Generally speaking three main factors will influence your choice of postdoctoral opportunities. These are the research topic, your principal investigator or P.I., and whether or not there are good publication prospects from the research. The quality of the principal investigator in a postdoctoral research project is important to your postdoctoral success in the short term and your career success in the long term. It is therefore important to ensure that the P.I. has the following attributes:
- has been heavily published in top journals and received positive peer reviews.
- is recognized as an expert in his or her field and is able to attract talented individuals to his or her research team.
- is able and willing to mentor you during the postdoctoral process.
Start using the contacts you already have in graduate school in order to find an appropriate post doc opportunity. Ask your advisor and other academic staff if they can suggest possible openings, which might suit you. They may have direct contacts who can open doors, which are not even advertised. In fact, most postdoctoral jobs are not advertised so you need to be very proactive to land one. Make it clear to your fellow grad students as well as the faculty that you are seeking a post doc role. Ask them where previous lab members have found work. Asking the right questions can provide you with valuable information about PhD jobs, which you would otherwise know nothing about.
Because there is usually heavy competition for jobs for a PhD, it is important to ensure that you are in a competitive position. One way to do this is to prepare well ahead of time by developing your ideas, writing, and getting published in professional journals as often as possible. This gets your name out into your professional community and adds kudos to the university or organization you go to. Also make sure you develop the skills and techniques that will be required to do the best work in your desired research environment.
Although most post doc jobs are not advertised, many of them still are so it pays to look online for suitable opportunities. Postdoctoral jobs are often advertised on the websites of professional organizations. For example, clinical psychology post doc positions can often be found on APPIC’s website. The National Postdoctoral Association provides information on newly funded research programs and advertises postdoctoral positions across a range of fields. It is a good idea to contact the researchers in charge of newly funded programs to inquire if they would hire you in a postdoctoral capacity. However, it is important to make sure the research and environment suit your personal career goals. There are also specialist online postdoctoral jobs sites, which advertise opportunities. By doing an Internet search you will find a lot of helpful resources for getting one of the more suitable jobs for a PhD.
Consider applying for NRSA Award, which will allow you to pursue your own research and choose your own mentor. If you can bring your own funding to the table, you are less likely to be turned down and you will also have more independence as a researcher. You will, however, have to learn how the grant application process works.
If you wish to pursue an academic career along with your postdoctoral appointment, then try to find a post doc job that will allow you to teach. Many university-based appointments include a teaching component in their programs, however you can’t assume it. Make a list of the questions you need to ask before accepting a post doc appointment and make sure the answers are acceptable. As much as possible, you need to be in charge of your career and your future and you can’t afford to compromise when it comes to the relevance of postdoctoral work to your professional future.
By simply taking the time to understand your own career needs and options, you will be able to make strategic decisions with regards to postdoctoral jobs. PhD jobs make an important contribution to your career and so you need to approach your job search carefully and consciously. It is then that you are far more likely to springboard into a successful career than if you had simply drifted into any post doc job you could get your hands on.
