# Job Opening – POWERPOINT SPECIALIST **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 11, 2013, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922 "2013-08-11T04:53:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/1 "2013-08-11T04:53:44Z")
I have asked for and have been granted permission by SDMB administration to post job openings for positions at my company. This ad is listed in the Marketplace as well. We are a growing start-up, nearing our 1-year anniversary, looking for professionals to grow with us. Our medical education and communications company is seeking a part-time, freelance document specialist with advanced PowerPoint skills for work on pharmaceutical marketing and sales materials. Work activities include development and revision of clinical- and medical-focused documents in PowerPoint. Candidates must have some experience with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, experience and familiarity with medical terminology and AMA style, able to work under tight timelines, turn around projects quickly, and the ability to communicate easily via phone and email. Agency or pharmaceutical experience preferred. At least one telephone interview will be required of all candidates. Candidates who advance to consideration will be asked to complete a test. To forward a link to your CV, please send me a PM. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/2 "2013-08-11T05:07:18Z")
Although we are a New Jersey-based, US company, this is a telecommuting position. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/3 "2013-08-11T14:09:18Z")
As stated in the OP, this announcement has been approved by the staff – not spam! ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/4 "2013-08-11T21:02:20Z")
Not really interested in the job, good luck to Onaomatopoeia in filling it. Anyway, I have to ask - PowerPoint Specialist? This is really a job title? Are there Excel Specialists? I use PowerPoint almost every day and have given presentations to over 300 people, am I a PowerPoint Specialist without knowing it? What does a PowerPoint Specialist make? How do you establish your bona fides as a PowerPoint Specialist? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/5 "2013-08-11T21:09:13Z")
Powerpoint? Do you give combat and/or mental hazard bonuses? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/6 "2013-08-12T03:49:08Z")
You could get some really skilled ex-military PowerPoint specialists, I’ll bet: > **[Guns and Bullet Points: U.S. Military Combats PowerPoint (Yes, PowerPoint)](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2010/04/the-war-at-homepage-army-combats-powerpoint-yes-powerpoint)** > > Any questions? From The New York TimesEveryone is so bummed by PowerPoint presentations, so it should come as no surprise that American troops feel the same. We would invoke more warfare metaphors, but The New York Times has taken every single one of... > **[We Have Met the Enemy and He Is PowerPoint (Published 2010)](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/world/27powerpoint.html?_r=0)** > > PowerPoint has crept into the daily lives of U.S. military commanders and reached the level of near obsession. > **[Top Pentagon brass: PowerPoint use has gotten ‘out of control’](https://dailycaller.com/2010/04/27/top-pentagon-brass-powerpoint-use-has-gotten-out-of-control/)** > > Today's entertainment gossip and chatter ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/7 "2013-08-12T07:20:48Z")
> [@L. G. Butts](#): > > Anyway, I have to ask - PowerPoint Specialist? This is really a job title? This was my initial reaction too, but if you think about it, most of the global hatred for Powerpoint is in fact hatred for badly-designed, or badly-delivered Powerpoint _ **content** _ - so actually, I guess it’s entirely possible that a company with important presentations to make would want someone who can do it properly. ---
**Author:** ![Obsidian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/51bf81/32.png) [@Obsidian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obsidian)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/8 "2013-08-12T08:28:40Z")
Presentation design is absolutely a profession. It’s part of what I do (my job does include some other related things), and there are other people at my company who do it full time, especially for our presentations to the public. **Mangetout** is correct-- making slides isn’t hard. Making good ones is. Information and graphic design, conveying an effective message, building a narrative, etc. Coaching your speaker so they tell the story well, instead of reading off the slide. Keeping audience interest, creating the right tone, maintaining engagement. It’s a little like being a director, stage manager, and set designer (and maybe even playwright), on a small scale. [This](http://www.duarte.com) is well respected firm that specializes in presentations. The owner has a book called Slideology that’s a great primer on making good presentations. I have a full time gig, as I said, but out of professional curiosity. . . **Onomatopoeia** , what will you be doing for testing? (Feel free to PM me if you’d rather) ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/9 "2013-08-12T15:49:00Z")
Is this an hourly job or would the specialist be paid by the presentation or a set salary? (E.g. is there any incentive to get the presentation done sooner so you can get your full check and end for the day?) ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/10 "2013-08-12T17:00:04Z")
