Thread by @pengpeng_xiao

It's #econjobmarket season! Here's what I learned about interviews/spiels, hopefully still applicable this year:

Your audience has diverse interests, their questions can go on a tangent, it's your job to pull them back! Respectfully say "That relates to my next point..."
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I learned this in a mock interview w/ our lovely John Geanakoplos. His questions threw me in so many directions, jumbled up my thoughts so much that I never got back on track.
So, have MANY mock interviews w/ faculty in many different fields, practice w/ friends, cats & dogs.
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Signposting - "Now I’ll go into the data/model/identification" - can help anchor your thoughts, and help interviewers keep track of where you are and what to anticipate next.
Make sure you’ve finished saying all the important points in a section before moving to the next.
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I prepared the spiel in several versions. An “elevator spiel” explains the research question and states punchline results in 1 min, phrased colloquially to tell anyone you just met. Never used it at the ASSA meetings though. But it's useful when you meet seminar speakers etc.
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A 10min spiel has the core building blocks of your JMP, uses intuitive examples to illustrate abstract concepts (esp. any theory parts), and hints at how challenging and complicated the task is, and how brilliantly you accomplished it. Keep it simple👇
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https://twitter.com/economeager/status/1319270538875863042?s=20

A full-length version (~30min) adds some “drawers” of details under each building block. Which drawers you open depends on interest on the floor.
For a 30min interview, 15-25min is typically spent on the JMP. I’d say 25min on JMP is probably the norm for academic positions?
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Pause. Breathe. Take a moment before you say something important, unexpected or unfamiliar to most people. Give interviewers time to think and engage. It’s better to explain a few points clearly than to run through a flurry of information that no one remembers in the end.
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You’ll be stressed and tired, but try to note down new questions after each interview, bc they’ll likely come up again.
Then, hit the RESET button. People’s reactions/tones are often uninformative about whether they like your work. Walk into the next room(Zoom) w/ confidence.
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Congratulations on making it this far in the PhD! The last stretch is tough, but it’s also rewarding and fun to discuss your research with a wider audience. All the best of luck to everyone!
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