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[taidungman]

Hi all,

I am preparing my job talk. My professor suggests that, in addition to the paper itself, I should also include one or a few slides summarizing other research I have done (publications) and my future research direction.

But my question is should I do that in the beginning or end of my talk?

any idea?

[zookers]

Hi all,

I am preparing my job talk. My professor suggests that, in addition to the paper itself, I should also include one or a few slides summarizing other research I have done (publications) and my future research direction.

But my question is should I do that in the beginning or end of my talk?

any idea?

I would say "end," and focus on one particular set of results or paper.  But it all depends on the context in which the other research is mentioned.  Is it related to your main topic?  If so, you can include a slide or two in the middle.  If it's semi-related, you could say something at the end in a "future directions" slide.  If it's COMPLETELY unrelated, you could put in a slide at the beginning saying "I have studied X, Y, and Z... but today I'm going to tell you all about Z."  (or, if it really doesn't fit, don't mention it and let your CV speak for itself).

[taidungman]

I would say "end," and focus on one particular set of results or paper.  But it all depends on the context in which the other research is mentioned.  Is it related to your main topic?  If so, you can include a slide or two in the middle.  If it's semi-related, you could say something at the end in a "future directions" slide.  If it's COMPLETELY unrelated, you could put in a slide at the beginning saying "I have studied X, Y, and Z... but today I'm going to tell you all about Z."  (or, if it really doesn't fit, don't mention it and let your CV speak for itself).

[/quote]

Thank you very much. Very clear and helpful suggestions.

Most of my research falls into the "completely unrelated" category. I will mention it at the beginning. Would you suggest I mention it before or after the title slide?

 

[skippityskipskip]

It must tie in somehow - even if it's just: "I study this theme - there are many interesting questions that arise from that, including X, Y, and Z.  Today I'll focus on Z"

But, yes, I would definitely focus on one topic, and end strong.  Maybe other slides at front of talk (but after title slide)

[spamicide]

I agree with zookers about putting your broad research interests at the beginning of the talk, and state today I will focus on "X".  The talk should also end with future directions for "X" and possible ways to collaborate on research with others in the department and university. 

Also, be prepared to answer the question of why you selected to present on "X" instead of on "Y".

[jazzbutcher]

I've used a quick introduction pretty successfully.  It's a single slide at the very beginning, right after the title slide, that's a graphical depiction of my research areas and how they relate.  I start off by saying something like, "I know many of you don't know me, so to introduce myself I'll start with my research big picture..." and then very briefly touch on the important areas and what-depends-on-what.  Then I say something like "today, I'm going to focus on a challenging problem in <subarea>..." and highlight that area on the same slide, which I think has been very helpful to set the context for the work.

I've seen plenty of job talks where the candidate talks about some research problem, and then at the end says, "oh, and by the way, I also do X, Y, and Z", which to me has always seemed like a weaker ending: it distracts from the main conclusions of your core talk and usually, there's little context or big picture: it just looks like a laundry list, and thus makes the person look less organized.   Perhaps there are people that have been able to pull that off somehow - just my experience. 

Best of luck with your talk.