As early scholars who are not students or long-term employees, postdocs face particular challenges when it comes to navigating the hidden curriculum and opaque expectations that higher ed can cloud. Even at institutions where postdocs have strong support resources, a postdoc’s experience is highly dependent on the support they receive from their faculty advisor and therefore can vary widely. As two former postdoc sponsors and a current postdoc sponsor, we want to add to the great “Carpe Careers” conversation about the amazing work of postdocs and offer ideas to pull back the curtain on the hidden curriculum so we can enrich postdocs.
Goals and Trajectory
A postdoc role should enable you to not only gain more knowledge and skills but explore career options, build your network and improve your ability to successfully transition to your next role. It is important to start by thinking about yourself in terms of skills, experience and values in order to make your postdoc goals and career assessment. Creating an individual development plan using tools like Imagine PhD or myIDP is an effective strategy (not just for postdocs!).
Such tools invite you to show:
- What values are important to you? (On this note, see also Stanford University’s Profitable Career Kit.)
- How did you develop your skills?
- How have you developed communication, collaboration, research, teaching and leadership/coaching skills?
- What do you hope to accomplish during your postdoc?
- What would you need to achieve those goals?
- What ideas do you have for your next career move?
This last notice to see the work is important. Even if you’re in the exploratory phase (perhaps even doing a postdoc to explore), starting to define the types of career paths you know is important. This, along with thinking about your priorities and preferences, will help you narrow down your career options and develop the experience, networks and skills needed to successfully find and start that next job. As part of this initial job-seeking effort, take some time to think about:
- What types of environments do you thrive in (collaborative, independent, fast-paced, scalable)? What opportunities do you need to grow?
- What important things are important to you (place, family/friends, etc.)?
- How can you learn about different career options in your training (education, industry, non-profit organizations, etc.)?
During your postdoc, your view may change. You may find that you like teaching and don’t like research or prefer a quick start-up area. Building in time for reflection will allow you to pivot more effectively when your priorities change and when the work environment changes. Indeed, given the general decline in the number of faculty roles coupled with additional factors (eg, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in federal policy), identifying multiple options for career next steps is critical. To understand what types of careers you’re exploring might involve, conduct informational interviews to understand other people’s approaches and the values and priorities that have informed their career moves.
Mentorship and Networking
During your Ph.D., you may only have one or two advisors. As you enter your postdoctoral phase, expand your advisory team to include a variety of people who can advise you on your progress in your postdoc and various aspects of your career. You may have a mentor in industry who can give you insight into what those career options look like, another mentor in academic administration who can share their day-to-day activities with you and senior colleagues/peers who can help you with your writing, presentation or analysis, and so on. Your advisors can recommend skills to acquire, courses to take, conferences to attend and other people to network with. Some mentors may push you out of your comfort zone, and that’s a good thing. You grow your research and professional community through your mentoring team.
Another great way to grow your community is through networking. Even though networking sounds difficult or annoying, it’s about making connections with the people you meet at university or at a conference. You may have a conversation with someone somewhere in the conference—that conversation may lead to other opportunities. Networking doesn’t have to be forced, but you should step out of your comfort zone and think about expanding your professional community. You might think this is not that important, but 70 to 85 percent of today’s jobs are secured by someone in your network.
Research and Skills Development
Grant writing is an important skill for many postdocs to obtain funding for their fellowship or to assist their mentor with research proposals. You should familiarize yourself with funding opportunities at the university level and at the government level (National Science Foundation/National Institutes of Health). Although these grant opportunities are very competitive, you can use this opportunity to refine your research ideas and get practice in grant writing. Receiving a grant rejection and integrating the reviewer’s response into the resubmission is an important skill to learn whether or not you continue in school.
You can also use your postdoc as an opportunity to learn skills that you may not have had the opportunity to develop during your undergraduate studies. You may want to learn discipline-specific skills that are in high demand in the labor market or skills related to data analysis and visualization, public speaking and presentation, leadership and research team management. Or you would like to get a taste of academic administration by working for your postdoctoral organization. This is the time to try new things and think about your career path. Although many postdocs may want to become a faculty member in an R-1, there are many other types of universities, as well as industry positions and careers in academic administration that you may be a good fit for. Talk to people in your network and your advisors to find out if other options are right for you.
Teaching and Supervision Experience
Although you have a lot of research knowledge and experience, you may not have had the opportunity to teach an entire course on your own during your Ph.D. The academic job market is very competitive, and having a few top books and teaching assistant experience for a few subjects may no longer be enough. Gaining experience as a single course instructor will help you decide if you like teaching—and, in addition, will help you stand out from other applicants who may not have teaching experience. Demonstrating your teaching experience can also make you a more competitive applicant for teaching-oriented positions at universities outside the R-1 university ecosystem.
Teaching an entire course on your own is time-consuming, and a future hiring committee will want to know if you can manage the teaching and research you balance when you become a faculty member. If you don’t have an opportunity to teach at your university, look for a nearby university and apply to teach a course as an adjunct (although first make sure to check with your postdoc office about whether teaching a course is allowed within the university’s policies and those of your funding sources).
Finally, we want to make a strong plug for the Teaching and Learning Center at your university. Contact them before you start teaching your first course. You can get specialized, high-quality help from small tips to comprehensive advice on course design and teaching practices. Additionally, if teaching a course is not an option, collaborate with your CTL and engage in other forms of teaching (guest lectures, running your organization’s postdoc program, etc.). This experience further expands your knowledge and demonstrates your passion for teaching.
During your postdoc, you can also gain valuable experience by mentoring undergraduate and graduate students. Keep in mind that with their different career stages, undergraduates and graduate students will have their own interests, time constraints and priorities. Working with diverse students can help you understand how to motivate others and how to move a project forward effectively; this experience can be rewarding and help you prepare for your next career step (and negotiate successfully for it!).
Institutional Awareness and Autonomy
Finally, we want to emphasize again that being successful in your postdoc role does not have to be an individual effort; You should engage with the resources available to you for support and to get different perspectives on your experience and development. Your institution may have specific, formal postdoctoral support, such as a postdoc office or postdoc organization, that can direct you to resources. But if your institution does not have this level of formal support, you may need to reach out to regular offices such as human resources or your school administrator to understand what is available. Additionally, the National Postdoctoral Association has a wealth of resources, guidance and opportunities to network with other postdocs.
We’ve shared a variety of ideas to help you think about how to get involved, what to prioritize and who to recruit during your postdoc. Our goal is to emphasize the importance of approaching your postdoc with purpose, starting with reflection and goal setting. Exploring different opportunities with input from a team of advisors can give you the perspective and feedback you need to make your next career move a successful and enjoyable one.
