identify as being part of an under-represented group, you may not see yourself reflected in the membership of the search committees. Third, if you or your family has experienced economic hardships, or if you are financially responsible for others, there’s a voice in the back of your mind reminding you every day that there is no safety net for you. What does all of this add up to? It adds up to a situation in which trainees may feel pressured to contort themselves into whatever they think the search committee is looking for just to get a job and to finally make some money.
The problem with this approach is that it doesn’t allow for the trainees’ strengths, unique skills, and confidence to shine through because they’re not comfortable in this contortion. It also may present problems down the road. The trainee may land the job, but ends up miserable because (pick any of the following or more): they are teaching classes for which they are under-prepared, they are committed to conducting a line of research or using a methodology that doesn’t interest them or serve their main goals, or they’ve taken on entirely too much committee work to be as successful as they’d like in teaching or research.
Thus, the bulk of the ‘How to Deliver an Academic Job Talk” workshop has trainees discussing the following four questions in small groups to gain clarity for themselves about themselves.
1. Who are you? That is, what are you trained in, and what questions excite you? Occasionally, there are amazing backstories that have led trainees to pick their chosen field; if they feel comfortable doing so, sharing those stories can often create a compelling narrative.
2. What is your story? From your existing research, what are the important take-home points that you would want someone to know? I often suggest trainees imagine telling a loved one (outside of the field) about what they do and, most importantly, why anyone should care about it.
3. Where do you want to go? Having a clear vision of your long-term research and teaching goals helps the committee understand what your first grant would look like, who you could collaborate with in the department, and/or what programs and students would benefit from your instruction. Here, it is important to understand what could then be strategically tailored to the university/department, or if it’s just not worth applying in the first place because the opportunity doesn’t align with who you are. For example, if a trainee’s whole career has leveraged fMRI for their research, applying to an institution that does not have any neuroimaging infrastructure may not be the best use of their time. However, if a trainee has multiple lines of work that they find exciting, and that each use different methodologies, they may lean into the program of research that aligns best with the institution.
4. Why should they pick you? What are the things you do really well? Defining your unique or expert skill sets and knowledge banks that you could share with other colleagues or trainees will help to set you apart from other candidates.
The answers to the above four questions then become the job talk. ‘Who are you?’ forms the foundation of the Introduction. ‘What is your story?’ is expanded into the Methods and Results, but those results are always connected to and return to the take-home messages that appear in the Conclusions. ‘Where do you want to go?’ obviously becomes the Future Directions component of the talk. And ‘Why should they pick you?’ should be imbued throughout the talk and be clear to everyone in the room by the end of it.
It’s easy to think that the academic job talk should be centered on the data or outputs. But really, it should be centered on the person and what amazing things they can do for the field if only they are given a chance.
And, finally, here’s some laser pointer tips:
Don’t inadvertently shine it on your audience
Don’t circle things wildly; it gives people headaches. Circle once, slowly, for emphasis.
Don’t ‘read’ lengthy passages with the pointer. The audience will tend to follow the forward path of the pointer, but natural reading also involves backwards eye movements. Reading then becomes incongruous with the pointer, and your audience may get out of sync with your message.
If you’re nervous and the pointer is shaking on the screen as a result, just blame it on too much coffee. That’s what I do.
