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1. If you think crafting your job talk in COVID times is the same as pre-COVID times, think again.
Imagine your audience washing dishes, grading papers, & parenting while listening to your talk.
This is the harsh reality. Here are ways to prep....THREAD:
Imagine your audience washing dishes, grading papers, & parenting while listening to your talk.
This is the harsh reality. Here are ways to prep....THREAD:
2. Overall, your presentation must be visually appealing for those who are actually looking at your slides (and you)...HOWEVER, the audio of your talk must stand ALONE as though it is a "podcast" for those faculty members that are 'multitasking' with their cameras off.
3. First, you should be looking at the little green light on your video camera & be "camera-ready" w good lighting, a simple background, & the camera raised up enough to give you a good angle on your face. Try making "eye contact" w the video light as much as you can.
4. Feel free to use a script if need be. In person, this is trickier but now you are free to have prompts and cues. Use wisely and PRACTICE so you barely need it and you do not sounds like you are reading.
5. Also, you must imagine the situation where NO ONE is looking at you or your slides & plan wisely. 
Imagine a podcast where you are speaking abt your research. You need to help people w transitions, remind them of what you argued, & modulate your tone and voice to be engaging.
Imagine a podcast where you are speaking abt your research. You need to help people w transitions, remind them of what you argued, & modulate your tone and voice to be engaging.
6. Try recording the audio of your practice talks to see if it passes the "podcast" test. Do you sound sleepy or monotone? Be honest with yourself and fix it. It only happens with PRACTICE.
7. Have a backup zoom connection (ie. your phone) if your wifi or internet goes down.
Tell the IT person at the university where you're interviewing that you have such a back-up if this scenario happens.
Tell the IT person at the university where you're interviewing that you have such a back-up if this scenario happens.
8. Be ready to moderate the Q & A if need be. This varies from dept to dept. You are really the "host" of this zoom so even if there's a dept rep, make sure you help things flow, help the questions move efficiently. Watch your expression on camera as the questions come in.
9. Pull up the department website with the names of faculty and grad students so you feel more at ease knowing who is who and can refer to people's names and/or research.
10. Practice. This all feels like spinning plates and grad school did not train you for this era. How could it? But you must be ready for anything. Best of luck with all of this!!! You can do it!
11. And ps. it actually makes me laughing thinking about the thing colleagues could be doing during a job talk as they decide people's employment fate!...laughing in fear.
