Applying for Postdoc positions: How to get Feedback and Interview
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- čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
- When I started applying for Postdoctoral positions about two years ago, I felt a bit lost and confused. How to approach professors and universities? What should I mention in my emails and statement letters? These features are still not fully covered and explained.
Now, having worked as a Postdoc for more than one year, I have some advice and thoughts to share:
• Rejected applications and applications with no reply - it's inexplicable, don't worry about them
• Improve your style - get fewer applications with no reply
• Where to find Postdoc positions? How to apply for them?
• Bad and decent applications - my personal examples
• Interviews - prepare some materials; ask yourself did you enjoy chatting with the professor?
Good luck in your academic career!
My cover letter templates: andreychurkin.ru/materials/
0:00 Intro
0:59 My experience: 13 Postdoc job applications
1:56 Why many applications get no reply/feedback
6:19 Main ways to find Postdoc positions
9:01 How to apply
11:04 Example: bad application
13:22 Example: good application
16:09 Interview
Andrey Churkin (Андрей Чуркин) 2022
andreychurkin.ru/ - Věda a technologie
You gave a crystal clear explanation regarding the post-doc application. Thank you very much.
You are very clear and calm when you explain. Great video. It was very helpful
Calm and composed nicely explained Sir 👍
Such an excellent video. I much prefer this format compared to the gimmicky CZcams style
Thank you for sharing your experience, it's really helpful.
Thanks for telling this personal experience and valuable tips.
Thank you very much for the tips and clear explanation!
Andrey you are quite on point; revealing hidden secret behind job announcement. Very useful hints
Thank you for this useful and humble explanations
Very helping and kind person I have found him. Stay successful Sir.
Very informative video. Thanks a lot !
You are doing a great job. It was really helpful thank you...🙏
Hi
Truly very useful tips. Keep the good work on.
lovely video😊, thank you for this.
Thank you. It is a great video and really helpful. Keep it up 👍
Hey, great tips and they can increase your chances a lot, but after a few post-docs I feel like in the end you can have a very bad approach and still get the job and the opposite. There are many reasons for this and I would also need a video to explain, but the important thing is to not be too hard on yourself.
Thanks! Yes, the level of randomness with academic positions seems very high😄
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Very honest and useful even to phd applicant. Thanks for sharing your experience
nice one, thank you for sharing your experience :)
This was really helpful, thanks!
highly appreciate your valuable words.
This is very helpful, thank you.
Thank you so much for this video.
Thanks a lot for the valuable information
These fake positions are criminally wrong. Applicants spend so much time to prepare an application focused to that position which they can be spending for their research, or to prepare an application for a real position.
Thanks Andrey, nice video. Getting a bit disappointed after 3 rejections, but yeah I guess I am moving forward :)
Very clear. I just finished my PhD of law and searching the right way to apply for postdoc
Really helpful .thank you
Андрей приветствую!
Спасибо за очень полезное видео, оно как раз пришло во время, тк сейчас я нахожусь в пойсках постдока
Hi!
Very interesting.
Could you please speak on the situation when you can be replaced from a position by your friend?
Great video
Great information I am grateful and I will get in contact with you later.Thank you
If you applied for a position by sending an email directly to the professor, and made the mistakes you mentioned by keeping the text body of the email too vague and short, would you resend the application later before the close date with a more informative text body? This position is very important to me. I included everything you mentioned in the first page of my attached application, so originally I thought repeating all those things in the text body would be redundant. Now I'm concerned the professor wouldn't even get that far. Thank you very much for all the helpful information!
Hi! Yes, I think it is possible to send another email if you aim to make it more professional. You can also include your "ideas and contributions for that specific position", highlighting that your previous email was in a rush and you did not elaborate on that. Sometimes it is possible to contact a professor directly and apply for the job via the university system. You can do both. However, as I said in the video, the recruitment process is very random. Maybe that professor already has a candidate and does not care much about other emails. Good luck!
Thank you 👍
Kashmir
谢谢，学到了很多
Very well explained, thank you. I am a PhD, could you please help me for my cover letter? I tried to follow your instructions.
Hi Sana! Please send me your cover letter andrey.churkin@manchester.ac.uk
Bundles of thanks for your kind response.
Dear Sir, I have sent you an email.
Thanx bratok
I would love to hear responses from other fields of study, such as social sciences and humanities. What are their thoughts about the topic discussed in this video? We in social sciences struggle as well. Most universities prioritise KPIs set up for science and technology, overlooking social sciences and humanities.
Take Malaysia, for example, the ministry sets a minimum standard requiring each lecturer to publish at least one article, which seems fair. However, the university increased this requirement (mind you, each university will have different requirements depending on whether it is a teaching or research university), asking for at least three articles per year. For promotion, only articles in Q1-Q4 and a book will be considered, while book chapters, book reviews, commentary articles, articles published in a peer-reviewed non-indexed journal and research notes will not be considered. They are accepted for the university's KPIs but not individuals especially for promotion.
If you wish to work as a senior lecturer or become a Fellow at a research institute, you must have published at least a book or four articles in ESCI, among other requirements. Otherwise, you will not be considered. Unfortunately, there is no teaching fellow position in Malaysia.
