53. Making The Case For Evaluation (Live from Eval25)
The Evaluation Couch
Live from Eval25 in Kansas City, Maria sits down with Denise Baer, Nathan Varnell, and Nina Sabarre for a dynamic conversation on the future of evaluation. Together, they explore why advocating for evaluation has never been more critical in the face of recent disruptions to the field. The guests reflect on what makes these challenges unique, highlight opportunities to strengthen the case for evaluation, and share practical strategies for communicating its value across diverse spaces. Along the way, they discuss how we can support one another as a community and ensure evaluation continues to...
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52. Owning Your Path: Mahesh's Career Story
The Evaluation Couch
In this conversation, Mahesh Krishnan Ramesh shares his journey of pursuing a career in public policy and evaluation. He discusses the cultural challenges of becoming an evaluator in India, the innovative approaches he has taken in his career, and the significance of mentorship and networking. He concludes with valuable advice for emerging evaluators on advocating for evaluation in various sectors. Resources Learn more about Mahesh's FIME awards project Download your free workbook to become a confident evaluator who attracts top opportunities in 4 steps . ...
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51. Interviewing With Your Edge Part 2
The Evaluation Couch
In this episode, Maria shares actionable strategies to help you interview with confidence and land the evaluation roles you're ready for. She breaks down the three most common types of interview questions, what interviewers are really looking for with each, and how to tailor your responses using real evaluation examples. You'll learn a simple framework to structure your answers with clarity and see it in action in real-life examples from interview answers of experienced evaluators. Download your free workbook to become a confident evaluator who attracts top opportunities in 4...
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50. Interviewing With Your Edge Part 1
The Evaluation Couch
This episode focuses on how to answer the common interview question, “Tell me about yourself.” Maria explains why this question is important, outlines common mistakes evaluators make when answering this question, and introduces a simple framework for structuring your answer. The episode includes examples from three evaluators, with feedback on what worked and what could be improved. Throughout the episode Maria provides specific examples of how you can answer this question with you edge, communicating what makes you stand out among other evaluators applying for the same role. Download...
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49. Your Career Logic Model
The Evaluation Couch
This episode focuses on how evaluators can apply the principles of logic models to their own career development. Maria shares how using logic models to map our our career helps us better understand the inputs, activities, and outputs essential to achieving our career goals. The episode discusses the default logic model most people hold about how their actions lead to outcomes in their careers. She then introduces an extended logic model and discussess each of the inputs, activities, and outputs included in it. The episode underscores the need of constantly revisiting and updating this career...
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48. The 6 Myths That Hold Evaluators Back In Their Careers
The Evaluation Couch
In this episode, Maria discusses six common myths that can hold back careers in evaluation including the belief that you need a PhD, must specialize, or need to keep collecting credentials to succeed. This episode explores where each of these myths come from, how they impact career growth and satisfaction, and why letting go of them can open up new possibilities. Through real-world examples and practical advice, you'll learn how to navigate your unique path in evaluation with more confidence, clarity, and purpose. Resources: *Join to be the first to hear when doors open and...
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47. Feeling Like an Imposter as an Evaluator with John LaVelle
The Evaluation Couch
In this episode, Maria speaks with researcher and evaluation expert John LaVelle about their study on the imposter phenomenon among evaluators. They explore why feelings of imposterism are common among evaluators and how professional identity and community influence these experiences. The conversation highlights the unique challenges evaluators face and the strategies they use to cope with imposterism, emphasizing the importance of mentorship, open dialogue, and community support in fostering confidence and growth. Resources: The research study discussed in this episode can be found...
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46. Building Your Consulting Sales Pipeline with Paul Bakker
The Evaluation Couch
In this episode, Paul Bakker joins The Evaluation Couch to share his insights on how a sales pipeline can support an evaluator's independent consulting business. Paul explains how he tracks different types of leads—open RFPs, vendor-of-record opportunities, and sole-source contracts—assigning the likelihood of these materializing into contracts. He shares how he has used a sales pipeline to project his income and guide business development efforts. He emphasizes the importance of networking, building relationships, and diversifying sources of work to maintain income stability and mitigate...
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45. Turning Learning Into Action: Building Evaluation Capacity with Allison Prieur
The Evaluation Couch
In this episode, Allison Prieur joins Maria to discuss her experience participating in the Evaluation Capacity Case Challenge (EC3). Allison shares how she overcome her hesitation to apply to the program and how this experience has changed her evaluation practice. Maria and Allison share their reflections on applying the learnings from EC3 in their practice including the successes and challenges they face as they both try to build evaluation capacity in different settings. Resources: Learn more about Allison's consulting here: Learn more about The Evaluation Capacity Case...
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44. Three Times I Almost Stand In The Way Of My Own Career Growth
The Evaluation Couch
In this episode, Maria discusses how our brains are designed to make meaning out of our experiences and our place in the world. She shares three personal stories when she held narratives that hindered her career growth. She shares how building her confidence, expanding her knowledge of the field of evaluation, and an unexpected life experience can shift these beliefs. The episode concludes with advice and resources to help others identify and overcome their own limiting stories including Maria's free workbook to become a confident evaluator. Download Maria's free workbook Evaluator...
info_outlineIn this episode, Maria explores how evaluation competencies can help you grow into a stronger evaluator. She breaks down what evaluation competencies are and offers practical advice on selecting a framework to guide your career development. Maria also discusses how these competencies can ease the sense of overwhelm that often comes with building an evaluation career, allowing you to focus your efforts and seek guidance more effectively. Drawing from her own experiences, Maria shares examples of the competencies she has worked on at various stages of her journey.
Resources
Learn more about evaluation competencies here.
Learn about evaluation competency frameworks here.
Complete the exercise "Finding a competency framework that suits you" if you are struggling to select a competency framework.
Finally, check out Maria's favourite cookies recipe here.