By Eleanor Newton and Julia Turan
Are you currently in a postdoc or considering starting one? If so, these tips, based on a workshop at Future Physiology 2019 by career coach Emma Williams, will help you make the most of your experience.
1. Talk to your peers! Talk about your research and about issues you’ve had. Gaining different perspectives can help solve problems. For example, talking to postdocs in other departments will help you realise you are all in similar boats. Attending cross-university courses can be a great way to meet these people.
2. Remember to communicate with your PI. Build a trusting relationship with your PI to help you overcome problems along the way. Setting out the goals and motivations for your work early on can help manage expectations and get the most out of your experience.
3. When transitioning between lab groups, consider cultural and social differences in addition to the science. Your primary relationship will be with your PI, so do some investigating! Try and link with people who have previously worked with them as a postdoc, for example by offering to give a talk at their lab or arranging an informal lunch. At the interview, remember that this is a two-way process and have questions prepared. Look at the whole picture when making your decision, considering factors such as cost and quality of living for the location.
4. If you’re free to move, grasp the opportunity! If you’ve stayed in same institution throughout your education and early career, it’s more difficult to demonstrate independence. Before you decide to change locations, weigh up the pros and cons of a potential move. Pros may include getting a different outlook by working in a different system or country. Cons might include moving away from your existing network of contacts, as well as friends and family. If a move isn’t feasible, consider other avenues to demonstrate autonomy such as collaborations with other labs.
5. Remember that people’s careers will influence the career advice they give. If people around you are saying that academia is the only route, you’re asking the wrong people. You’re not alone in realising that you don’t want to progress further in academia. Know that experiences and skills developed during your post doc are transferrable (e.g. writing skills for going into science communication) and look at roles that will encompass what you’ve enjoyed about your postdoc (e.g. project management). Seek career advice from those who haven’t progressed through academia, or who haven’t got a vested interest for example, university career services. Use LinkedIn and connect with companies, or individuals to find out what potential roles are like day to day.
6. Make the most of your postdoc experience. Set some aims and objectives for the course of your postdoc. For example, set out a clear publication plan, and stick to it. Take time to evaluate individual experiments, and various stages of your project to help identify gaps and side projects. Most importantly, always remember that the only person who is going to prioritise your career is you. Don’t wait for someone else to ‘save’ you!
This advice is based on a workshop at Future Physiology 2019, our annual early career conference, by Emma Williams, the “postdoc agony aunt” and one of the authors of “What every postdoc needs to know” (https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/q0070). Learn more about her work at www.ejwsolutions.com