Active blogger, former postdoc and (currently) full-time Mom Anna Carnini weighs in on the dos and don'ts of finding your next postdoc position. (This post was also published on Anna's blog Western Wind) Over to Anna:
Although I have enjoyed my time in science, I feel I have made a few career mistakes here and there that led me to where I am today (no maternity leave, no employment insurance, unemployed). Well, there is no point in crying over spilt milk. I think I have learnt something from my mistakes. Here is a list of things one should bear in mind when choosing a postdoc. I wish I'd figured it out earlier, but sometime one has to leave and learn.
Although I have enjoyed my time in science, I feel I have made a few career mistakes here and there that led me to where I am today (no maternity leave, no employment insurance, unemployed). Well, there is no point in crying over spilt milk. I think I have learnt something from my mistakes. Here is a list of things one should bear in mind when choosing a postdoc. I wish I'd figured it out earlier, but sometime one has to leave and learn.
- Have a clear idea of what you want from a postdoctoral experience. Do you want it to be a good spring board to an academic position? Or a position in industry? Do you want/ need lots of papers coming out?
- Communicate these expectations clearly to the postdoc supervisor you may be interested in working for and assess if you can achieve your goals in your lab. If the answer is no, turn down the offer and move on.
