Dear Dr. Cule,

I am a senior postdoc, just entering the job market. I’m beginning the application process for academic positions, and I’ve started to hear that, in addition to a seminar on my postdoctoral work, some departments ask for something called a “chalk talk.” I’ve never heard of this. What is a chalk talk? Do I need to bring my own chalk?

Powdery Hands

Dear Powdery Hands,

A chalk talk, while not universal, can be an important part of the interview process for an academic position. In essence, where your job seminar will describe the work you’ve done in your postdoc lab, the chalk talk is an opportunity for department members to learn about your plans for getting your own lab off the ground and for the department to learn more about how you think as a scientist. In my experience, the audience for a chalk talk is smaller, consisting mostly of the faculty in the department interviewing you (and maybe a few people close to your field from other departments). This helps explain the mystery, as few postdocs have ever been to a chalk talk or heard one!

The chalk talk is usually much more free flowing and interactive then a traditional seminar. Faculty frequently interrupt with questions, not only about the science, but also about the practical aspects of what you are proposing. How will you get the work funded? Who will you get to work on this? How will you avoid competing with your former lab? This is an opportunity to show strengths that might not be obvious in a highly structured formal seminar. The name “chalk talk” comes from the (usual) expectation that you won’t use a packaged Powerpoint show, but will rather write on a board. (Yes, I suppose that it will be a whiteboard and markers these days, but the name sticks anyway.)

Despite its open-endedness, it is extremely important to think carefully about the content and structure of the chalk talk. A useful organizational structure is to think of what might be the three aims of your first R01 grant proposal, and consider these as headings for three sections of your presentation. Here’s your chance to really show how deeply you’ve thought about your plans; what will surely work, what is more risky (but worth it because it’s so important), etc. Most postdocs have not extensively used boards (chalk or white) for presentation — think ahead about what you will write and draw where and the overall appearance of your scrawlings; think about what writings need to stay up during the whole talk and what can be erased.

Think strategically also as you progress through the talk. With frequent interruptions for questions it is critical to balance the time you spend going off track to answer questions with the need to return to your core presentation to present your own ideas. If you find a line of questions is leading you too far away from your focus, politely remind the audience that you have a lot of material to get through, then return to your outline.

In our department, we offer postdocs like you the chance to do a practice chalk talk with three or four faculty members, who simulate the real thing. I strongly recommend that you find some experienced faculty who are willing to do this with you. A well-executed chalk talk can be challenging but fun, and is a great way to present yourself in a more spontaneous way than the traditional seminar.

Finally, the hosting department typically supplies the chalk — if it doesn’t, this may portend bad things regarding your start-up package.

Good luck on the job search!

— Molly Cule