videos

CBAS members held an informal panel consisting of postdocs who fielded questions from graduate students about how and when to prepare for postdoc positions. The entire video can be viewed on Benchfly, a video-driven website dedicated to the open access of expert scientific instruction.

Following is a list of 18 topics discussed during the panel discussion and the time-frames for each. You can fast-forward the video to the topic(s) that most interest you.

1. When should you start looking for a postdoc position? (0:00 - 2:30)

2. Should you talk to your advisor before looking for a postdoc position? (2:32 - 4:08)

3. How many postdoc applications should you send and when? (4:10 - 4:46)

4. Should you send hardcopy or e-mail applications? (4:48 - 5:53)

5. How do you turn down an offer? (5:55 - 6:08)

6. Why switch from industry to postdoc? (6:10 - 6:25)

7. Applying vs being accepted for postdoc positions. Following up once you have applied. (6:28 - 8:20)

8. How to make your application stand out. How to get your foot in the door. (8:22 - 10:17)

9. Determining which labs are funded before applying for a postdoc position. (10:19 - 13:11)

10. Choosing a specific geographic region. (13:12 - 14:58)

11. Targeting a lab based on expertise. (15:00 - 15:52)

12. Assisting a spouse's transition to a new location. (15:54 - 17:21)

13. Postdoc funding and planning ahead. How to prepare for when funding runs out. (17:23 - 20:51)

14. Branching out into a different field of study. (20:53 - 26:26)

15. Targeting a lab that will develop your skills for the future. (26:28 - 29:13)

16. What was the interview process like? (29:15 - 32:14)

17. What questions do you ask lab members during the interview? (32:16 - 33:23)

18. What would you do differently to prepare for a postdoc? (33:25 - 34:32)