11. Best Foot Forward Part 3:  How to give a great job talk

Note: All of our workshops are sponsored by client organizations for their employees, staff or affiliates. At this time we do not offer “open enrollment” workshops. Please contact us for details.

Available for on site delivery and online via Zoom

Do you know the crucial difference between a job talk and a research seminar? And even if you do know the difference will your job talk be a help or a hindrance to your candidacy? 

Giving a job talk is about far  more than the slides you show and the data you present. Many scientists mistakenly believe that all they need to do is present stellar  research results to clinch a job offer. In doing so they forget the cardinal rule of recruiting— people hire people, not research projects. How you present yourself and your information is every bit as important, and sometimes more important, than what you’re presenting. If you fail to come across as collegial, responsive to questions and interested in what others in the department or company are up to you may as well not give a talk at all. 

This workshop is a practical guide on how to structure and deliver a scientific job talk that shows your work and, more importantly, shows you in the best possible light.  Prior to the workshop, participants will receive guidelines on how to structure and present a job talk. During the workshop each participant will have the opportunity to present a short version of a job talk to the other workshop participants and to receive real-time feedback on content, delivery and responsiveness to questions, You will learn how others see you and how you come across to an audience. You will leave the workshop with a new sense of your strengths and with a roadmap of  how you can improve.

 Because of the nature of this workshop there will be a limit of twelve participants per half-day workshop.

Target Audience: This workshop is intended for postdoctoral scientists at all levels and will be especially useful to those who are at or nearing the point of seeking a new position. 

Workshop Highlights

· Learn the crucial differences between a research talk and a job talk.

· Learn how to give a talk that highlights you and not just  your research.

· Get real-time feedback on how you come across to an audience.

· How to build a mental map of your talk for the audience to keep them engaged.

· How your talk can tell the audience  why they should want to hire you.

· How to manage interruptions and aggressive questions.

· How to relate to your audience, read their reactions and draw them into your presentation.

Together with Best Foot Forward, Parts 1 and 2, this three-part series gives post-docs the skills they need to compete successfully in the job market and make a positive impression on potential employers. Combined with our four-part "Management skills for scientists" workshop, these workshops together make up a comprehensive sequence "Just for Postdocs: The skills you need to jump start your career in science" that will give postdocs the skills they need to compete for and succeed in the next step of their careers.