Отличное видео
Thank you so much for your such informative video. I have been awarded a Phd degree from Japan in 2021. I could not apply for postdoc in abroad due to my job boundary in my home country for 2 years. Now I’m applying but being rejected much. What can I do ? Can I contact with you by your email?
Hi dear , following your advise, if someone with 4 years postdoctoral experience will apply for international postdoctoral situation it can be successful ?
Hi Zeinab! There are different opinions about this. First, I have heard that it is usually easy to get a second postdoc position. The point is that you, as a postdoc, already have great experience and can easily join another group as a postdoc again. However, there may be a problem if you cannot prove your experience. For example, imagine if you do not have many papers (or projects) after being a postdoc for 2-3 years. Managers at universities can think that this is strange and take another younger postdoc instead. Hope this helps.
Can any postdock degree holder can got Faculty job in an university in india..?
My first interview was with Cranfield in the UK and I was terrible 😒. After that, I was rejected from 3 more interviews from various countries . Can I apply for those groups later if they announce a position again ? They know me and I might not be regarded again .🙁 I have been a postdoc in South Korea for three years, I didn't have an interview for this job, because the professor knew me before, but I haven't found another position yet ,,, Why have I not succeeded? 😔 I have 10 papers as the 1st author (mechanical engineering ) , but I am not good at interviews, 😓 Should I keep it up? o
Hi Daniel!
This is a complex question. First of all, yes, you can definitely apply multiple times for the same group. You never know who rejected your application and why. Maybe HR did not like your CV, or maybe there were 100 people applying already, etc.
Regarding your rejected applications, let me mention these two points:
1) Do you spend enough time on your CV and cover letter? Do you adjust them for each specific position, mentioning your skills, knowledge of the group you apply, and your potential contributions?
2) You say that you have 10 journal papers, which is good. However, I tried to Google you and could not find a Google Scholar or ResearchGate profile. Do you have any profiles where people can find your publications and information about your research?
Regarding the "terrible" interviews, I am not sure if you want to discuss this here. Please drop me a message explaining what you see as terrible in your interviews. Anyway, if you feel that you want to stay in academic mechanical engineering, of course, you should keep it up.
Hello Sir, I am your new subscriber. Thank you so much for such information. It will be veey helpful to us. Sir, I will finish my Ph.D this year. I also want to apply post doc. Could you help me to improve my CV and cover letter during at that time ? I am not finished my Ph.D. Can I apply post doc even without getting Ph.D? How many Journal papers should we need to publish during post doc. ? I am very new about this area. Looking forwards to your reply.
Hi! I am glad to hear that you found the video useful. Regarding your questions:
1) I can take a look at your CV. Please drop me an email.
2) Yes, you can apply for a postdoc before completing your PhD. You should mention this in your application. For example, if you have your PhD thesis defence in 4 months, you can apply for postdoctoral positions mentioning that you are ready to start your new role in 4 months.
3) Expectations from postdocs (number of journal papers per year) depend on the field. In my field (electrical engineering and computer science), postdoctoral researchers are expected to publish 1-2 papers per year.
Good luck!
hello sir im aspiring to get Post doc at Boston , how can i apply and get selected by professors at BU
Hi! You should put much effort to make your CV and cover letter look professional, clearly reflecting your background and skills, research ideas, interest in the topic, etc. Plus, you should adjust your letter for each specific position to show your knowledge of the research group and suggest your potential contributions. Work on your documents over several iterations. Show your CV and cover letter to several people you know to get feedback. A good letter cannot be drafted in one day, not even 2-3 days.
Here is an example of my letter: materials.andreychurkin.ru/A_Churkin_cover_letter_template_May_2023.pdf
As I said in the video, the postdoc application process is very random. Even candidates with good CVs and letters can be rejected due to internal/external reasons.
Good luck!
I am an older person just completed my P h.D in Nigeria.But I want to ask can age be a factor iin getting post Doc.?
Hi Adio! It is difficult to say if age is a decisive factor. Usually, postdocs are around 30 years old. But I believe that the relevance of your experience and skills is the most important factor. Also, as I said in the video, it is important to demonstrate that you have some research ideas and plans to contribute to the group. If you show your energy and passion for the topic, your application should be considered seriously. Good luck!
@@chuscience Thanks very much for your advice and encouragement.i will give it a trial
❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you from Palestine 🇵🇸🇷🇺
No Palestine..Only Israel
Rule 1. Dont' apply for post-doc.
Go home and stay with your mum instead.😊
Do not do a postdoc...doing postdoc undervalues your professionnal career...working general job is more valuable
Thank you sir for the information. Can you please give me your email address I have many questions regarding this thank you
p̳r̳o̳m̳o̳s̳m̳
Thank you so much for your such informative video. I have been awarded a Phd degree from Japan in 2021. I could not apply for postdoc in abroad due to my job boundary in my home country for 2 years. Now I’m applying but being rejected much. What can I do ? Can I contact with you by your email?
Thank you so much for your such informative video. I have been awarded a Phd degree from Japan in 2021. I could not apply for postdoc in abroad due to my job boundary in my home country for 2 years. Now I’m applying but being rejected much. What can I do ? Can I contact with you by your email?
Hi! Yes, please send your CV and cover letter to andrey.churkin@manchester.ac.uk
I will try to take a look and give you some advice. Andrey.