When it comes to delivering successful and competitive academic job talks, having a partner makes all the difference.
Special packages for the most enigmatic, anxiety-producing, beast of a presentation you’ll probably ever have to give: an academic job talk.
1,000+ individuals in STEM, academia, and evaluation have taken my professional development training online course, training workshop, or worked with me 1:1.
Additional reviews and testimonials can be found in my LinkedIn profile.
Did you know a lot of academics reach out to consultants for support with their academic job talk?
There’s nothing weird or abnormal about having a specialist help with your job talk script and slides. It’s a well-kept secret, because a lot of people don’t share these hidden rules for academic success widely (especially to firstgen students, like me).
Working with a presentation specialist (who has a PhD and has helped so many academics on their job talks that she’s even writing a book about it!) will be your secret strategy for delivering a successful, competitive job talk.
There are 3 frustrating realities of job talks you have to navigate.
Your job talk cannot fall flat with the committee.
This is about as “high stakes” as it gets—it’s critically important to deliver a competitive, effective job talk if you want an offer.
“The job talk is the jewel in the crown of the campus visit. You cannot bomb the job talk and still get the job” – Karen Kelsky, The Professor is In (p 234)
“…As a result, the job talk that day was the single most important element of that candidate's successful interview.” David G. Jensen, Science
“As a doctoral student or postdoc seeking a professorship, your academic job talk may well be the most important presentation you will ever give. An excellent talk can get you the job, while a poor one will almost surely eliminate you from contention” Richard M. Reis, Chronicle of Higher Education
They are weird.
You’ve never given a presentation like this before, so your past experience has not been super great practice for this.
You have never had to give a presentation quite like an academic job talk, and will never have to give another presentation quite like it. It’s a one-time thing.
There are hidden, unstated rules to follow. For example: Did you know the goal of a job talk is not (really) about proving your competence.
You need a rock solid argument that demonstrates your fit with the department.
Academia has literally trained you to create SAD presentations that won’t impress the job search committee.
You have been trained to deliver standard academic presentations that will fall flat with the committee.
I call it the SAD style of presenting (Standard Academic Delivery). This includes things like:
Text-heavy, information-dense slides
Text that is hard to read because it’s too small, the wrong font, or embedded in images/screenshots
Little-to-no visuals (or poorly chosen visuals)
Use of slide design templates
Confusing, overwhelming, data-dump graphs
Little-to-no narrative structure with many unclosed “loops”
Missing a clear perspective (point of view) or clear argument
If you want a successful job talk, then you will need a strategic narrative structure accompanied by visually-engaging, accessible presentation slides.
Saying that creating a successful academic job talk is an “uphill battle” for you is an out-of-touch understatement.
It’s more like you’ve been told to ski uphill (after being trained to snowboard)
That’s literally why I’ve put together this special package I call the Job Talk Escalator (because I want this to be as easy as possible for you).
“After my talk, one of the committee members told me my presentation looked very impressive, and several faculty members who were in the audience said the same.
And it gets better: I was offered the job that Echo helped me create my presentation for!
Aside from this impact, and more importantly perhaps, Echo also gave me some guidelines as to what she counts as effective presentations, which gave me the confidence to improve other presentations as well. Thank you Echo! “
-Dr. Boukje Cnossen, Social Sciences
85% of my high-touch job talk clients received an academic job offer.
That’s why I don’t offer single sessions for job talks. We’re either all in with a multi-session package, or I’m going to create the most beautiful, professional, impressive slide deck you’ve ever seen. Because I’m in it (for you) to win it.
VIP Support Package
I’ll partner with you for the whole process 🤝
1 hour strategy session
6 hours together on zoom (usually four 90-min sessions)
4 hours for me to review your materials before or after our zoom sessions
PLUS access to my priority calendar that has more availability than my public calendar
PLUS 1 year access to my online presentation design masterclass program (you choose the start date): A la carte: $997
$2,200 for 11 hours of support + masterclass access (save $997!)
Perfect if you:
Have at least 4-5 weeks before your job talk
(Don’t have 4 weeks? Email me at hello@echorivera.com—we can usually figure something out!)
Already have a rough draft of your job talk script or slides.
» Jump to FAQs about this package
p.s. Imagine how elated you will feel when you can send this type of email, too!
Leave the slide design completely to me
You have other things to do. I’ll handle the design for you 💅
8-32 hours of my independent design time where I create or overhaul your slides and data visualizations (quant & qual ok)
Most job talks can be completed within 4 days of work
~2-4 weeks turnaround time (shorter timeframes may be ok)
Exact price depends on your budget + length & complexity, but you’ll always know what to expect before we begin
PLUS 1 year access to my online presentation design masterclass program (you choose the start date): A la carte: $997
$1,600 - $6,400 for 8-32 hours of support + masterclass access (save $997!)
Perfect if you:
Are giving a talk that is 45 minutes or less; AND either:
Have a written script (word for word what you want to say), and want me to create the slide deck from that; OR…
Have a complete draft of the slide deck, but want an overhaul on the designs and data visualizations.
» Jump to FAQs about this design service
This is an investment into the career you’ve worked so hard for.
There are many factors that influence hiring decisions that are completely outside of your control. But your job talk is one of the few aspects you have 100% complete control over.
