political science job rumors

Things may get weird. Trying to fix the problems.

1. anon
   Unregistered

   So, what sort of people get post-docs anyway, and how do we maximize our chance of getting them?

   In the hopes of insulating against trolling, I'll ask some more specific sub-questions:
   -how important are existing publications for post-doc decisions?
   -what kinds of research proposals sell the best (should we be really specific, or vague; related to our dissertation, or distant)?
   -To what extent do post-doc searches care about the fit of research to the program? Can I make an Asia-related research proposal to a program that say, mostly does Asia (even though it isn't the main focus of my research)?
   -Are there job talks for most post-docs (and if so, are travel expenses covered)?
   -Should we under-emphasize teaching in post-doc applications, given that we would probably have a light teaching load as a post-doc?

   Posted 1 year ago #

2. anon
   Unregistered

   Almost too funny because most of these things do not matter in getting a post-doc. OP is either a troll or clueless.

   Posted 1 year ago #

3. anon
   Unregistered

   ^ I'm clueless. So please - what does matter for post-docs?

   Posted 1 year ago #

4. anon
   Unregistered

   Who your advisor knows and how much weight s(he) pulls.

   Posted 1 year ago #

5. Memphis PhD candidate
   Unregistered

   a big **** and an attitude!

   Posted 1 year ago #

6. Lavi_N
   Member

   Legitimate question with no clear-cut answers. Different institutions have different expectations. Just don't propose a project that is beyond your capability - the ideal application would be the one that can be presented as the continuation of your existing project (so if you worked on the Middle East throughout your Ph.D. and have never been to East Asia, it is difficult to sell a proposal to an Asia-specific postdoc) In general, people like the idea of you producing a book during the stint (and you can only do this if you are working on a dissertation-related topic) - it would be (again, not always, but usually)nice to be able to say that you plan to turn your dissertation into a book manuscript.

   Existing publications will matter at every point yet do not assume that you will get a postdoc because you have publications. I have seen postdocs whose CVs are almost the same as seasoned assistant professors, I have also seen those who had not even come close to a publication...

   Postdocs almost never require in-person interviews - the most you will get is probably a phone-interview (this is what we do in my institution - top ten R1)

   Unless they ask for it, do not dwell too much on teaching credentials, do not cut it out altogether either.

   Having said all this, unfortunately, it is a gamble...

   Posted 1 year ago #

7. Not OP
   Unregistered

   ^It's nice to get some clear and honest answers around here sometimes. Thanks!

   Posted 1 year ago #

8. anon
   Unregistered

   I started a post-doc earlier this year after some previous failed applications. My advice is to propose a project that is not entirely divorced from your dissertation, but which builds on it in a new direction. Committees get scared by people saying they're going to start off with something entirely new, yet they don't want to think that you will be simply editing your diss into book format. This probably sounds like pretty basic advice; I'm not sure how many people follow it.

   Posted 1 year ago #

9. Vanity
   Member

   ^ That's good advice.

   Posted 1 year ago #

10. anon
    Unregistered

    OP here: I just wanted to thank those that gave informative answers.

    Posted 1 year ago #

11. Anonymous
    Unregistered

    generally those that get post docs are the biggest douche bags.

    Posted 1 year ago #

12. anon
    Unregistered

    ^ What a relief!

    Posted 1 year ago #

13. anon
    Unregistered

    ^^You must have two.

    Posted 1 year ago #

14. Anon
    Unregistered

    Look, to be fair, being a douchebag is not a criteria for getting a post doc (please read the title thread).

    Obviously, there is a high correlation but that is different than being a requirement.

    Posted 1 year ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply