![\"grant](\"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/files\/2016\/10\/grant-snider-comuic.jpg\" "\\"grant")
<\/a>Image source: Grant Snider https:\/\/www.incidentalcomics.com\/2013\/05\/message-to-graduate.html<\/p><\/div>\n
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Step 1: The application<\/h1>\n
First, fairly obviously, you need to find an academic position to apply to. The best way, in my view, is to establish some strong connections during your current work, and work with them to find a suitable academic position, either in their lab or elsewhere. The harder way is to find a position online. I\u2019ll concentrate on the difficult road.<\/p>\n
Applying for a position really needs time, investment, and concentration. Although it can be tempting, avoid blitz-applying to any position you find, especially if they\u2019re not in your areas of interest (if you aren\u2019t passionate about the subject, you\u2019re not gonna get the job anyway). Once you find an interesting position, go through their website and learn about their research. Prepare your CV and cover letter, and make sure to tailor it to their research interests.<\/p>\n
Put yourself in your employer\u2019s shoes \u2013 read up about their lab, their research, and double-check the job posting \u2013 what skills are they looking for? Try to also include some immediate, glowing references in links in your CV if you can, rather than just allowing them on request.<\/p>\n
And never, ever, ever take a cover letter for granted. My personal suggestion would be to concentrate more on the cover letter than your CV (though you should, of course, work maniacally on both). Hopefully this will all count towards being selected in the next round, which will \u2013 most likely \u2013 be an interview over Skype.<\/p>\n
Step 2: The Skype call<\/h1>\n
This is, obviously, a relatively new way of interviewing people. Here, the key is to plan everything carefully \u2013 so many Skype interviews go badly because of extra stuff like background noise, a bad internet connection, or other non-academic interferences.<\/p>\n
Start off by ensuring a stable internet connection and \u2013 of course \u2013 a faultless version of Skype. Avoid noisy rooms and choose a light background for the interview. To cover all of this, booking a seminar room might be a good idea. Before starting the interview, keep your relevant papers and a CV nearby.<\/p>\n
Skype interviews are on average about a half-hour long but can go longer so it might be sensible to have a glass of water nearby. Always make a test call beforehand to check if everything is fine and give yourself enough time to fix any issues. Use earphones for the conversation and always wait for them to call you.<\/p>\n
During the interview, try to look at the camera and not at the screen for better \u2018eye\u2019 contact. This was the part I found the most difficult, as we\u2019re all used to staring at our screens. So remember to practice this (on top of everything else) in your mock interviews with friends, family, or friendly colleagues. After the conversation, wait for them to end the call and never forget the \u2018thank you; nice talking to you\u2019 email after they hang up.<\/p>\n
Step 3: The final interview<\/h1>\n
Once you\u2019re asked to visit the lab in person for an interview, always offer more than one date and time and let them choose. On the big day, make sure you\u2019re dressed smartly and arrive nice and early (but not too early \u2013 nobody wants to stop what they\u2019re working on for no good reason) at the venue. If asked, be ready with a strong, simple presentation of your previous work. During the questions period of your presentation, try to initiate a discussion \u2013 this isn\u2019t a thesis defense \u2013 and don\u2019t just give yes\/no answers. Have a clear idea about your preferred starting date. Avoid bringing up the topic of salary unless they ask you \u2013 this should come later. After getting back home, another \u2018thank you\u2019 email is not a bad idea. Of course, there\u2018s many ways and a lot more advice you could read to help crack an academic interview. But start with these basic tips and work your way up from there. Once you\u2019ve got these down, all of the good stuff will follow.<\/p>\n Good luck!<\/p>\n Mit Bhavsar is a researcher living and working at Frankfurt Initiative for Regenerative Medicine (FIRM) Frankfurt, Germany. You can contact him on: <\/em>mbhavsa@gwdg.de<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Suggested posts<\/strong><\/p>\n Top 5 most hated interview questions<\/a><\/p>\n How to answer: What is your greatest weakness?<\/a><\/p>\n How to answer: Behavioral questions<\/a><\/p>\n How to answer: Why do you want to work for us?<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Staying and working in academia is a good career choice but finding the right position in academia is still a tricky thing. Blanket-applying to as many positions as you can find and crossing your fingers isn\u2019t going to cut it. Recently, I managed to crack some of\u00a0my own postdoc interviews. Here\u2019s what I learnt. Read more<\/a> Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n