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I have been on the social science academic market for a couple years, and I have been invited to interview and put together presentations ("job talks). I thought in both cases, the presentations were interesting and thought provoking and I wonder if i should include them in my vita.I have an "invited lecture" section already, so my thought is just to add them, but is that unorthodox? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

leez
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  • @ff524 The question is somewhat of a duplicate. However, this question pertains specifically to the social sciences. As you can see by the comments / responses, how they are handled varies across disciplines (and, quite possibly, by country). – Brian P Jun 19 '14 at 12:29
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    @Brian The linked question is generic (doesn't specify a field). If you think the answers there are not complete because they don't apply to your field, you can answer the original question, explaining how your field is different. That way, the information is there for people who find the original question through search. – ff524 Jun 19 '14 at 12:33
  • If you are a junior faculty member with a thin cv and the talk was publicly announced, I see no problem in listing it in your public talks section. Most people will clearly see that it's a job talk, especially if you are taking about urban stratification in Shanghai at Wichita Community College. – RoboKaren Jun 19 '14 at 12:44

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Edit: From the perspective of applied social sciences (e.g., social welfare / social work)

No, a job talk is not the same thing as what is considered an invited presentation and should NOT be added to your CV. An invited presentation is connotes something much different -- that is, something that is akin to a keynote or a presentation at a formal conference / meeting. Keep your CV clean and don't reach for things that don't belong. I see lots of recently minted PhD's trying to work things into their CV to make it appear weightier than it really is. Don't water down your CV with activities or products that don't belong.

Brian P
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    All the CVs I've seen in my field (mathematics) list talks given at other universities. Job talks -- so long as they are announced and given "publicly" by departmental standards - certainly count as such talks. I am also a bit perplexed when you say that a job talk is not an "invited presentation": isn't that exactly what it is? It is not the same as a conference presentation...but it doesn't "connote" that either, since it specifically indicates otherwise. Moreover, if I gave a talk at, say, MIT, that seems at least as "weighty" as many conference talks. – Pete L. Clark Jun 18 '14 at 15:17
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    @PeteL.Clark Thanks for pointing out that other fields might consider job talks invited presentations. In the social science, they don't. Yes, they are invited, but in a much different context than an invitation to present at a formal meeting. – Brian P Jun 18 '14 at 15:22
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    Thanks for your response. I missed that this specific OP is in the social sciences! That's unusual on this site...not that there's anything wrong with that. – Pete L. Clark Jun 18 '14 at 15:28
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    Strongly disagree. You were invited to give a talk. Therefore, it's an invited talk, and it should be listed as such in your CV. – JeffE Jun 18 '14 at 18:06
  • @JeffE Where do you draw the line for listing job talks on your CV? I'm invited to give talks all the time. Sometimes it is for a class, other times it is for a student group, and I did give a number of job talks before accepting a tenure track position. Does every single invitation warrant a corresponding item on the CV? Isn't there any risk that every listing of a talk will water down the CV? Is your strong disagreement coming from the perspective of social science? – Brian P Jun 18 '14 at 19:44
  • @JeffE Your bio shows you are affiliated with Computer Science. If you strongly disagree, you might want to clarify that your comment does not represent what is and is not considered orthodox in the social sciences. Again, my comments relate to the social sciences. – Brian P Jun 18 '14 at 19:49
  • Do social science departments have research seminars and colloquia attended primarily by faculty? In math and computer science, such talks are frequently listed on CVs, and job talks are frequently advertised as such. – Mark Meckes Jun 19 '14 at 08:15
  • @MarkMeckes Yes, but we keep these separate from "job talks." – Brian P Jun 19 '14 at 11:46
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    I'm in social science. It's my impression that it's somewhat of a norm in my field to list job talks under "Invited presentations". – Sverre Jun 20 '14 at 13:37
  • @Sverre In the United States? What discipline of the social sciences? Perhaps it is country specific and discipline specific ... – Brian P Jun 20 '14 at 14:16
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    @BrianP Yes, in the United States. I'm in linguistics. Maybe your statement should refer to your own field rather than to "social sciences", then. – Sverre Jun 20 '14 at 14:48
  • @Sverre I agree. My statement has been edited to reflect this. (+1) – Brian P Jun 20 '14 at 15:04