Doing Economics

part of the questioner to impress their colleagues). In the vast majority of
cases, questions are asked in earnest, out of a desire to either learn or
understand something or to make the speaker’s work better. Therefore,
approaching the question-and-answer period as you would a conversation at
happy hour about your work helps.
Finally, if you do not know the answer to a question, do not try to hide
your ignorance. Just admit that you do not know, and speculate about how
you might go about answering the question if given the time or the means to

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do so. If someone asks a question that is clearly beyond the scope of your
work or that is too narrowly focused on the questioner’s own interests, or if
the questioner has already asked two or three questions, it is perfectly fine
to tell them that the two of you should chat after the seminar, either in
person or by email.
Notes
1
. Anecdotally, reviewers tend to be more favorable to papers they have seen presented at
conferences or in seminars, because that has given them a chance to ask all of their questions. In
other words, it has given them a chance to engage in a dialogue with the author about the paper.
2
. Norms vary, however, and sometimes you may have as few as 45 minutes including questions
from the audience.
3
. Indeed, some departments have become infamous, perhaps unfairly, for barely letting speakers get
past their introduction slides before asking questions as well as for not allowing some presenters
to give the entirety of their talks due to the high frequency of questions.
4
. This last point can make a job-market candidate look especially thoughtful and polished.
5
. Do not count on anyone having looked at your CV ahead of time, and much less on them having
read your job-market paper.
6
. This is hopefully temporary, but I expect we will see more online talks in the future as they allow
featuring a greater diversity of speakers to a broader audience at a low cost.
7
. In the case of media-type outreach, get in touch with your institution’s public relations office if
there is one, as those people will usually be able to help you translate your research into op-eds,
send out news releases about your work, and coach you on how to be a more effective
communicator on the radio or on television.
8
. Luckily in this case, I found out from the New York Times’ legal department that I was well clear
of food libel, which requires that you point to a specific commodity to take effect.

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