Let’s work together so you can use that to your advantage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the VIP Support Package
(1) How long are the sessions?
This package includes 6 hours of working together on Zoom. You choose whether our sessions are 1 hour, 1.5. hours, or 2 hours long.
(2) What is your availability for having our Zoom sessions?
Clients who book this VIP support package have access to my expanded priority client calendar.
My priority client calendar availability is Tues-Thurs from 10am to 4pm US Central Time (Chicago).
Need another day/time? I do my best to accommodate all reasonable requests! Send me a quick note at hello@echorivera.com.
(3) How does scheduling our time on Zoom work?
After purchase, you will get a link to my calendar and will book directly through there.
(4) You mentioned it takes about 4-5 weeks to go through the package. Why is that?
We typically meet up to 2 hours per week.
After each session, I provide actionable next steps for you to work on and complete before our next session.
This gives you time to make edits and adjustments to your job talk based on what we work through together during our sessions.
(5) What happens if my job is in less than 4 weeks?
Email me at hello@echorivera.com (or use the form below to send me a note) and we’ll work something out!
(6) Will you register as a vendor at my university? Can you invoice or do a purchase order?
Happy to! A reasonable administration fee will apply. Send me a quick email at hello@echorivera.com to get the process started.
(7) Are there any refunds or credits?
There are no refunds as I accept limited clients during the busy job talk season.
You can change what type of presentation we’re working on together at any time. For example, if you no longer need help with job talk, then I can help you with a conference talk instead (or anything related to creative communications e.g., infographics, videos, visual reports).
(8) Can you share more details about the masterclass?
Of course! All the details are here.
(9) How long do I have to use these package hours? How long do I have to enroll in the masterclass?
You will have up to 1 year to enroll in the masterclass, and up to 1 year to use the hours in your package.
After 1 year, unused hours in the package will be converted into the dollar-equivalent of another package, extended access to my masterclass program, or other product available at the time of conversion.
(10) Do you have any other options for helping people with their job talks?
I’m definitely open to custom services!
Send me a note about what you’d like or how I can help using this form at the bottom of the page.
p.s. They got the job ;)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Job Talk Design Service
(1) I have a max budget of $X, can you work with that?
Most likely! I can work with most budgets, and respect the maximum you set.
For example, instead of designing the entire presentation, I can focus on part of the slide deck that’s giving you the most trouble (e.g., data visualizations).
(2) This service has quite the range: How do you determine the price and scope of this design service?
I primarily base the price and scope on your budget.
Clients typically let me know what their budget is first, so I can provide a quote with details about what designs I’ll be able to do with that budget.
The secondary factor is timeline. In some cases, a rush fee applies with extremely short turnaround timeframes.
The more time I can spend on it, the better it will be and the more I can complete.
(3) How does the process work?
Use the form above to get the process started.
If I am available before your deadline, I’ll ask for you to send me your script and/or presentation file.
I’ll provide a quote with details about what designs I’ll be able to do with that budget, and the timeline for completion.
If that sounds good, I’ll send you the link to a secure checkout where you can submit payment.
(4) When do you need the finished script or presentation draft?
I need the finished script or presentation draft to provide a quote and timeline for the project.
(5) Will you register as a vendor at my university? Can you invoice or do a purchase order?
Happy to! A reasonable administration fee will apply. Send me a quick email at hello@echorivera.com to get the process started.
(6) Are there any refunds?
I’m a pretty good judge of how long projects take to complete, but I finish the project earlier than expected, we can use the remaining time for revisions or the unused hours will be refunded.
(7) Can you share more details about the masterclass?
Of course! All the details are here.
(8) I have another question about this service
I’m happy to answer your question! Send me a note using the quote button above with any questions you have.
(9) Do you have any other options for helping people with their job talks?
I’m definitely open to custom services!
Send me a note about what you’d like or how I can help using this form at the bottom of the page.
I can’t begin to describe how relieved I was to find Echo and elicit her expertise, services, and patience to coach me through my job talk presentation. I am now a proud graduate of several of Echo’s programs as well as her 1:1 private coaching. Yes, I learned several critical skills to create effective presentations, but what means more to me than tangible skills is the confidence I gained as a presenter!”
Note: And she got the job offer!
-Amy Morel L’Horset, PhD RD CDCES Lecturer, Rutgers School of Health Professions
I understand the assignment.
I know how important this is for you.
I know there are different realities for people based on their identity.
I will take this seriously.
I am invested in your success.
(And I really want you to get multiple job offers)
You won’t get a second chance.
Every hiring season I receive heartbreaking emails from clients who reach out during their 2nd or 3rd year of trying to land an academic job. Their emails have a shared theme: They know their job talk is the problem.
Let’s make sure you don’t feel that way about your job talk.
Client case study
Dr. Isabel García Valdivia
Dr. García Valdivia first completed my online professional development program and a 1-and-1 session as a graduate student.
She had been implementing her new presentation design skills for a while…
…Then, when it was time for her academic job talk, she reached out and we did four 1-and-1 sessions.
She did four campus visit interviews and received three offers!
Ready to book the Job Talk Escalator?
Start the process now and reserve your spot in advance:
…or…have a question first?
Send me a quick email using this form.