> [@Obsidian](#): > > **Mangetout** is correct-- making slides isn’t hard. Making good ones is. Especially in PeePee, absolutely the worst desktop tool ever foisted on a large user base. Unlike Word and Excel, which are largely crippled and loathed because of their lousy initial setup, Powerpoint CANNOT be beaten into submission at any level. It’s crap from the first line of code to the last. **Ono** , you might be able to earn brownie points and promotion by suggesting your company move its presentation needs to better tools and retrain/rehire your staff of creators. A 50% efficiency increase and improved esthetics are just the beginning of benefits. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/11 "2013-08-12T18:45:05Z")
> [@L. G. Butts](#): > > Anyway, I have to ask - PowerPoint Specialist? This is really a job title? Also my first reaction. I think **Onomatopoeia** should advertise for a Marketing Specialist who is an expert with PowerPoint and is familiar with AMA style. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/12 "2013-08-12T19:14:29Z")
hourly rate? I don’t waste my time unless its worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Obsidian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/51bf81/32.png) [@Obsidian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obsidian)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/13 "2013-08-13T01:45:49Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Especially in PeePee, absolutely the worst desktop tool ever foisted on a large user base. Unlike Word and Excel, which are largely crippled and loathed because of their lousy initial setup, Powerpoint CANNOT be beaten into submission at any level. It’s crap from the first line of code to the last. I feel compelled to add I use Keynote and actually kind of hate Powerpoint. (Though Prezi can be cool as hell for the right kind of presentation). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/14 "2013-08-13T02:12:57Z")
I must share the Gettysburg Address PowerPoint: [Gettysburg Cemetery Dedication](http://norvig.com/Gettysburg/sld001.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/15 "2013-08-13T07:27:58Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Especially in PeePee, absolutely the worst desktop tool ever foisted on a large user base. Unlike Word and Excel, which are largely crippled and loathed because of their lousy initial setup, Powerpoint CANNOT be beaten into submission at any level. It’s crap from the first line of code to the last. > > **Ono** , you might be able to earn brownie points and promotion by suggesting your company move its presentation needs to better tools and retrain/rehire your staff of creators. A 50% efficiency increase and improved esthetics are just the beginning of benefits. The downside is that ongoing support of a different solution is not so mainstream - PP may be evil, but it’s ubiquitous, which means hiring someone for a different product may be more expensive - and when they move on, continuity of support for existing content may be harder to attain. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/16 "2013-08-13T10:26:20Z")
> [@L. G. Butts](#): > > Anyway, I have to ask - PowerPoint Specialist? This is really a job title? Are there Excel Specialists? Microsoft issues specialist certificates of various levels for all (or most) of their programs. My company got a bunch of vouchers for the tests so I went ahead and snagged Word and Powerpoint. No number of certificates will tell you whether a person knows how to make clean informative slides, though. Good look with your hunt, **Ono**! ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/17 "2013-08-13T13:38:05Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > The downside is that ongoing support of a different solution is not so mainstream - PP may be evil, but it’s ubiquitous, which means hiring someone for a different product may be more expensive - and when they move on, continuity of support for existing content may be harder to attain. It’s not about the tool, it’s about the final product. Do you care what tool someone uses to typeset a book or write a letter? PDF can do anything a final PP file can do, and any of fifty tools better than PP can be used to create and manage the content. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/18 "2013-08-13T13:49:11Z")
define: POWERPOINT 1. The means by which a laptop becomes the keynote speaker in any forum. 2. Software that allows you to turn the bleeding obvious into dot points. \* \*However it should be noted that a quick Google search will show you over 2,000,000 items about improving your dot points. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/19 "2013-08-13T15:46:21Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > **Ono** , you might be able to earn brownie points and promotion by suggesting your company move its presentation needs to better tools and retrain/rehire your staff of creators. A 50% efficiency increase and improved esthetics are just the beginning of benefits. First, I am a principal in my company, so no promotion for me. Second, PowerPoint is required by our clients who we submit PPT slides to with marginal sources for medical/legal and FDA review. Whether we love or hate PowerPoint is not at issue. PowerPoint is the environment; No alternative platforms are allowed. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922/20 "2013-08-13T16:11:15Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > Also my first reaction. I think **Onomatopoeia** should advertise for a Marketing Specialist who is an expert with PowerPoint and is familiar with AMA style. We are not looking for a marketing expert. We are looking for someone with experience laying out approved material and corresponding data, emphasis on data, some of it very deep, marketed to physicians, with complex charts, quickly and accurately. Working knowledge of medical terminology, AMA style, and the ability to appropriately cite sources is a must for the position. Any marketing work will have already been completed by the time the PPT person receives the data, corresponding elements, and instructions. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-opening-powerpoint-specialist/665922.md?page=2)