Over at FSP, one commenter noted that he used pictures/jokes about his child in the first three slides of his job talk, and that it went over well.
Not if I were in the audience. Last week we learned that all intervention efforts had failed and if we want children that are genetically related to us, we will need in vitro fertilization. There is a certain delicious irony in us biologists having a test tube baby, to be sure, but beyond that, there is not much humor here.
When a seminar speaker uses his/her offspring in 3 (!) of the slides, the entire rest of the talk will be lost on me, as I will instead sit there derailed, or just depressed. Glad you had kids. Glad you're proud of them. Not interested in hearing about them during a science talk, however.
15 years ago
3 comments:
I'm sorry. I can't imagine how difficult this is for you.
I wouldn't be impressed with child pics in a job talk either, mainly because if a woman did it she'd be thought poorly of, and because it distracts from the science (I'd see it as a gimmick, designed to create a better impression, but I'm cynical).
Yeah, and the funny thing is I'm completely aware that I'm being hyper-sensitive (even if it is a bit gimmicky, as you say); but knowing I'm being hypersensitive doesn't make it easier--it just makes me feel like an idiot for being hypersensitive! Oh, the vicious cycle....
I really don't think you are an idiot to be very aware of this at the moment. I think it is natural, and perhaps part of way of dealing with an issue like this. Please don't be too hard on yourself.
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