Answer questions at a job talk successfully by maintaining an open, inquisitive mind and professional attitude even under pressure. Always repeat the question. Keep in mind that:

• Research is always on the cutting edge of knowledge which means that there will be things you don’t know and haven’t yet looked into.
• The answering of questions during a job talk is more about your attitude than anything else. This is because your answer could very well be “I don’t know.”

Answer questions at a job talk by adopting the following methods, especially when you are thrown off:

• Get further clarification on the question by repeating their question and asking them whether what you think they asked is actually what they asked or not. It is always a good idea to first confirm whether the thing you think they asked is actually what they asked or not. In your rush to answer the question, you might end up confusing the audience if you don’t do this. On the other hand, if you ask for clarification, you turn the situation into a two-way conversation. Once you understand what they asked, attempt to answer it, or give the best answer if there is no right answer. If you don’t know, say you don’t know.

Full post:

https://howtophd.org/2020/07/how-to-answer-questions-at-a-job-talk-for-a-postdoc-application.html

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