In this post, I am going to address my journey to acquiring a Research Scientist/Postdoctoral opportunities in the international market, outside India. Although I will happily accept that India holds some amazing opportunities after completing a PhD, and these are subject to openings and your interests. This post is especially for those who are enthusiastic about opportunities at the international level as these strategies might not work in the Indian context!
Before starting with the blog, please know that I will include some beautiful visuals from my current location in Italy to make this post less boring (as usual!).
When do we start looking for opportunities?
After several recommendations from my seniors and friends, I started applying for opportunities as early as three months before my synopsis and seven months before my final defense viva. If taken my opinion, I don't think there is an exact right or wrong time to start applying as long as you have completed your PhD work or your synopsis viva date is known!
However, you can start looking into opportunities as early as 3-4 months before the viva as some recruitments take time. But be ware that most of the recruiters will be interested to know your expected viva date (even better if authorized by the PhD supervisor).
Where do we start looking for opportunities?
There are several platforms to look for openings of your interest, with LinkedIn and ResearchGate job portals being the top on my list! Although the best places to look for are your acquaintances and peers who are working abroad. PhD lab and department peers are your best outreach once they are settled abroad, so always try to make good connections in your workplace. The second most important place to look for are collaborators and colleagues from your previous research work or that of your supervisor's (and many times the professor's recommendations can help you grab the best opportunities you never knew about!). Therefore, another recommendation would be to choose an active, reputed, and cooperative supervisor for this long journey and maintain good relations (until the end :D).
However, you may end up landing in a postdoc position without any recommendations or help, (like I did!), but it is always better to seek help instead of wasting time!
Alternatively, another tiring process could be to drop a short cold email with your CV (very precise but covering everything about you) to professors who work closely in your area or aligned areas. This, you may start by shortlisting your target region/countries, followed by universities and then professors in your domain. This could be like firing in the dark, but if you are lucky enough, you may end up hitting one! However, this process will require a lot of time, energy, patience, and tolerance. If you can pull up your socks for that, do not wait! Also, be prepared to not hear back from many of them and learn to move on. There are many fishes in the sea to catch, even if you miss one ;)
Another approach could be to chase postdoc fellowship calls in different countries, prepare an interesting proposal, and start reaching out to professors in that country to host you for it. This again is very competitive, tiring, and over the counter opportunity and in my recommendation, no harm in trying! If you catch one, it is a cherry on top for your professional profile!
What should I keep in mind before applying or approaching for openings?
You must always be prepared for disappointments while you do this process and an optimistic attitude is nothing more than a blessing. One must always be hopeful and negotiable at the same time.
Before you begin with anything, classify your area of work (DO NOT put your feet in everything - this is very important). Sometimes, one may get desperate and apply to everything that catches our eyes, but whoahh! Stop right there!! This is not recommended as these applications are not just entry doors but a professional relationship building opportunity. Professional researchers read about you, your interests, and your work so far. Create an impression! Make an impact!
A few things I had prepared before dropping in cold emails or applying for project vacancies:
A CV that was as short as possible, highlighting all my achievements and my skills (drop a comment/message if you want to take a look at it!).
A standard motivation letter (each application must have a customized letter/cold email tailored according to the requirements of each job description. Refrain from copy-paste).
A research statement - important to highlight your past research experience, present interests, and future goals.
A teaching statement - some vacancies might require your teaching skills too (make sure to take a authorized letter of all your teaching & research experiences in the past).
A draft proposal - maybe of very little use, unless targeting fellowships or grants.
What should I do after applying?
Well! You wait, very patiently. If the waiting window exceeds a month or deadline mentioned on the call, then drop an enquiry email to the corresponding person. Do not BUG them with your emails, every professor is busy. They have commitments! The international market is slow, they work in a steady mode and do not rush things like us Asians, especially in the hiring process. So we may not be on the same page, and I personally feel that slow is BETTER, it is important for a balanced work-life.
What are the DONT'S?
Given the population on our side, I recently learned how large number of emails and candidatures are received from our subcontinent in the western countries as the youth wants to move out. But this makes our candidature even more competitive and the occasion of hearing back from the other person is also reduced. Thus, considering one's reputation as a researcher, here are a few DONT'S I recommend while you are doing this process.
Do not use ChatGPT. Using AI tools to improve your writing skills and application is fine, infact recommended.
All your motivation/cover letters cannot look the same. You are doing it all wrong.
Refrain from putting irrelevant information in your CV. They do not wish to know your life history.
Apply ONLY to vacancies that match your area of expertise and skillsets.
Focus on building your profile as a researcher.
NEVER work for free!
Do not ditch after commitment. This is the worst, ruins the reputation of your alma mater, peers, and others associated with your name.
I hope this blog was helpful. If you are interested in reading my past applications, please feel free to get in touch with me. By now I expect you know how to reach me :D
I also request you to write me a direct message if you reach out to me on LinkedIn instead of leaving at only the greetings (I may not reply at that :)).If you have suggestions from your experience that I might have missed, you are welcome to add it in the comments!
What topic should I cover next?? Any suggestions???
Thank you for surviving my blog until here! Good luck!
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