Preparing for an Academic Career Path

Academic Job Interviews - Job Talk

At some point during the campus visit, or before, in some fields, the applicant will be asked to make a presentation (typically around 30-40 mins. in length, plus questions). This is often a formal 'paper' to faculty members and/or graduate students, but could be a guest lecture in an undergraduate class, an informal talk before a social event or another venue.

It is important for the applicant to get as much information about the topic and the audience as possible to ensure the presentation is targeted appropriately and to leave time for questions. The committee will be looking for sensitivity to different learning styles and competencies and an ability to deliver an interesting and engaging presentation. If the applicant is just finishing their dissertation or has recently defended, this research will likely be the focus of the presentation. If there has been a year or more since the dissertation, the talk should demonstrate the most recent research interests of the applicant.

Time spent carefully preparing this presentation and practising it in front of colleagues is well spent. This is the part of the process that defeats most applicants. Ensure the register, language, visual aids (if any) and structure is accessible to the type of audience (e.g. undergraduates, graduates, non-expert faculty or expert faculty).